Please describe your proposed solution.
Here is a 3-minute pitch for DEMU
<https://youtu.be/nxho1BMNDAk>The DEMU Jukebox Music Player is the first dApp built atop the DEMU Protocol.
Imagine a media player inside your Cash App or Venmo. And every time you played a song, your account was deducted and the artist was paid, directly.
The Jukebox is Cash App & Spotify combined.
Artists can become their own Bank. Streaming Platform. And Record Store. All in one.
We've already built an MVP of the Jukebox (beta) with the F8 funds our team was awarded. Here is a 3-minute demo of the Jukebox.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynajnmO7wb0>Next step is to continue development of the Jukebox dApp and focus on its growth. We must emphasize that the work outlined in this proposal is currently on-going and self-funded for the time being.
By onboarding artists, with the core value proposition that every artist could become their own bank, streaming platform, and record store, we will build a library of licensable content that will be made available for other apps & dApps to license via the DEMU Protocol.
Our artist onboarding strategy is two-pronged, targeting both emerging and established artists. Initially, we'll focus on artists already exploring Web3. We plan to expand our onboarding team with representatives in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. For artists in these emerging markets, DEMU provides an opportunity to reach a global audience without entering into potentially exploitative agreements with foreign music companies.
In parallel, we're also targeting Independent and Legacy artists. These are artists with established fan bases who no longer need to enter into traditional record deals. We've recruited a specialist to lead our efforts in this area. As we gain traction, we anticipate attracting the attention of Major labels. This could come from executives recognizing the efficiencies and revenue opportunities unlocked by managing IP on the blockchain, or directly from artists seeking a direct relationship with their fans.
We are not building in a bubble. We're speaking directly to major artists who will be our future users. These are the next pieces to the Jukebox that will make the dApp attractive to all artists.
- Mobile Wallet Compatibility - We've been working with VESPR wallet to provide a seamless user experience for the music listener. Listeners can buy music without signing a transaction each time, simply use a thumb or FaceID. We need additional development dollars to make our player compatible on iOS. (Update: This milestone is now complete).
- Credit Card Payment - We plan to onboard artists whose fans aren't familiar with crypto. While this makes for an excellent onboarding opportunity for the Cardano community, we need to accept credit card payments (like Winter or MoonPay) in order to make it easy for fans to purchase an artist's music.
- Embeddable Music Player/Marketplace - Our vision is that every artist can be their own platform. It is very important that artists drive their hard-earned fans to their website, not some third party's (ie. ours). For this reason, we need to build the tools that allow artists to embed a DEMU-compatible music player onto their own website, and allow fans to mint their albums directly from them. This is effectively like Spotify & Shopify combined.
- KYC - Artists will need to be KYC'd to verify their identity in the event the music they upload isn't theirs. There are also benefits for fans to feel confident that the music they're supporting is in fact being attributed correctly to verified creators. As we build this feature, we will continue manually onboarding artists. Building this KYC solution streamlines the solution for artists onboarding.
- Rights Holder Dashboard - This will be a comprehensive tool for artists, record labels, and other rights holders to manage their music, track their earnings, and interact with their fans. The dashboard will provide real-time analytics to grow their brand and understand the value of their IP. It will also enable rights holders to manage their music catalog, set their own pricing, and control how their music is distributed. The initial version of the dashboard will display data produced by Jukebox Application activities. As more applications are built on the DEMU Protocol, the dashboard will evolve to aggregate relevant data across all revenue-generating channels for the IP. The dashboard will be the central hub for artists to manage their music.
I am confident that due to the DEMU Protocol and the ecosystem of apps that will be built upon it, we will begin to attract artists, including some of the world's most popular ones, to Cardano. Each music app built on DEMU multiplies the earning potential of the underlying intellectual property.
How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?
