Radio Detox

Heather opens with zap shoutouts from the week. Sara Jade sent 700 sats after hearing her song on the previous episode. Shadrach sent 323 sats with a comment on the NosVegas Bitcoin figures and San Diego Music Awards episode. OpenMike sent 3,333. Shoutouts also to Sir Libre, Annonymal, Matt Finley, Tumbleweed, Henrik Flyman, Tree Ducks, and P@T.

Heather also issues a correction from the Helene episode. The title referenced BMI but should have said EMI. Haleen caught it and Heather is setting the record straight.

P@T left a comment on the Helene episode about paying for...

A quick one this week to highlight the songs, artists, apps, and movement!

Right Said Fred - Lord Have Mercy

Best Pop Song: Sara Jade, “Hippies Raised a Cowgirl”

https://archive.ph/20260507172119/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/05/06/san-diego-music-awards-2026-announces-27-winners-surpasses-1-million-in-fundraising/#selection-2525.0-2530.0

Zazawowwow with Webfivefourthreetwoone is #1 today on Wavlake!

I missed this one from Ollie, "This That."

Now, for the Nos Vegas breakdown! Tunestr says, "Nos Vegas artists received 2,581,496 sats on April 28 at @thebitcoinconf side event."

https://ditto.pub/nevent1qgstn5pvhr7aavv3wq0vqeywxlk376hm5f...

Recap of Vegas!

NosVegas was great, thanks to Francis Mars at Pubpay.me, great artits like Abel James, Sara Jade, Noa Gruman, and the Higher Low!

Maxi Madness was performed in Vegas by Noa Gruman Tuesday night! Here’s her ONLY Bitcoin circular economy song. https://fountain.fm/album/KuRBmoy28vylkRK8Cluo

Abel James performed some new music, Sara Jade is also working on new stuff. Shoutout to Richard Greaser for coming to the party. And can’t forget The Higher Low!

The Higher Low - Welcome to the Dawn

Th...

Radio Detox: Haleen on Nostr, Ivy Lumi, and Music as Vibration

Heather sits down with Ashna and Kathleen of Haleen, the ambient duo first introduced to Radio Detox by Seth from Zap Cooking. Seven months on Nostr and everything changed. They talk about rebuilding their studio, mastering Ivy Lumi's new single, and why no traditional music platform has ever been designed with the artist in mind. We also getting into why they said no to a deal with BMI.

In This Episode

Haleen turned down a BMI deal years ago and never looked...

Contra is a military veteran, Bitcoiner, Nostr philosopher, and the creative force behind a father-son music project. This conversation covers his Bitcoin origin story, why military veterans seem to take to Bitcoin and Nostr like a mission, and the real story behind his music that a lot of people consider to be AI slop.

Contra found Bitcoin in 2016 through a military training class that touched on dark web operations and technology. His first instinct was pyramid scheme. The class instructor reframed it as dollar cost averaging and the rest is history. Nostr came next, around late 2022 or...

It's a loooong rip and I'm riffin' hard, y'all. Getting excited because the American legal system has come down (finally) on big corporations misses the point.

We've built an alternate system that can work for artists and fans. And we need your participation in it. Or else Corporations and Big Tech™ will KEEP WINNING.

You want the artists & fans to win, don't you?

You don't want indie music and the economy it upholds to die, do you?

You'd rather pay for music with BTC than keep paying endless subscriptions that benefit bi...

Annonymal is a six-piece heavy metal band whose members are completely anonymous. No names, no faces, no location. By day they are Bitcoin journalists. By night they are the band giving Bitcoin its metal soundtrack, and they made a deliberate choice: they say heavy metal is the only genre built for what Bitcoin is.

This episode gets into how a journalist asks "how can I be scarce?" and ends up writing songs that open with the Genesis block. Annonymal and Heather talk about why metal is the correct soundtrack for a money that is anti-establishment by design...

Your weekly dose of fiat & Big Tech™ detox is back with UK singer-songwriter Joe Martin, one of the most recognized artists in the value-for-value music space. Joe just wrapped a whirlwind US trip: three weeks in Nashville to record his new album, a stop in Valentine, Texas, to shoot album artwork and music videos, and a songwriter round at Bitcoin Park with Ainsley Costello. His new album, Alone in Valentine, drops April 17. Singles are already out on all streaming platforms and on Wavlake and Fountain ahead of the release. Vinyl and CDs are available now at joemartinmusic.com.

