Afrocharts Web3 Integration

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Ian McCullough

[GENERAL] Email address of main applicant

mc@cullah.com

Additional applicants

Leonard Novati

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

8

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

No

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.” .

This project has no other dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

No

[GENERAL] If NO, please describe which outputs are not going to be open source. If YES, please write “Project will be fully open source.”

All Afrocharts proprietary code property and sensitive information in the integration will remain closed source. 

The code for the SDK will be open source.

[METADATA] Category of Proposal

Regional Expansion

[METADATA] SDG rating

SDG Goals

10 - Reduce inequality within and among countries

SDG Subgoals

10.1 - By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average

10.b - Encourage official development assistance and financial flows, including foreign direct investment, to States where the need is greatest, in particular least developed countries, African countries, small island developing States and landlocked developing countries, in accordance with their national plans and programmes

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)

10.b.1 - Total resource flows for development, by recipient and donor countries and type of flow (e.g. official development assistance, foreign direct investment and other flows)

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Answer:

Problem:

The problem we aim to solve is the lack of artist empowerment and limited global financial inclusion of the African music industry. Talented artists struggle to monetize their work effectively - often at odds with unaccountable predatory industry actors and unsustainable business practices. Additionally, fans and collectors from across the world lack meaningful engagement and participation opportunities with musicians in the African continent.

Alongside this, entrepreneurs and developers lack publicly scrutinized tools and SDKs to incorporate token-gated membership of music NFTs into their platforms and marketplaces.

Approach:

To address this problem, Firebird Media and Afrocharts team will implement a token-gated membership portal in the Afrocharts platform for artists and fans to utilize NFT sales. By issuing NFTs as membership tokens, fans and collectors will get access to the portal to view exclusive songs, digital collectibles (NFTs), programmable Discord roles, and the ability to claim a percentage revenue share from artist’s Afrocharts.com streaming royalties.

The revenue share percentage will be defined by the musician as to how much the collector may claim.

The functionality for this web3 portal will be built by Firebird Media as an open-source SDK. The SDK will provide a well-documented standard framework and set of tools. This will empower Cardano developers to leverage the solutions within their own projects. This will promote project extendibility, public transparency and scrutiny, encourage collaboration, scalability, and foster community growth.

Engagement Strategy:

We will engage popular African artists, music enthusiasts, and the greater Afrocharts.com community of over 150,000 registered users and 15,000 musicians. Enthusiasts, fans, and collectors can benefit from owning NFTs to claim a percentage of streaming revenue generated by Afrocharts.com. Fans will enjoy access to exclusive interaction via digital collectibles and programmable community roles on artist’s Discord servers, deepening connections between artists and their fans and collectors.

Impact Demonstration:

To demonstrate the impact of our solution, we will analyze user engagement metrics of Afrocharts.com and the on-chain metrics of the NFTs such as sign-ups, sales, interactions, and active participation in community roles. These metrics will showcase the level of fan engagement and the portal’s overall vibrancy.

Additionally, we will gather feedback from artists, fans, and collectors through surveys to assess their satisfaction and gauge the solution's effectiveness. Through these impact demonstration strategies, we aim to provide evidence of the positive outcomes and benefits brought about by our web3 portal. 

The impact of the SDK will be measured by Github interactions, downloads, and user feedback.

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

Additionally, according to IFPI’s Global Music Report 2023, Sub-saharan african music revenue grew by 34.7% in 2022, making it the fastest growing region in the world.

According to EMURGO Africa “State of Web 3.0” Report, Africa's cryptocurrency market grew by over 1200% between 2020 and 2021 with Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania ranking in the GLOBAL top 20 for crypto adoption.

Our project brings value by demonstrating the real-world application of blockchain technology in the music industry and to reduce inequality for indigenous African musicians. It showcases Cardano's capabilities in enabling secure and transparent transactions, while also highlighting the potential for NFTs and decentralization to revolutionize creator’s revenue models and fan engagement to create a more equitable, fair and progressive music industry in the African continent.

By implementing a Cardano-based blockchain solution to Afrocharts.com, the most popular independent African music streaming platform, we have the opportunity to engage with over 15,000 African musicians and 150,000+ users with the mission of Cardano for financial inclusion and sustainable development of the growing African music industry. 

It will provide the Afrocharts.com users with tools for financial inclusion in a global market where African-based music demand is growing in Western countries such as the UK, France, and USA.

Our solution will 

• increase the number of Cardano-based products in Africa by enriching the current ecosystem with a new use case for music.
• Increase the number of integrations by bringing the existing solution of Afrocharts.com together with Cardano’s African vision.
• Increase and enhance the quality of the Afrocharts.com platform by building new functionality for artists, fans, enthusiasts, and collectors.
• Increase the number of SDKs for music NFTs and overall NFT utilization

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

The integration of a web3 portal into Afrocharts.com will bring several benefits to the Cardano ecosystem. 