The Jukebox addresses several aims outlined in the F10: Products & Integrations Campaign Brief:
- Creation or improvement of different products: DEMU Protocol & the Jukebox dApp are two new products that will be introduced to the Cardano ecosystem. DEMU is a Music Rights Management Protocol that aims to revolutionize the way artists and other music-related entities manage and monetize their intellectual property. Jukebox Music Player is a dApp that combines a Media Player with a Digital Wallet to empower artists to sell their music direct-to-consumer.
- Integrations with other existing services, products, and protocols: The DEMU Protocol will integrate with the Cardano blockchain, leveraging its smart contract capabilities to automate music royalty payments to all rights holders.
- Solving a key problem or issue: The protocol addresses several key problems in the music industry, such as lack of ownership for artists, inefficient royalty payment systems, and a fragmented music ecosystem.
In terms of impact, DEMU could bring significant value to the Cardano ecosystem:
- Attracting new users: By providing a solution for artists and music-related entities, the DEMU Jukebox could attract a new user base to the Cardano ecosystem, including music companies, artists and music consumers.
- Strengthening the ecosystem: By introducing a new use case (music rights management) to the Cardano ecosystem, DEMU could help to diversify and strengthen the ecosystem.
- Transaction volume: As artists and consumers interact with the DEMU Jukebox (e.g., to create, buy, sell, or stream music), this could drive a significant volume of transactions on the Cardano blockchain.
In terms of quantifying the impact, it's difficult to provide specific numbers. However, considering the size of the global music industry, even capturing a small percentage of this market could result in a substantial number of new users and transactions for Cardano.
How do you intend to measure the success of your project?
The success of the DEMU Jukebox can be measured through a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics:
- Number of Artists & Record Labels Onboarded: This is a key indicator of the project's success in attracting artists and other music companies to use the Jukebox for managing and monetizing their music rights.
- Volume of Music Uploaded: This metric can help gauge the extent of usage and adoption of the Jukebox by artists.
- Number of Transactions: The number of transactions conducted through the platform, such as the creation, buying, selling, or streaming of music, can indicate the level of activity and engagement on the Jukebox.
- Number of Music Tokens Minted: This is a direct measure of the utilization of the Jukebox's unique Music Tokens feature. A higher number of tokens minted indicates greater adoption and usage of the Jukebox's services.
- User Feedback: Collecting and analyzing feedback from users (both artists and consumers) can provide valuable insights into the Jukebox's usability, features, and overall value proposition.
- Number of Integrations: The number of apps built atop the DEMU Protocol can indicate its success in fostering an ecosystem of music-related applications.
In the short term, the innovation brought by the DEMU Jukebox can boost Cardano's productivity by driving a significant volume of transactions on the blockchain. It can also attract a new user base to the Cardano ecosystem, thereby contributing to its growth.
In the long term, the DEMU Protocol can help establish Cardano as a go-to blockchain for music rights management and other creative industries. This can further strengthen the ecosystem and attract more developers and users to Cardano, contributing to its sustained growth.
This proposal's funding serves as seed capital for initial development and launch. As we scale, we plan to secure additional venture capital, ensuring the protocol's self-sustainability as we roll out onboarding and expand its reach.
Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?
The DEMU team plans to share the outputs and results of the project in several ways:
- Public Reports: The team will publish regular updates and reports on the project's progress, key milestones achieved, and the results of the project. These reports will be made available on DEMU's website and other public platforms. Use this link for up-to-date news on our progress.
- Community Engagement: The team will actively engage with the Cardano community through various channels such as Reddit forums, Twitter Spaces, and Discord calls. This will include sharing updates, soliciting feedback, and discussing DEMU's impact and future opportunities.
- Partnerships and Collaborations: The team will work with other entities in the music and Web3 to share the project's outputs and explore opportunities for collaboration. This could include partnerships with music platforms, record labels, and other Web3 projects.
- Further Research and Development: The results generated from the project will be used to inform further research and development activities. This could include refining and expanding the DEMU Protocol, developing new features and services, and exploring new use cases for the protocol.
By sharing the project's outputs and results in these ways, the DEMU team aims to maximize the project's impact, foster a vibrant ecosystem around the protocol, and contribute to the growth and development of the Cardano ecosystem.