Berto Brown

I call myself a culture shifter. I try to change people's beliefs, behaviors, and outcomes when it comes to music. Many people are stuck in traditional ways of doing things that have already worked for others. I aim to shake it up and make sure there are other ways to be creative and original in the music industry, rather than just copying and pasting someone else's methods. I've always been a fan of music. Growing up, my older brother listened to old school music like Big Daddy Kane. I really got into music when Tupac came out and I was mesmerized by his music. I was a big Tupac fan and went against the grain in the East Coast, and West Coast situation. I became fascinated with the business side of music around the age of 13, and when I saw the success of Bad Boy and P. Diddy, I realized the money was behind the camera, not in front of it. I started working with artists, learning as much as I could, and eventually started my own small record label with my cousin, who lived in Atlanta and was a producer for many big acts there. However, he was more focused on the creative side and I was focused on the business side. In 2015, I got an opportunity to move to Abu Dhabi for a job in education, and I took it with the intention of getting involved in the music industry in Dubai and the UAE. So, I've always been a fan of music. I grew up with my older brother listening to old-school artists like Big Daddy Kane, and I really found my musical identity when Tupac came out. I was fascinated by him and became a big fan, even though many people from my hometown of Philadelphia were fans of Biggie. I was always different in that way. As I got deeper into music, I became interested in the business side of it. This was around 11 to 13 years old. When Ma$e came out, I was fascinated by Bad Boy and Puff Daddy, and I realized that the real money was behind the camera, not in front of it. I saw myself in that role because, although I can rap, I can't dance and don't have much rhythm. However, I feel comfortable with the business, and I don't like to be the center of attention in a big way. I then got interested in the business aspect of music. I started working with artists and helping them get shows and exposure, and eventually, I started my own management company, publishing company, and record label called Daily Ground Entertainment with my cousin who is a producer in Atlanta. I wanted to find a way to make a living off my passion for music. I separated myself from the projects I was working on and focused on pushing forward in my own direction. It was, you know, the Recipe guys. They're good friends of mine at this point. But when I saw those gentlemen, I didn't see much more going on in the region. However, I believe that the region has potential because we are all human and creative. So there must be something going on that hasn't been discovered yet. That's why I wanted to come to Dubai to see the music industry and identify any gaps or opportunities in the market. The music industry here is still young and growing, so I wanted to be a part of that growth. Fast forward to today, I started the Emirates Music Summit and AudioSwim. The goal of EMS is to make the UAE the top destination for music tourism and to improve the music industry standards. I am an artist first and foremost, and the Emirates Music Summit has a nonprofit focus, aiming to help the industry in any way possible. But AudioSwim is more focused on the business side, asking how we can make money together. AudioSwim is a comprehensive music company, offering services such as music distribution, NFT marketplace, royalty investment, marketing, and PR. We can also operate not only regionally but globally as well. It started off as just a distributor, but I realized that there were many other distributors out there, like Distro Kid, CD Baby, and TuneCore, who were doing 60,000-90,000 songs a day. This made the competition tough, so I needed to find a different niche. That's when I discovered royalty investment. After researching what artists were doing with their back catalogs, I realized that this was not a common practice in the region. I wanted to change that, so I went into research mode and studied as much as I could. Then I came across blockchain and cryptocurrency, which was a popular topic at the time. That's when I started exploring this field. And that's how I was introduced to blockchain technology, through my research into cryptocurrency. At first, I wasn't fully convinced about it as a long-term investment, but I soon realized that the technology behind cryptocurrency could be useful for my work in royalty investment. This led me to the world of NFTs and now I find myself at the intersection of off-chain and on-chain initiatives, which are closely intertwined. We offer artists a way to place their music NFTs, as well as cover art and other related materials. However, our focus is on the utility of the NFT. Many artists want to release a song or video as an NFT, but are unsure about how to do so. Our goal is to educate artists about how to build a community around their NFT, whether it's for a royalty investment or simply a general NFT that they plan to sell in the marketplace. Some artists may compare themselves to the big names in the industry and they need to understand that they have some work to do before they reach that level, but we aim to help them understand the potential of NFTs and how they can make the most of this new technology. So what we offer is the education piece as well as a marketplace where they can buy, sell, and trade royalties, as well as NFTs. They can also rent NFTs if they don't want to sell them outright. This gives artists more flexibility in how they monetize their work, and allows them to be creative within their sphere of influence. To explain blockchain, think of it as a digital ledger that is permanent and unalterable. Imagine your online digital footprint that will last forever and cannot be changed or manipulated. This makes blockchain a secure solution compared to traditional online platforms, where hacking issues can arise. In essence, blockchain is a digital ledger that is permanent, secure, and cannot be altered or deleted. Blockchain is the future and getting involved in it as soon as possible is important. With the growth of blockchain, it presents an opportunity for you to be ahead of the curve. It's not mainstream yet, but it's only a matter of time before it becomes so. With billions of dollars and data tied to it, the earlier you get involved, the better off you'll be in the future. Blockchain is not just a way to monetize, but data on the blockchain is also a valuable currency. If I was talking to someone on the street, I would tell them to get on board now, or they will be left behind in the near future.