1. African & Global User Adoption: As an integration into the current Afrocharts.com platform, the project will onboard the current Afrocharts.com users to the Cardano ecosystem. This will bring a vibrant and diverse set of musicians, fans and collectors that will result in user adoption and an increased transaction volume from users across the globe. The new user sign-ups, interactions, and transaction volume can be measured as a quantitative metric to assess the growth of the user base.
2. Community Engagement: The features of our portal such as digital collectibles, programmable community roles, and streaming revenue sharing will drive community engagement within the Cardano ecosystem. Qualitative metrics, such as user feedback, success stories, and active participation in community roles, can be used to gauge the level of engagement and the impact of the project on community dynamics. Additionally, the number of comments, github interactions, and utilization of the SDK will provide invaluable insights into what areas and parts of the code to focus on and what parts that need to be improved.
3. Token Utility: The NFT Membership tokens will have utility within the Cardano ecosystem beyond Afrocharts.com. By measuring the number of NFT transactions and the variety of use cases across different platforms and applications, we can assess the growth of token utility and its impact on Cardano's ecosystem.

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

We will ensure transparency and accountability by issuing milestone reports that detail the progress, achievements, and challenges faced throughout the project. These reports will be made public to all via our websites, twitter, discord, and other relevant channels.

Furthermore, to showcase the success stories of artists benefiting from the web3 portal and token-based membership rewards, we will highlight the journeys and achievements of artists who have experienced increased revenue, fan engagement, and artistic empowerment through our platform. By sharing these success stories of African artists, we aim to inspire and engage the wider music community, further promoting the adoption and impact of the project.

We also plan to showcase the success of the web3 portal integration to Afrocharts at speaking engagements at conferences like NFTxLV, Rare Evo, Twitter spaces, podcasts, and other events.

Additionally, the Afrocharts.com 100,000+ users email list and mobile app push notifications will serve as a powerful communication tool. We will periodically share updates, milestones, and opportunities related to the project with the user base.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

To ensure trust and accountability, we maintain a transparent and collaborative approach with clear deliverables and financial reports (including cost breakdowns and on-chain transaction history) for each project milestone. 

For each milestone, we will include regular communication, sharing project updates, and actively soliciting feedback. This open line of communication fosters trust and ensures that all parties are engaged throughout the integration process.

Technical Expertise: 

Leonard Novati and the Afrocharts team has been able to develop and grow the most successful independent mobile and desktop app (Afrocharts.com) for Indiginous African music that includes a feature-rich music streaming platform with music monetization, real time analytics, and a beat marketplace. Afrocharts has reached 16M views, 150k+ total mobile app installs, 15k+ artists signups, and over 200k songs uploaded.

Firebird Media team have established a strong reputation for technical expertise in building on the Cardano blockchain with cofounder Blackbird leading custom development and integration for well-known projects in the Cardano ecosystem through his agency Dropshop.sh and architecting a next-gen Cardano NFT headless marketplace codenamed Floorless.

Domain Expertise:

Leonard Novati, Henry Cocobassey, Daniel Mwinsai, and the rest of the Afrocharts team has domain expertise in the music industry with a combined 30+ years of experience in navigating the African music industry and in web2 and web3 technologies.

Firebird Media cofounder, Project Catalyst proposer, and musician Ian McCullough (Cullah) has established a trusted reputation as a pioneer in internet technology for music distribution by leading decentralized music communities using p2p networks and open licensing frameworks for 10+ years. McCullough has been evangelizing web3 technology for musicians by speaking and performing at web3 conferences such as Rarebloom, CNFTCon, University of Illinois Blockchain Summit, MusicTech Catalyst, Music District, NFT.NYC, NFTLES, Cyphercon, and more.

Regional Expertise: Made up of ~90% Africans, the teams at Firebird Media & Afrocharts together possess a deep understanding of the African continent and its music industry and the changing attitudes towards web3 and crypto adoption.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

The proposed objectives for our Web3 integration project with Afrocharts.com are as follows:

Enhance Artist Empowerment: The goal is to empower artists within the Afrocharts.com ecosystem by providing them with new revenue streams, increased exposure, and opportunities for growth. We will measure this objective by tracking the number of artists who join the platform, the increase in revenue generated through NFT sales and streaming revenue sharing, and the feedback and testimonials from artists regarding their experience and success.

Foster Fan Engagement and Community Building: Our aim is to create a vibrant and interactive community on Afrocharts.com where fans can actively engage with their favorite artists and support their work. We will measure this objective by monitoring the number of active users, the frequency and depth of fan interactions, the growth of the community through social media channels, and qualitative feedback from fans on their level of engagement and satisfaction.

