How The ZAO Is Helping Artists Keep Their Music, Data, and Dollars

🎙️ Guest: Zaal, Founder of The ZAO

🕒 Duration: ~47 minutes

Episode Overview

In this episode of Token for Your Thoughts, host Lindsey McConaghy sits down with Zaal, the founder of The ZAO - a Web3 music collective helping artists reclaim their ownership, data, and creative freedom.

Zaal shares how supporting a friend’s music career turned into a mission to empower independent artists through Web3. From building decentralized tools to throwing real-world music festivals like ZAO-PALOOZA and ZAO-CHELLA, Zaal is creating a new kind of platform: community-owned, open-source, and focused on long-term impact, not viral moments.

Whether you’re an artist, builder, or just Web3-curious, this conversation dives into:

• Why most labels take 70% or more, and how The ZAO flips the model

• How they’re using a non-transferable, soulbound governance token to build social capital

• The power of music battles, on-chain reputation, and collaborative creation

• What it actually takes to build in Web3 as a founder

A thoughtful and inspiring look at how community, tech, and art intersect in Web3.

Where to Listen

🔹 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/623Q4XBTfJ8k9FkU67CcHg?si=6b9c279d522a4f3c

🔹 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-the-zao-is-helping-artists-keep-their-music-data/id1799063494?i=1000701724261

🔹 YouTube → https://youtu.be/SXmdO6l4Rfg?si=p4SSeX82xEI1BFF_

Connect with Zaal & The ZAO

🌐 Website: thezao.com/nexus

🐦 X: @thezaodao | @bettercallzaal

🎧 The ZAO Artists:

JANGO UU: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5nc2dgefoPLfvsrJVx3PNz?si=I56ODVbXSiaU1vSHv4diVA

HURRIC4N3IKE :https://open.spotify.com/artist/5x3pUgROCueytLsG0Xy35H?si=mzs9X1RIRHSDuanXUbIhKg

ATTABOTTY: https://attabotty.com

CLEJAN: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6CbxzZHyeIz1Pig7giCufl?si=RFFpgb2fTxO1BRWa6Dr9KQ

Stay Connected

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🔔 Follow us on X: @TokenThoughts_

🌐 Visit our website: tokenforyourthoughts.com

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome: Meet Zaal, Founder of The ZAO
• 4:15 Why Web3 is Perfect for Musicians
• 13:55 What is The ZAO? Community, Tokens, and Empowering Artists
• 30:05 ZAO Respect Tokens Explained (And Why They’re Unique)
• 34:50 Lessons Learned Building a Web3 Music Startup
• 44:40 What’s Next for The ZAO - and How You Can Get Involved