In this episode of the Particle Accelerator Podcast, Ben Johnson sits down with Glen McCreedy, Founder & CEO of Inara (Inara World), to explore how distributed ledger technology is reshaping digital publishing and creator monetization.
Glen shares how his background in book publishing led to a new model for digital content: “pay for what you choose.” Instead of forcing consumers into subscriptions or expensive full-publication purchases, Inara tracks content micro-consumption in real time and enables microtransactions so publishers and creators can get paid as consumption happens.
We also dig into the bigger industry implications—digital rights management, smart contracts, attribution, and what it would take to build fairer content economics across platforms.
Key Highlights:
• Why subscription fatigue and paywalls are breaking content monetization
• The case for micropayments and “pay for what you choose” consumption
• Digital rights management (DRM), attribution, and smart contracts
• Why Glen chose Hedera Consensus Service for microtransactions
• Lessons learned from early startup missteps and narrowing the right use case
• Advice for founders: follow your passion, don’t build too fast, don’t build what nobody wants
Explore Inara:
Website: https://inaraworld.com
Connect With Glenn:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/breakawayglenn/
About Ben Johnson:
Ben Johnson is the founder of Particle41 and host of the Particle Accelerator Podcast, where he talks with future-thinking leaders about technology, innovation, and building high-performance teams.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:38 - Growing Up in Tucson
00:58 - First Job: Retail Import Store
02:05 - Dad’s Racing Background
02:50 - Slot Cars and Performance Thinking
03:12 - Tech + Innovation Interests
04:14 - Favorite Course: History
04:37 - Math as a “Gap”
05:20 - Quote: “Between dying and not dying, I chose the guitar”
06:03 - The Internet’s Impact
06:10 - Staying Current on Tech Trends
07:13 - Blockchain’s Impact on Publishing
08:14 - Why Micropayments Matter
15:00 - Digital Rights Management (DRM)
17:30 - Smart Contracts and Attribution
24:00 - Inara’s Model: Content Micro-Consumption + Microtransactions
30:00 - Gaps Between Vision and Reality
38:00 - Startup Lessons + Advice for Founders
45:00 - How to Connect with Glen
Would you pay small amounts for exactly what you read instead of subscriptions or full paywalls?
To learn how Particle41 helps organizations build scalable digital products and modernize systems with elite engineering teams, visit https://Particle41.com.
#ParticleAcceleratorPodcast #Blockchain #DigitalPublishing #Microtransactions #CreatorEconomy #Particle41
