Sound Money Fest To Close Out Miami Bitcoin Conference, Topped by Logic, Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, Killer Mike & Big Boi

Many music festivals have had cryptocurrency elements via NFTs, RFID wristbands, festival-only currency or other tie-ins, but Sound Money Fest is putting its money where its mouth is.

“All artists on our lineup are paid partially or fully in Bitcoin, so that way we stay true to our ethos, support hyperbitcoinization and really make the world understand Bitcoin is not going away,” says Kim Taylor, director of Sound Money Fest and global events specialist for BTC Media.

“It is the sound money, sound future,” Taylor adds, jokingly but to the point.
BTC Media is hosting the Bitcoin 2022 conference April 6-9 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, expecting 40,000 attendees and a who’s who in the crypto space, an anchor for what is becoming known as Crypto Week in the city.

That all culminates with Sound Money Festival April 9, which is topped by Logic, deadmau5, CL, Steve Aoki, Killer Mike & Big Boi, and San Holo. Billed as “the world’s first bitcoin festival,” entry to Sound Money Fest comes with conference registration, but fans interested in attending just the festival can buy tickets separately with regular U.S. dollars or bitcoin.

“Of course, we favor the Bitcoin payments,” Taylor says with a laugh.

The festival is a hybrid indoor-outdoor event between the convention center, the outdoor Pride Park and an indoor main stage that is also hosting a comedy lineup topped by Hannibal Buress and Jimmy O. Yang.

Miami has become a hub for cryptocurrency, its industry and high-profile names involved. Speakers at BTC 2022 include influential author and psychologist Dr. Peterson, all-star NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate Andrew Yang, comedian and YouTuber JP Sears and many others, with keynote discussions, workshops, exhibitor halls and other programming taking place. There’s also a celebrity element, with personalities including Paris Hilton, John Cena and the Paul Brothers attending previous BTC events.

“Last year came at a very advantageous time as the pandemic was opening back up, in Miami in a state and city that became a haven for Bitcoin, they absolutely blew it out of the water,” says Peter Gross of Coalition Entertainment, which is handling talent buying and production for Sound Money Fest. “This year they are taking it to the next level, with the new location and it’s even bigger and better.”

Gross, whose team on the festival includes Daniel Dicker, Matt Thilenius, Nick Botero, Luke White and Eric Caroll, notes the growing recognition of Miami and the BTC conference as becoming its own destination and week-long event.

“Artist managers are telling me ‘We’re just excited to be coming down and to be part of Crypto Week,’” says Gross, noting dozens of satellite events and popups taking place. For last year’s BTC, Gross organized a ticketed afterparty with music at the 3,000-capacity outdoor Oasis Wynwood, while in 2019 BTC took place in the Bay Area with just a DJ table for the music component. This year, however, is “a totally elevated experience” and a full-blown festival.

Satellite “Crypto Week” events include a SoFi afterparty at Club LIV featuring “a special Grammy-winning DJ” and a Diplo-topped Miami Vibes event at MAPS Backlot in Wynwood.
For Sound Money, Gross says artist payments are largely being handled directly by artists or their management teams. Taylor notes the potential of Bitcoin specifically to benefit musicians as well as fans, with the goal of Hyperbitcoinization being for the cryptocurrency to become the world’s primary value system.

“Bitcoin is part of every industry,” Taylor says. “As you know, the music industry doesn’t support its artists the way it should and Bitcoin is the way we can fix that. Not to mention, Bitcoiners, we all like music, we’re all over the world and have different tastes. What better way to bring people together than with a big party?”

She adds the event can also help crypto-curious fans “really take hold of their financial future and make Bitcoin part of their lives.”