Drive NFT Adoption and Token Utility: We seek to promote the adoption of NFTs within the Cardano ecosystem by offering token-gated membership and exclusive digital collectibles. Our goal is to increase the usage and utility of NFTs within the Afrocharts.com community. We will measure this objective by tracking the number of NFT transactions, the variety and demand for digital collectibles, and the integration of NFTs in other Cardano projects and platforms.

Additionally, the SDK will provide a well-documented standard framework and set of tools for other developers and platforms to utilize in order to expand and enhance the number of options on Cardano for NFT utility.

Ensure User Satisfaction and Experience: Improving the user experience and satisfaction is a key objective. We will focus on providing a seamless and user-friendly interface, efficient customer support, and continuous improvements based on user feedback. To measure this objective, we will conduct user surveys, monitor user retention rates, track the time spent on the platform, and analyze feedback and reviews to assess user satisfaction and experience.

To implement our approach, we will work closely with the Afrocharts.com team and leverage Cardano's Web3 capabilities. Our technical development will involve integrating mechanisms for NFT sales, revenue sharing, and token-based community management. We will also collaborate with artists, fans, and industry experts to ensure the project aligns with their needs and expectations.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Milestone 1: Research, Planning, and Initialization

Timeline: 1 month

Key Activities:

• Conduct a thorough analysis of the current Afrocharts.com platform and its technical infrastructure in order to integrate the web3 portal.
• Develop a detailed project plan, including milestones, deliverables, and timeline.
• Open a Github account and begin the development of the open-source SDK.

Success/Acceptance Criteria:

• Completion of the platform analysis report.
• Project requirements document finalized and approved.
• Detailed project plan with milestones and timeline created.
• Initial progress made in the development of the open-source SDK

Milestone 2: Implementation & Integration

Timeline: 2 months

Key Activities:

• Collaborate with the Afrocharts and Firebird Media development teams to integrate Web3 technologies and NFT functionality into Afrocharts.com.
• Implement the necessary APIs and interfaces for seamless integration.
• Continue the development and documentation of the open-source SDK.
• Target 5-10 strategic artist partners on Afrocharts.com platform to participate in the initial portal launch.

Success/Acceptance Criteria:

• Integration of Web3 portal for NFT sales and token-gated membership into Afrocharts.com.
• Functioning open source SDK for seamless user experience.
• Have 5-10 artists partner’s songs uploaded and ready for launch.

Milestone 3: Testing, and Security, and Development

Timeline: 2 months

Key Activities:

• Conduct comprehensive testing of the integrated features and functionalities.
• Identify and resolve any bugs or issues.
• Perform security audits and implement necessary measures to ensure safety and integrity.
• Collect user feedback and make necessary improvements based on testing results.

Success/Acceptance Criteria:

• Completion of comprehensive testing and bug fixing.
• Security audits conducted and necessary measures implemented.
• User feedback collected and analyzed for further improvements.

Milestone 4: Launch and Rollout

Timeline: 2 month

Key Activities:

• Engage in a public launch of the integrated Web3 portal on Afrocharts.com.
• Communicate the launch to the Afrocharts.com community and wider audience.
• Monitor and support the initial adoption phase, addressing any issues or concerns.

Success/Acceptance Criteria:

• Successful public launch of the integrated Web3 features.
• Public NFT sales from Afrocharts artists and Discord communities operational
• Smooth operation of the platform during the rollout phase.

Milestone 5: Closeout & Evaluation

Timeline: 1 months

Key Activities:

• Collect and analyze user success stories, testimonials, and qualitative feedback.
• Evaluate the impact of the Web3 integration on artists' recognition, opportunities, and compensation.
• Prepare a comprehensive report highlighting the metrics and analysis.

Success/Acceptance Criteria:

• Collection and analysis of user success stories, testimonials, and qualitative feedback.
• Evaluation of the impact of the Web3 integration on artists' recognition, opportunities, and compensation.
• Completion of a comprehensive report showcasing the achieved metrics

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

Milestone 1: Research, Planning, and Initialization

Deliverables:

• Platform analysis report: A comprehensive report outlining the current state of Afrocharts.com, including its technical infrastructure, functionalities, and limitations.
• Project requirements document: A detailed document specifying the objectives, scope, and desired outcomes of the web3 integration project.
• Project plan: A well-defined plan outlining milestones, deliverables, timeline, and resource allocation for the entire project.

Measurement:

• Completion and approval of the platform analysis report.
• Finalization and approval of the project requirements document.
• Creation and approval of the project plan.

Milestone 2: Implementation & Integration

Deliverables:

• The successful integration of web3 portal into Afrocharts.com, including NFT sales, token-gated membership, and revenue sharing.
• Secure and efficient handling of NFT sales, membership access, and revenue sharing.
• Seamless user experience through well-designed and functional SDK.

