What is LBRY?
LBRY (pronounced “library”) is a blockchain for content. Like Bitcoin, but instead of moving money around, it stores videos, articles, audio, and files. Once a creator publishes something to LBRY, it lives on a public ledger that no single company controls — so no central platform can quietly remove it.
What is LBC?
LBC (LBRY Credits) is the currency that lives on LBRY's blockchain. Fans use it to tip creators directly. Unlike YouTube — where creators get paid only if YouTube approves them, and only after YouTube takes its cut — LBC tips go straight from fan to creator. No middleman. No “monetisation eligibility.” No platform veto.
How Cockroach uses LBRY today
- ✓Curated videos that creators have published to LBRY are linked using their permanent blockchain address— so they don't vanish if the creator deletes them or a platform pulls them later.
- ✓The ⚡ Tip in LBCbutton on a video page sends the creator a direct blockchain payment. Cockroach doesn't take a cut, doesn't hold the funds, doesn't even see the amount.
- ✓Cockroach's web addresses use a readable pattern that mirrors LBRY's creator/video hierarchy (e.g.
cockroach.media/c/creator-name/video-title) — readable today, compatible with LBRY tomorrow. - ✓Products carrying the ⚡ Funds LBRY badge are affiliate links — Cockroach donates 100% of profits from those sales to buying LBC. Products without the badge are listed for editorial reference; we earn nothing from them. You pay vendor prices either way.
What we're planning next
- →A Cockroach-branded version of the LBRY desktop app — same content, same tipping, just in your own folder on your own computer. No website required.
- →Cockroach's curated lists themselves published to LBRY, so the curation persists even if our website doesn't. Anyone running an LBRY app could discover what we've curated.
- →Cockroach's identity claimed permanently on LBRY (
lbry://@cockroachand a few topic names). Brand insurance — once claimed, no one else can take them.
Why we care
“In the prepper space, censorship-resistance isn't theoretical. We've all watched videos get pulled for arbitrary reasons. Direct creator payments matter when middlemen can de-bank or de-platform anyone they want. LBRY isn't perfect — but it's the most serious attempt at solving these problems for content creators, and it deserves support.”
— Cockroach editorial
Why Cockroach still uses dollars (and how the money flows)
We're realistic. LBC is hard to buy through normal exchanges, and its price swings around. Most preppers want to focus on prepping, not on crypto. So Cockroach uses the same dollar-based affiliate links you'd find on any other site.
Here's what's different about Cockroach: 100% of the profit Cockroach earns from those affiliate sales goes to buying LBC and supporting the LBRY ecosystem — keeping censorship-resistant content infrastructure alive. We don't pocket the margin. The dollar-side is the practical layer; the LBC-side is where the mission lives.
We don't push the desktop app. We don't ask anyone to learn crypto to use Cockroach. We don't take a cut of LBC tips. And if LBC never grows beyond a small enthusiast community, Cockroach still works — every purchase still funnels profit their way.
Want to try LBC?
Three small steps. Honest warning: it's friction, and not for everyone — it's worth doing only if the principle appeals to you.
Install the LBRY desktop app
Free, runs on Mac, Windows, or Linux like any normal program. Where to download →
Acquire a small amount of LBC
LBC isn't on big exchanges, so this means a niche exchange or earning some by watching content. Start small — $5 worth is enough to send a few tips. A list of options →
Tip a creator from any Cockroach page
Click the ⚡ Tip in LBC button next to a video. Your LBRY desktop app opens with the creator's channel pre-loaded. Pick an amount, send. Done.
Read enough?