Ainsley Costello

Bitcoin Rock Star

Ainsley Costello is a 21-year-old Nashville-based pop-rock musician helping lead the open-source Bitcoin music movement - showing what happens when fans can support music instantly and directly, from anywhere in the world, via Bitcoin Lightning payments on platforms like Wavlake and Fountain.

In 2023, Ainsley made history as the first artist on Wavlake to hit 1 million sats for a single song. Her breakout track “Cherry On Top” earned the platform’s first-ever “platinum” designation, and she went on to claim the #1 spot on Fountain.fm Music in 2024. She’s kept the momentum rolling with Lightning-first releases like “People Pleaser,” which became the first music video distributed via Nostr (briefly breaking relays in the process) and earned her another 1 million sats. Overall, she’s 10x’d her lifetime earnings versus traditional music distribution by using Bitcoin as payment rails.

Today, Ainsley shares her story as a real-world proof-of-work case study - demonstrating how open-source distribution plus Bitcoin and Lightning can turn casual listeners into true supporters (and maybe even shake up the legacy music industry along the way).

Ainsley and her band have become fixtures in the Bitcoin community, with appearances ranging from the Main Stage at Bitcoin 2024 in Nashville to a two-night global livestream on Nostr from the historic 7th St Entry at First Avenue in Minneapolis and Boostagram Ball Live at the legendary Antone’s in Austin alongside podcasting pioneer and Bitcoin maxi Adam Curry. In 2025, she also performed and spoke at two Las Vegas Bitcoin Conference side events: the Bitcoin For Corporations Kickoff and the NosVegas After Party.

Beyond Bitcoin, Ainsley’s resume is already stacked: 20+ commercial singles, 200+ shows across 20+ states, and a deep catalog fans are only beginning to hear. She began taking courses at Berklee College of Music when she was just 15 years old and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Music Business degree at 19.

Ainsley blends big pop hooks with pop-rock bite, writing songs built around self-love and acceptance. Catch her debut album EXLESS, which includes the track Alchemy a song collaboration written by 12 Bitcoin enthusiasts from around the world and recorded in Nashville, TN.

Find her music first on Lightning-supported apps like Fountain.fm and Wavlake - or anywhere you stream music.

 Fountain: https://fountain.fm/artist/aikAUtAoHvskOGf82rfy
Wavlake: https://wavlake.com/ainsley-costello
Primal/Nostr: https://primal.net/p/nprofile1qqsgsp3h9t6329dlfthcqu53h9jg06scymykdf2ed09gv6tmtk9j80q5ecal2