We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful David Asbery. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with David below.

David , appreciate you joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

As a recording artist, I have never been able to earn a living wage from my creative work. This challenge inspired me to create and build Pedestal. I wanted to record an album but felt completely uninspired by the current streaming platforms, which homogenize music and offer poor compensation to artists. My attitude became, “What’s the point?”

Pedestal was born out of a desire to expand the creative possibilities of an album and empower artists to build communities around their music. In short, being an artist in 2025 is a tough business. For the past 20+ years, artists have lacked both a product worth selling and the modern tools necessary to thrive in the digital landscape.

Pedestal seeks to address these challenges by moving artists out of the attention economy and into the real economy, creating a sustainable ecosystem where creativity is valued and rewarded.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born and raised in the Bronx, New York, and I’ve always been an introverted creative. While others were outside, I preferred to stay in and create. But Hip Hop changed that—it made me want to go outside. It gave me a unique voice and a platform, and I can trace all my professional successes in life back to Hip Hop.

Pedestal is a natural extension of that journey. I created it to make the world a better place for artists of all genres. (Shameless plug: I also plan to finally release my album on Pedestal.)

As a technical founder and recording artist, I bring a unique perspective to the music industry. I deeply understand the pain points artists face and have created a solution that significantly expands the creative possibilities of albums. Pedestal enables artists to build community, generate meaningful compensation, and reimagine how music connects with fans.

I am incredibly proud of what I’ve built and can’t wait to offer Pedestal to artists and listeners alike. For far too long, tech companies have focused on giving listeners more. Pedestal takes a different approach: we aim to provide listeners and fans something better.

We want to give fans something worth buying and artists something worth selling. Pedestal achieves this through its industry-leading multi-track stem player, proprietary social media platform, and innovative e-commerce platform. This is not just a platform; it’s a movement to empower artists and elevate music as an art form.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

To support recording artists in the age of AI and the creator economy, society indeed needs to reevaluate how it values and interacts with art. Let’s break this down:

1. Voting with Dollars:
Recording artists today operate in what you aptly call the “attention economy,” where success is often measured by viral moments rather than meaningful engagement or artistic merit. The problem is that attention, while valuable, rarely translates into sustainable income for artists. Streaming platforms reward popularity but often fail to provide fair compensation for the artists’ work.

Here’s where “voting with dollars” comes in. When consumers make direct purchases—whether it’s buying an album, merchandise, or concert tickets—they cast a definitive vote for the kind of art they value. This direct support empowers artists financially and validates their creative efforts in a way that streaming metrics cannot.

Why it Matters:
Direct Purchases Are Votes: Each dollar spent directly on an artist’s work is a vote for the kind of music and creativity the consumer wants to see more of.
Breaking Free from the Attention Trap: By shifting focus away from viral moments and towards tangible sales, artists can prioritize quality and innovation over fleeting trends.
2. Becoming Selective with Diets:
Society’s access to an abundance of music on streaming platforms has inadvertently diminished its perceived value. When everything is instantly available, it’s easy to take it for granted. Artists need to rethink their strategy and reserve full-length albums or exclusive projects for direct sale while using streaming platforms as promotional tools for select singles.

Why it Matters:
Scarcity Creates Value: When music is less accessible, it becomes more special. Limiting full albums to direct sales reintroduces the notion of art as something to be cherished rather than consumed mindlessly.
Art as a Celebration of Effort: Music, like any form of art, is a celebration of human creativity and effort. By placing it behind a paywall, artists remind society of the labor and talent that go into creating it.
AI’s Role in the Creator Economy:
As AI gains popularity, it’s easier than ever to produce content quickly and at scale. This flood of content risks overwhelming audiences and overshadowing authentic, human-made art. By voting with their dollars and curating their consumption habits, consumers can champion real creativity and ensure that recording artists retain their unique voice in a rapidly changing landscape.

The Path Forward:
Supporting recording artists in 2025 and beyond means redefining how society interacts with music:

Vote for the kind of music you value by making direct purchases and attending events.
Be selective in your consumption habits, treating art as a meaningful part of life rather than an endless stream of disposable content.
This dual approach will help sustain the careers of recording artists while enriching society’s relationship with art.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

I appreciate the concept of digital scarcity and the technological potential of NFTs and blockchain. The idea of owning a verifiable, unique piece of digital content is exciting, especially for artists and creators. However, my primary concern is the lack of universal support across mobile and web platforms, which limits their accessibility and usability for the average consumer.

In many cases, digital scarcity can be effectively achieved through existing tools like software licenses and unique registration codes, without the complexity or infrastructure requirements of NFTs. While the technology is innovative, it often feels like a solution in search of a problem—cool, but not yet essential.

That said, I keep a close eye on this sector, as I believe its true potential will be unlocked when the infrastructure catches up, making NFTs seamlessly integrated and universally supported. Until then, they remain an intriguing but largely optional addition to the digital landscape. Japan has been using mobile payments since 2000. We in the US just caught up in the last 10 years. I think NFTs will make more sense when the infrastructure catches up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Pedestal.biz
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vithedesigner/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-m-asbery-47082472/
• Other: Pedestal is not yet launched. Our DEMO is available on IOS.
  https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pedestal-high-end-albums/id6463715767

Image Credits

These are all my images.