Crypto ‘more taboo than OnlyFans,’ says Violetta Zironi, who sold song for 1 BTC

Violetta Zironi, a 30-year-old Italian singer-songwriter, might just be the poster child for Web3 music. Her path as a musician shot out of the gates at the age of 18, when she finished third on the popular reality TV show, X-Factor Italy in 2013.

Since her TV stardom, Zironi ditched a music label deal with Sony Records that she felt took advantage of her and now mints her songs on the blockchain.

In a little over three years, Zironi has built and cultivated a community of fans who see value in owning her music as NFTs. Now based in Nashville, Tennessee, she recently sold a 1 of 1 song titled “n0 0rdinary kind” for 1 Bitcoin ($60,000 at the time) as an Ordinal, and has amassed over $2.5 million in revenue through her music NFTs, including her debut collection “Moonshot” on Ethereum where the artwork was done by her father, a renowned Disney visual artist.

Zironi has been surprised about how her new path has been perceived. “It’s kind of weird, I must say, that Bitcoin and the blockchain are so taboo. Most recently there’s been some artists selling pictures on OnlyFans to fund their tours and stuff,” she says.

“This artist Kate Nash is using OnlyFans, and the whole music community is supporting that, but the moment you use Bitcoin, it’s like, ‘whoa’. Crypto is more taboo than OnlyFans. It’s crazy, but I like that.”  

Violetta Zironi’s life at X-Factor and Sony Music

Zironi’s career launched in 2013 on X-Factor Italy, a moment she describes as both thrilling and eye-opening. Still in high school and only 18 years old, she was suddenly propelled into the professional music industry with minimal guidance.

“Literally the day after the X-Factor final, I was invited to the Sony Music offices in Milan. They offered me a five-album deal on the spot. I thought I was getting so lucky, so I just signed it,” says Zironi.

Without legal advice or family present, Zironi entered a contract she quickly came to regret. The deal gave her only 5% ownership of her music and 50% of any income, without any advance payment.

“I tried to make the best of it. I made a record that year and pushed to use my own producer and my own songs. They wanted me to sing tracks written by their team, but I was already defiant.”

Her insistence on creative control clashed with the label and she soon learned how fleeting attention can be in the world of reality TV and major labels. Despite completing an album, Sony chose not to release it.

“Six months after I delivered the album, they told me the new X-Factor season was starting and attention had shifted. That was my way out of the contract. They were obligated to release something and they didn’t. I got pretty lucky to be out within a year and a half.”

The experience left her disillusioned with the traditional music industry but it also planted the seeds that would eventually lead her to explore an alternative path through NFTs and Web3.

Discovery of an alternate path thanks to mom and Snoop Dogg

In the back half of 2021, Zironi was at a crossroads and frustrated by the traditional music industry, especially after COVID-19 upended live shows. She had just poured her savings into producing Moonshot, a five-track EP that felt like her final shot. The grind of streaming platforms and the constant chase for virality left her pondering whether a career in music was worthwhile.

Then, a conversation with her mom changed everything, Zironi recalls.

“Honestly, I owe it all to my mom. She asked if I’d heard about Snoop Dogg doing music NFTs and said, ‘Before you throw in the towel, look into this. People are collecting music like it’s art.’ That really hit me. I always felt like music was undervalued,” she says.

The idea that music could be collected like visual art resonated deeply. That moment sparked her interest in blockchain and music NFTs, even though she had no experience with Ethereum or crypto in general. 

“I put as much effort into a song as a painter does a painting. Why can’t I set the price and build a community, too?”

In January 2022, she minted her first NFT, an acoustic version of her song Gypsy Heart. “They sold out almost immediately, it was wild,” she says.

That initial success launched…