...

Ditto.pub is live! MK Fain, co-founder of Soapbox Technology and one of the engineers behind Ditto, joins Heather Larson to pull back the curtain on what Ditto is, where it came from, and where it is going. This is not a Twitter alternative. It is not another app asking you to learn a new protocol. It is the fun, customizable, personality-driven internet that most people stopped believing was still possible. (In full disclosure, Heather works for M.K. at Soapbox).

The new Ditto strips out the Twitter-style text notes by default. What you see when you...

This one is different! Heather Larson's Radio Detox went live at Pubkey in Washington DC for the inaugural RUNSTR 5K on March 15, 2026, and singer-songwriter David Tarr took over as emcee for a full day of music, conversation, and community.

A new music platform launched in the room, EpochMusic.xyz! Three young women made the case for Bitcoin better than most people twice their age. 🔥 Thank you, Ella Hough, Ainsley Costello, and Kathryn! And David Tarr debuted his new EP the day he dropped it. 🚀 LFG! Listen to hear how Bitcoiners are using peer-to-peer payments and new technology (includ...

This week, I'm doing a feed warmer with my other podcast, Soapbox Sessions! Derek Ross and I are talking about the new Ditto! You can listen to Soapbox Sessions everywhere you get your podcasts.

Or watch it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPVwsk16NNUT6mbKXjxUDyani6cbIELT0

Try Ditto: https://about.ditto.pub/

More about Ditto: https://soapbox.pub/ditto

(DM Derek or I on Nostr to get into the Ditto BETA tester group to give feedback about the app!)

Heather Larson sits down with Ivy Lumi, musician, Bitcoiner, and podcaster, for a conversation about music, self-love, and why love and Bitcoin might just be on the same frequency. Ivy shares the story behind her debut EP, the making of her first-ever music video for the single WoWoWow (shot in Hong Kong after Bitcoin Asia), and how a period of profound personal loss became the spark that launched her music career. From songs inspired by Bitcoin conference cities to a Geyser Fund campaign built around physical collectors items, Ivy is building something rare: art that lives fully in the...

This week Radio Detox is previewing a big one. David Tarr is taking over the show LIVE at PubKey DC on March 15, dropping his new EP the same day. He is mixing and mastering it right now. Expect one long song on there. At the event, David hosts a panel on Gen Z Women in Bitcoin with Ainsley Costello and Kathryn, and goes live with DC Bitcoiners The Wild Hustle and Trey Musgrave of the Bitcoin District Initiative.

Also on this episode: Sam Means of Wavlake and The Format, Emily D'Ranged, Shy Kids, Haleen, Matt Finlay, Joe...

Trey Musgrave went from shitcoining in Germany to building a Bitcoin circular economy in Washington, DC. As president of the Bitcoin District Initiative, he's hitting the streets to onboard merchants, build community, and prove that Bitcoin is for everyone, not just the rich. We talk about the soft-sell approach to orange-pilling local businesses, why meetups matter more than most Bitcoiners realize, and how Trey uniquely came to value-for-value music through his search for decentralization.

Topics: Trey's Bitcoin origin story, the What Is Money? podcast, the difference between Bitcoin District and the Bitcoin District Initiative, building a spending...

In this conversation, Heather Larson and Mick from Geyser discuss the innovative crowdfunding platform Geyser Fund, its role in the Bitcoin community, and the challenges faced by creators in the current social media landscape. They explore the importance of community support, Geyser's All or Nothing funding model, and the need for artists to receive fair compensation for their work. The discussion highlights success stories from Geyser Fund and emphasizes the potential for crowdfunding to empower creators and bring their ideas to life.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Geyser Fund and Its Mission

04:08 The Role of...

Frank Corva went from covering presidents to covering protocol. In this episode, the former White House correspondent shares his unexpected path into Bitcoin journalism, the burnout that comes with 24/7 news cycles, and why he sees Nostr as the next frontier for independent media. We dig into the Bitcoin circular economy, why onboarding matters more than ever, and the unique challenges women face in the space. Plus: how the DIY ethos of punk rock mirrors the decentralized spirit of Bitcoin.

