Public Pressure adds $6M to ’empower the artist/fan relationship’

Public Pressure has added $6 million in funding. Launched in 2015 as an online community and magazine dedicated to emerging artists and labels, the company is building Web3 tools that leverage the artist/fan relationship to create new revenue streams.

Public Pressure offers a direct-to-fan strategy for creators built on the Polkadot which claims the lowest electricity consumption and carbon emissions of the six proof-of-stake blockchains and has been designed to support the transition of music to Web3.

“Web 3 is about creating a fairer internet where the user owns their data and identity,” said Founder of Public Pressure Sergio Mottola. “For us, it is about creating a more equitable music industry where artists control the relationship with their fans and oversee the distribution of their products.”

Since launching in August, Public Pressure has initiated campaigns with major fashion brands, including Diesel, which focused on promoting under-represented musicians and innovative genres, and Moonsama, which was the company’s first partnership in the music and gaming metaverse and raised over $2M in revenues.

The $6 million round was led by Scytale and include Ethereum & Polkadot Founder Gavin Wood, Ed Hesse, Founder of Energy Web, and other venture companies such as Matterblock and HV Capital. The company is headquartered in London but has offices in Europe, Hong Kong, and the United States.

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.