maybe this will help shed light on why it was sent out as a 1099-misc:
"According to the IRS, earning income on crypto is considered a taxable event in the US, and cryptocurrencies are generally treated as property (similar to gold or shares in publicly owned companies) for tax purposes. That means that interest paid to you on crypto assets are payments of property, making them subject to reporting through the 1099-Miscellaneous (also known as the 1099-MISC) form."
So it seems that the the reason it is a "misc" is that the payment is in a property, not a currency. Does this change your opinion?
If I bought an oil pumping well and let a company use it (on their land), and in return they paid me in oil, how would that be taxed?