Topics Covered

Personal Notes:

Just celebrating 3 years on Nostr with a solid rock playlist! Got some announcements buried in here too 😉 This show honors my rock radio roots, why we MAKE SONGS LONGER, and those of us who rock sober! 10% of the proceeds zapped will go to HRF! Because freedom tech should support freedom! 💪

Songs Played:

Big Announcement: RUNSTR District 5K

When: Sunday, March 15, 2026

Where: Haines Point, Washington DC

What: A charity race with a twist—your finish decides which cause wins. The charity with the most runners in the top 100 takes home $500.

Choose Your Charity:

Sign Up: https://runsignup.com/Race/DC/Washington/Runstr5k

Playlist

In this Radio Detox episode, I sit down with Seth, creator of Zap.Cooking and longtime Nostr builder, to trace his journey from the early Damus days in February 2023 to today’s vibrant, builder-led Nostr ecosystem. We explore why Nostr felt like the constructive side of the internet compared to legacy platforms, how Lightning and zaps transformed interactions, and why portable identity + Bitcoin make Nostr a uniquely powerful foundation for everyday apps. Seth shares the origin story of Zap.Cooking—from snagging the domain and posting a bounty for the first build to today’s curated, clutter-free recipe hub that p...

Avi and I get deep into talking about podcasting 2.0, the kind of podcasting that is free and open. It takes Bitcoin payments peer-to-peer, which benefits indie music artists as well as podcasters who want an alternative to running ads and being stuck in Apple & Spotify. (Many want to ditch Spotify on principle now because they’ve run ads for ICE. Radio Detox isn’t on Spotify and that is my choice). You don’t need to run ads in podcasting 2.0 because monetization is built in via the the technology. Avi has his own podcast, Plebchain Radio, that’s been using ne...

In this episode of Radio Detox, I play a handpicked, non-countdown mix of my favorite independent tracks of 2025—no talking over ramps, no filler, just discovery. We kick off with Shredders and cruise through chilled textures from the Greensands, then spotlight the astonishing output of Tanzania’s Man Like Kweks and his Bitcoin Arusha education initiative. I share why Podcasting 2.0 matters—chapters, value-for-value zaps, and wallet-to-wallet support—and shout out artists thriving in the Valueverse, from Two Weeks in Nashville to Jawbone, Dirt Moon, and UK grinder Robbie P. I tell a few stories from the road, including meeting the irre...

In this episode of Radio Detox, I interview The Wild Hustle about the anonymous fitness app RUNSTR, its development journey, and its integration with Nostr and Bitcoin. We explore the importance of privacy in fitness tracking, the future of community engagement in health, and the role of AI in enhancing user experience. The conversation highlights the the importance of decentralization and user empowerment, emphasizing the need for a healthier ecosystem in the fitness industry. We also talk vibe coding, of course! In full disclosure, I am the Business Development Manager for RUNSTR. I’m Marketing Director at Soapbox Technology. Ra...

In this lively, on-the-ground episode from Antone’s in Austin and later Bitcoin Park in Nashville, I sit down with emerging R&B/soul artist Kathryn for her first-ever podcast interview and a follow-up nearly a year later. When I say lively, I mean we're interrupted by none other than the Podfather himself, Adam Curry. Then we're interrupted by Ainsley's Momager, which also happened in Nashville (though I edit that one out). Ainsley Costello also makes an appearance in the Antone's/Austin interview! We talk about Kathryn's grind of breaking into music post-Belmont, her detour through commission sales and wh...

Chris Wenske played at HODLWEEN 2024 and is one of the KC Bitcoiners! He’s the Producer of Bitcoin Block Party KC, Bitcoin Party KC and Organizer of Jondo Media events.

He’s got events this weekend in Austin, Texas—Bitcoin Country!

Check it out: https://astralaurastudio.com/shop/p/bitcoin-party-kc-export-party

There’s more info Chris gives out on the podcast that maybe he shouldn’t…

Did we mention Chris is a #V4V musician? I’ve played him before on Radio Detox (Season 1, episode 8 about HODLWEEN 2024). But this time around, we get to hear hi...

You have Aaron to thank for orange pilling Longy and getting him on Wavlake! But what does that mean? And how did that happen? And…now what? Are they coming to iMerica or what?

We talk about where these two friends are at in their journey of value-for-value and harnessing the power of Bitcoin. We also talk about Man Like Kweks, wallet splits, some of our favorite songs, the London music scene, and so much more.

I also decided to do something in radio that we called “tracking an album,” which really just means I’m playin...

