So much to say here...I'll preface it by saying I have a pod 2.0 v4v podcast called Radio Detox where I cover what's going on in v4v for MUSIC.

And as you said, creating a podcast takes work. RD made only ~$200 last year in 10 episodes that took a lot of work and probably received most of their earnings from OpenMike because he supports the v4v ecosystem, and probably more than most. That ~$200 was not mine; it was split amongst myself, guests, supporters, and music artists. So yeah, if you’re in it for the bitcoin, you’re an idiot. We’re early. We’re not there yet. And yes, people like OpenMike throw the system a bit. His frequent fat zaps throw the numbers. We all know this. He knows this.

This is also, in my experience, accurate.

This v4v space is still so small that one fat zap (or boost) will throw the numbers on the value. We see this on Wavlake, SN, Nostr “trending,” podcast & msuic charts on Fountain, etc.

Besides my podcast, I also teach yoga (aka #yogastr) every Monday night on the Nostr app HiveTalk.org. There have certainly been nights I made $0-5. There was one night I earned $62 in Bitcoin, my record. What I have learned is that one fat zap can make my night (just like waiting tables, which I have also done). Some people NEVER pay. Some skip a week and pay for 2 weeks at a time. One fat zapper can carry the value of the whole thing (not OpenMike in this case, but usually Noshole).

As teaching yoga v4v is still new on Nostr, I also don’t ask for zaps or dictate what a suggested donation should be. I’m doing it to get more experience on how this v4v experience is going. Becasuse how can I talk to music artists about it (which I also do) if I am not trying it myself?

To say v4v is a ‘scam’ implies it has some sort of actual plan for working; it does not.

Spoiler alert: I’ve taught yoga IRL where a class has earned me as low as $5. That’s not what I average these days, but this is not a high paying career. It’s not my day job. It’s something I do as my passion. I get other benefits besides monetary value.

I can’t pay rent off yoga. I can’t pay rent off a podcast. Guess how I do that? Same as everyone else. I work a job. 🤷‍♀️ Boo fuck ‘em hoo.

Sour grapes? Yes, you have them. You’re someone who’s sad the sats didn't flow in to validate their idea.

It sucks. I’ve been there. I created a second podcast that tanked. It earned nothing. I interviewed my friend, a Hindu Chaplain, about Diwali. I think it was an important conversation to have. But it didn’t find an audience like Radio Detox has. People didn’t find value in it. It even featured v4v music. So yes, sometimes we will fail in v4v. Not everything will take off. We let the market work.

Maybe someday, if enough normies come into the space and discover that podcast and know how to zap and boost it, it could take off. But we’re nowhere near that yet.

People in this space have yet to give a shit about spirituality and history podcasts. Accept it. I did. No one OWES either of us.

V4V is hardly a scam, though I can understand why you'd say that since you didn't get rich off it. Spoiler alert: no one is getting rich from V4V. If anyone tells you they are, they're lying.

Maybe a select few are doing well at it, whatever that means. Most of us are experimenting and building with it. We have day jobs and this is our passion.

Anyone who thinks or PROMISES that v4v can earn ANYONE a living is a liar and a moron. Especially to someone in the EU or US; however, in some countries, v4v is a game changer and a genuine help. Ask Man Like Kweks, a rapper in Tanzania who just quit his fiat job to go all in on providing bitcoin education in Arusha.

Do the math. Do you really think there are enough people out there who understand bitcoin, v4v, podcasting 2.0, etc? You think there's a big enough audience for this to pay your rent?

There is not. What we have now (in the EU and US etc) are people accustomed to monthly subscription models. What we have now is new technology that’s complicated, requires significant onboarding, is glitchy, and the UX can be confusing at best and downright foul at worst.

Part of your issue here is that you take an unrealistic, illogical view of v4v. You have entitlement and expectation here that no one can satiate unless you're producing something of maddening value.

Your post here is just pointing to a Substack; this alone is half ass. To be on SN or Nostr or a part of v4v is to be part of a community. (Yes, I should post here more often). But you have your hand out and what are you contributing to the community? Or are you just trying to get Substack subs to stay in the fiat system because you apparently trust it more?

I get it; I have a Substack too. I use it to reach NormieLand. If someone gives this post even 1 sat, it will earn me more than that Substack ever has.

Part of the reason few are at the top is that the cream rises; content has to be great. Don't be mad at the few who you perceive to have 'made it' (of which I am certainly not one).

I know I shouldn’t lower myself to responding to this, and I often don’t when it comes to these things. There are a few people in the space who make it not very welcoming and I’m sure they’ll attack all I’ve said here just to be contrarian to me, even if it helps your ridiculous case. But those people have done more work in the v4v space than you’ve attempted and I’ll still value their takes more.

I’ve been doing the v4v model for more than a year. I didn’t try one thing and get sour grapes. I did Culture Shock in Phoenix, Sats by SW & Antone’s in Austin, blogging, Radio Detox, and #yogastr on Nostr. (So I tried many things and am still happy! Ha!) I’ve got skin in the game and I’m a person in a community trying to work towards SOLUTIONS instead of getting mad that the market hasn’t supported my idea. Jesus Christ, we’re fucking BITCOINERS. We let the market work.

If V4V doesn’t work for you, yes, it means your podcast, song, writing, code or whatever sucks. The idea isn’t validated. Go try again. Or, perhaps, you sucked at marketing it. Maybe you gave up too soon. I get it. I just took a two-month break from Radio Detox because it doesn’t earn enough to matter when I have paid work coming in. It obvsioulsy gets back burnered.

So rather than bitching…

Here are a few things you CAN do.

Finally, you sound pretty negative. So take a break. Breaks are good. Go away until you’ve got your passion back again.