LOS ANGELES—In a development that brings blockchain technology closer to transforming entertainment and media, the content-sharing platform Vevue announced on Tuesday its partnership with Los Angeles-based strategic communications firm Crypto Revolution.

The collaboration is set to elevate the groundbreaking vision spearheaded by Vevue, a non-profit organization that harnesses the power of the blockchain for empowering artists, journalists and everyday people with a platform for sharing feature films, music videos, podcasts, restaurant reviews and other forms of premium content.

The announcement comes ahead of an entertainment milestone to be set by Vevue. On July 10, the Santa Monica-based organization will release indie film “No Postage Necessary” on its platform, an event that will mark the first ever distribution of a motion picture using blockchain technology.

Vevue’s co-founder, Kathrine Olson, described the collaboration with Crypto Revolution’s team of media, government affairs and public relations specialists as a “strategic venture” that signals a significant step in the evolution of blockchain technology.

“For so long, we’ve heard about the blockchain mostly in the form of speculative trading of cryptocurrencies,” she said. “But there’s so much more to this revolutionary technology, and this partnership will help transform the potential of the blockchain into something tangible, profitable and fun for artists and journalists—and indeed just about any person in just about any location in the world—who enjoy creating and sharing just about any form of content. All they need is a smartphone or computer.”

Operating on the blockchain network of Shanghai-based Qtum, Vevue allows people to share and access content through micropayments using digital currency called tokens, with viewing prices set by those who create and post content.

Because it operates on the blockchain, the system doesn’t rely on such third-party intermediaries as record labels and production studios—meaning that artists, journalists and other content creators can retain nearly 100 percent of the revenue generated when using the Vevue platform. By allowing consumers to purchases individual pieces of content instead of having to buy expensive subscription packages, the system is poised to compete with YouTube, Hulu and other digital entertainment firms.

In a statement, Crypto Revolution’s chief operating officer, Hugh Naylor, expressed his enthusiasm about Vevue’s fully operational system, describing its entry into the entertainment market as a sign of a maturing of the blockchain technology into a tool with far-reaching commercial applications.

Vevue also is set to release other premium content this summer, including “Zulu Wedding,” a South African film about a woman who confronts tradition when she’s asked to marry a Zulu king. Performing artists who are planning to release music on Vevue include “Lost Under Heaven” frontman Ellery James Roberts and Ebony Hoorn.

“When we see Vevue, we don’t see buzzwords like ‘blockchain’ and ‘decentralization.’ We see a viable way for freelance journalists and up-and-coming musicians and movie producers to circumvent the substantial barriers to entry erected by the few internet platforms and centralized production studios that now dominate the creative industries,” Naylor said.

“Indeed,” he added, “we see Vevue as a way of leveling the playing field by properly aligning the incentives so that creatives—whether they’re solo guitarists, investigative journalists or people reviewing a concert venue—are the ones who actually benefit from the fruits of their labor.”

A key feature of Vevue’s built-in blockchain technology is its unique ability to protect the intellectual property of content creators. This guards against illegal downloads and other forms of piracy that all too often form insurmountable barriers to entry for independent artists in this day and age.

Vevue was conceived by Thomas Olson, who saw the project through to its launch and beyond with his wife and co-founder, Kathrine. They reside with their two children in Santa Monica, California.

Crypto Revolution was founded by Ari Ratner, Kaj Larsen and Hugh Naylor. Ratner is a former White House and State Department official who has spent years advising blockchain, tech and social impact organizations. Larsen is a former Navy Seal and Emmy Award-winning war correspondent who is preparing to host an investigative journalism program on Netflix. And Naylor is a former Washington Post Middle East correspondent who specializes in public relations.