This is the least interview-ish / most laid-back conversation-ish Radio Detox yet with BitKarrot. BitKarrot is a dev working on Lightning and Nostr. We talk about her current projects, like HiveTalk!

We talk about:

Follow BitKarrot on Nostr: primal.net/p...

This is the HODLWEEN episode of Radio Detox with Liz Parrish, aka Babes Who Bitcoin. We talk about some of her favorite Valueverse songs and play music from the HODLWEEN artists you’ll see in Charlotte on 10-26-24—Chris Wenske, Tatiana Moroz, and JustLoud!

We also talk about Bitcoin Charlotte, Nostr, Bitcoin adoption, the future of #V4V music, the story behind Roger 9000’s “Satoshi Set Me Free Satoshi ’73,” Liz’s Bitcoin story, 7 am dance parties, onboarding people through markets & culture, Nostr PHX meetups, Culture Shock 25, introducing people to Nostr & Bitcoin, the #V4V music ecosystem, and more!

Sam Sethi is the CEO of TrueFans.fm! We talk about V4V, podcasting 2.0, the AInsley Costello EXLESS album special, the Fobes article on V4V by Frank Corva, what Mark Zuckerberg thinks of content creators, Sam’s favorite V4V songs, journalists doing V4V, Sam has been the product manager of Netscape, the True Fans tech, and more.

Songs:

TrueFans: https://truefans.fm/

Show Notes

Kweks will release a dance battle video show we can watch on Tunestr this week! Join us Thursday, October 3. 6 PM EST at Tunestr.io! ⚡️

SONGS

Show Notes

Kweks will release a dance battle video show we can watch on Tunestr this week! Join us Thursday, October 3. 6 PM EST at Tunestr.io! ⚡️ 

SONGS

Dovydas Joksas of RSS Blue

For episode 5 of Radio Detox, I’m talking with Dovydas Joksas, founder of RSS Blue. The theme this time around is, “I don’t know what I don’t know.” We get into value-4-value, podcasting 2.0, RSS, Nostr, Mastodon, Nsotriga, and more!

(Btw, I’m aware my audio fritzes from time to time; Dovydas’ audio is fine).

Time stamps:

00:00 Introduction

57:56 Onboarding to Nostr and Early Adoption

59:08 Simplifying User Experience with Nostr

01:01:00 Music and Value for Value Ecosystem

01:04:46 Journey into Bitcoin a...

Where is this whole thing going and what are we trying to do with value for value? How does live music fit in? How can independent artists get a piece of V4V?

For episode 4 of Radio Detox, I’m talking with OpenMike, founder of Tunestr.io. This podcast features (mostly) Phantom Power Music artists and OpenMike has chosen for his guest split to go to Phantom Power Media to support what they’re doing in the Valueverse with independent artists.

In this episode, we talk about how OpenMike started Tunestr—and why. He also shares...

On this 3rd episode of Radio Detox, I talk with Abel James, a blues artist in the Valueverse whose music you can hear on Wavlake, Fountain, and LNBeats. He’s the New York Times Best Selling Author of The Wild Diet, and all around interesting dude. I think he’s the perfect guy to help us detox off the food pyramid…fiat music, and more.

It’s no secret Bitcoiners don’t follow conventions in money, food, or culture. We like steak, fat, sound money, and Valueverse music. Let’s wrap this all up in a pretty bow with Abe...

Sara Jade is a great example of an artist who has detoxed off the fiat music system. She shares some great stories about that here. She’s done two live shows in the Valueverse in Phoenix at our Nostr PHX Culture Shock in February, and more recently, during bands at Bitcoin adjacent to the Bitcoin Conference in Nashville.

Do you have to leave the fiat music system? No. As Sara Jade informs us, you still kinda “have to be everywhere.” But it’s clear which system rewards musicians more—and it ain’t fiat, honey.

If you are a...

Embracing Decentralization in Music: Ainsley Costello and the Value-for-Value Model

In this debut episode of Radio Detox, host Heather Larson introduces a refreshing value-for-value podcast that blends musical inspiration with financial recovery, free from ads. Featuring special guest Ainsley Costello, the episode explores her shift from traditional music platforms to adopting Bitcoin and the value-for-value model. Listeners gain insight into her new album 'X List', her experiences with platforms like Wavelake, and exclusive tracks such as 'People Pleaser' and 'Alchemy'. Discussions cover the changing landscape of the music industry, Nashville's music scene, and how decentralization is paving...