Social Media And Networking

Inkster might seem like any other social media platform out there, but if you’re an artist, you’ll quickly see it’s designed for you, and it does much more than let you connect with fans — it gets you paid.

The live-streaming platform was built for artists who have a community behind them. To put it as simply as possible, the artist who produces content can distribute it on any social media network, but on Inkster, not only can fans still like and comment, but they can also give tips and pay for live-streaming events. “We’re open to all artists, but our major focus is the music industry,” says founder Danny Gibson.

There’s a feel-good story behind Inkster, but it’s also quite personal. Gibson says he was going through a life-changing time when he hit rock bottom and found himself thinking about where he wanted to take his life. “I’ve always been involved in business, but I’m also very creative, so I’ve always had skills on both sides. And being surrounded by a lot of artists and having a lot of people close to me who are musicians and other artists, I started to realize that a lot of creative people suffer from a lack of business skills,” he says. “It became a real interest to see if I could create something that would not only help them make money, but help them to market themselves, get their stories out and get exposure in a much better way. I’ve had such a strong passion for business and art that I wanted to find something I could do that would entail both and helping artists and creating Inkster seems to be this.”

Gibson has been working on Inkster since 2014. He started the company with two friends, but things didn’t work out. “So, I decided to make a huge decision and we went our separate ways and I continued working.” He’s been working on it himself for less than two years and he’s at the final stages of product testing. “Social media is an incredible tool and I’m a fan of it, but I don’t use very much of it myself anymore because there’s just so much. We need more niche platforms now. Artists love social media, but they really need something that’s more for them. If you have 10,000 followers on Instagram, for example, you can now go to Inkster, start a live-stream and announce it to all your followers on Instagram. If 500 of those people show up on Inkster on a Friday night and give you a dollar, you just made $500. The power of numbers here is just amazing.” Gibson has allowed artists close to him to try it out. The feedback has been exceptional, and Inkster will launch in January.   

Gibson says persistence and stubbornness have played important roles in getting to this point. “If you lose that drive to innovate, you’re going to lose the drive to continue on. Being open-minded to innovation and being willing to pivot and change is mandatory. I wake up every day so excited. I just can’t wait to introduce it to artists.”