Bonsai

Bonsai is a direct-to-fan platform that facilitates engagement and monetization between recording artists and their most dedicated fans. The company was co-founded by CEO Patrick Sullivan, a serial entrepreneur who previously founded and sold two music technology companies, RightsFlow and Source3, to Google and Meta respectively, and COO Jake Rosenfeld, a former venture capitalist. Initially launched as a professional networking and advice platform, Bonsai pivoted to focus on the music industry.

The platform enables artists, their managers, and record labels to identify, rank, and engage with their superfans across various social platforms. Its core feature allows fans to ask artists questions, to which the artists can record personalized audio responses. These audio responses are paired with visual generative art to create unique digital collectibles or audiograms. This fosters a deeper, more intimate connection between artists and their followers. The platform integrates with major social media and community channels like Discord, YouTube, and Instagram, allowing interactions to occur seamlessly where fans are already active. For instance, the Bonsai Discord bot allows fans to submit questions without leaving the server, and the resulting audiogram is posted back into the artist's server to stimulate further interaction.

Bonsai's business model involves a pay-to-play structure where fans pay a support price set by the artist to submit a question. The resulting audiogram can then be shared, collected, and, if the fan chooses, minted as an NFT, which provides authenticated ownership and potential for future royalties for both the fan and the artist. This creates a new revenue stream for artists by monetizing personal fan interactions and creating fan-owned digital merchandise. The company has secured funding from investors including Activate Venture Partners.

Keywords: fan engagement, direct-to-fan, music technology, superfan monetization, artist-fan connection, audiograms, digital collectibles, generative art, music NFTs, creator economy, fan data, Discord bot, social monetization, Patrick Sullivan, Jake Rosenfeld, RightsFlow, Source3, fan interaction platform, music industry service, digital merchandise