Measurement:

• Successful integration of Web3 functionalities detailed in the project requirements into Afrocharts.com.
• Deployment and functionality of the SDK.
• Complete committed SDK code on Github.

Milestone 3: Testing, Quality Assurance, and Security

Deliverables:

• Comprehensive testing report: A report documenting the testing process, including identified bugs, issues, and their resolutions.
• Security measures: Implemented security measures to ensure the integrity and safety of the integrated Web3 functionalities.
• User feedback and improvement report: A report summarizing user feedback and the improvements made based on testing results.

Measurement:

• Completion and approval of the comprehensive testing report.
• Implementation and verification of security measures.
• Analysis and incorporation of user feedback for improvement.

Milestone 4: Launch and Rollout

Deliverables:

• Public launch announcement: Communication and promotion of the integrated Web3 functionalities to the Afrocharts.com community and wider audience.
• Rollout support: Providing necessary support and addressing any issues during the initial adoption phase.
• User adoption and feedback: Collecting user adoption metrics and feedback to measure the success and impact of the launch.

Measurement:

• Successful public launch announcement and communication.
• Monitoring and addressing of any issues during the rollout phase.
• User adoption metrics, feedback, and engagement levels.

Milestone 5: Reporting and Evaluation

Deliverables:

• Success stories report: A compilation of video, audio, and written user success stories, testimonials, and qualitative feedback showcasing the impact of the web3 integration on artists' recognition, opportunities, and compensation.
• Evaluation report: A comprehensive report evaluating the achieved metrics, highlighting the platform's effectiveness in empowering and supporting artists.
• Recommendations for improvement: Deliver suggestions for further enhancements of the web3 integration and the SDK including optimizations based on the evaluation findings.

Measurement:

• Compilation and approval of the success stories report and showcase.
• Completion and approval of the evaluation report, showcasing the achieved metrics.
• Presentation of recommendations for improvement based on evaluation findings.

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Milestone 1 : Research, Planning, and Initialization (Month 1) / 22,500 ada

• Development environment and infrastructure setup: ~20 hours of work
• Afrocharts platform analysis and report: ~25 hours of work
• Key functionality initialization: ~20 hours of work
• Administration & Misc: 10 hours
• Total: 75 hours

Milestone 2 : Implementation & Integration (Months 2-3) / 45,000 ada

• Web3 Portal development: ~80 hours of work
• SDK Development and documentation: ~40 hours of work
• Pilot users selection & marketing documentation: ~15 hours of work
• Afrocharts API development: ~10 hours
• Administration & Misc: ~5 hours
• Total: 150 hours

Milestone 3: Testing, and Security, and Development (Months 4-5) / 45,000 ada

• Web3 Portal development & bugfixes: ~50 hours of work
• SDK Development, bugfixes, and documentation: ~40 hours of work
• Security and safety audits: ~15 hours of work
• Afrocharts API Integration: ~20 hours of work
• Developer documentation and support: ~15 hours of work
• Administration & Misc: ~10 hours of work
• Total: 150 hours

Milestone 4: Launch and Rollout (Month 6-7) / 45,000 ada

• Web3 Portal and Launch: ~60 hours of work
• SDK launch and documentation reports: ~35 hours of work
• User feedback and testing: ~15 hours of work
• Marketing and artist development: ~20 hours of work
• Final report preparation: ~10 hours of work
• Administration & Misc: ~10 hours of work
• Total: 150 hours

Milestone 5: Closeout and Final Report (Month 8) / 22,500 ada

• Comprehensive evaluation: ~20 hours of work
• Marketing & user success reports: ~20 hours of work
• Portal and SDK Bugfixes: ~15 hours of work
• Final report preparation: ~10 hours of work
• Administration & Misc: ~10 hours of work
• Total: 75 hours

Total: 600hrs * ~300 ada/hr = 180,000 ada

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The main costs of this proposal go towards the technical implementation and integration of the web3 portal for Afrocharts and the building of the open-source SDK.

Senior Full-stack developer : $100 USD/hr

Project Manager & Marketing: $45/hr

Assuming ada is a .25 USD price, and adjusting the costs of a project within the Cardano ecosystem to the equivalent of $73/hr and ~300 Ada on average, based on the global development costs ensures prudence This approach allows for cost-effective utilization of resources while still delivering value for money, as it reflects a reasonable and sustainable investment.

Considering the scope of this project and the amount of time it will take, we believe that this cost is reasonable, fair, and very prudent use of the money. 

The successful completion of this project has great potential for social and economic impact on the African music industry and the Cardano ecosystem. Additionally, by dedicating a substantial portion of the budget to SDK development, the project ensures that the foundational tools and infrastructure open-source SDK, adding further value and expanding the Cardano ecosystem.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agreed to Fund10 rules and also that data in the Submission Form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.

I Accept