Rythmeet: A complete P2P music platform for networking

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Alan Hegron

[GENERAL] Email address of main applicant

megasquallers@hotmail.fr

Additional applicants

Jason Hao Li, Finley Fei Ma, Keyon Keyang Du, Ranger Guan, Albert Feghali

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

5

[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?

Yes

[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.” .

The development team are working for Shinetech which is a leading software development.

[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.”

The Rythmeet platform will be open source, except some biometric technology and personal information due to user privacy concerns.

[METADATA] Category of Proposal

dApp

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Problem definition

Cryptocurrency in general, and so Cardano, is at the beginning of its expenditure, but it lacks attractivity from people that are not familiar with new technologies. New tools and platforms need to be created to bring these people into the cryptocurrency wave, especially into the Cardano ecosystem.

On the other hand, music is universal and one of the oldest ways of communication and expression that ever existed. As with every artistic expression, everyone has his/her own style and skillset. Yet, not everyone has access to musical instruments, classes, rooms where to practice and scholarships. The actual tools to connect with one another to learn, exchange, practice and develop their skills are very limited. Also, musical instruments can represent a big expense. Currently, people mainly connect with each other by word of mouth, but it has its limitations.

Our platform will be the meeting point of these 2 entities and consequently, will drastically expand the Cardano community. 

The global musical instruments market size was valued at almost $10 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $11.5 billion by 2030. The problem is that not everyone can afford music instruments. On the other hand, the global Peer-to-Peer market was valued at approximately 68 billion in 2019 and is increasing every year.

Our solution

The first part of our platform detailed here will bring people from outside of the cryptocurrency bubble into this new technology, allowing them to connect and develop their music skills and network. Therefore, our project focuses on key features:

 -Giving access to music instruments to all: Buying a new instrument can be expensive, especially when we are not sure whether we would really enjoy it. With our platform, users will be able to find people at proximity owning instruments/materials they would be willing to rent or sell.

-Easily finding music teachers at proximity: People will be able to propose music classes.

-Finding crew: People will be able to find specific musicians (guitarists, saxophonists, singers, pianists…) at proximity and connect with them to build a band or just expand the group they already have. To have an idea on the musical capacities of others before connecting, people will be able to upload a few short videos on their own profile.

-Finding a place where to practice or give concerts: When living in an apartment for example, practicing music can be challenging. Moreover, finding a place where to give a concert often requires a lot of time going to bars or restaurants asking owners for this opportunity. That is why on the Rythmeet platform, people will be able to propose a place for musicians to practice or give a concert.

-Funding music scholarships for kids: Our vision through this platform is to help musicians to have access to everything they need to develop their hobby. That's why we will create a fundraising feature and the money will be used to pay scholarships for kids/students who cannot afford registration fees for music schools.

Since our goal is to bring people who are not aware or comfortable with cryptocurrencies, we will allow people to pay using their own money or Cardano to make people discover this cryptocurrency and become more familiar with it. We do not want to frighten them with crypto and that's why our strategy is to familiarize them slowly with this part of the platform. Simple tutorials will be created to explain how to buy Cardano for those who do not already have. To encourage people to use Cardano, fees will be lower for transactions using Cardano. Music is present in every single country on the planet, heard in most houses and cars, therefore linking the Rythmeet platform to the Cardano ecosystem will drastically expand the network and number of transactions of this cryptocurrency.

Execution steps:

Stage 1: Project Definition

The first stage will be to formally define every option/feature of the platform.

Stage 2: Planning

We will create:

A sitemap: This bird's eye view of our site is a map that determines the list of pages, their placement and relationship on the website. 

A wireframe: This is the layout of each individual page of the site. It outlines and maps out the elements on the website and how the website will function.

Stage 3: Design of the entire website

Stage 4: Content Creation including:

Landing pages, Product/service description, Testimonials, Case studies, Blog posts, Videos, Images

Stage 5: Development

This stage includes coding and our developer’s job is to make the site function properly. Our developer will create the homepage followed by the other landing pages, based on the website hierarchy. The process also includes combining all the previously designed elements and building an actual website. The front-end development of the website will be a nominal task. The back-end development will consume more time and will be built carefully and methodically.

Also, the code of the platform will be available under an open-source license.

Stage 6: Alfa and Beta Testing

Testing is one of the most significant phases. During the Alfa testing, our developers will check the functionality of all the elements on our website. The aim is to detect any issues, such as broken links and compatibility with different devices to ensure everything works properly. They will use validators to check the code making sure it follows the current standards, test the site’s speed as well as test for mobile responsiveness. Once they finish the manual and automated testing, we will share this platform with 2 music schools that have already agreed for a Beta testing for 4 to 6 weeks. We will then launch the final version of our platform.

Stage 7: Maintenance

This is the last and the never-ending phase of the website development. As our project grows, we will need to increase the number of pages and add more functionalities and features and keeping our site up to date both UX and SEO-wise.

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

Our proposed solution directly addresses the challenge by leveraging our team's expertise in blockchain technology and software development to contribute to the enhancement of the Cardano ecosystem.

Our team will build the Rythmeet platform which will be user friendly and will serve as a platform to connect to other Cardano projects and bring new people with interest in music, unfamiliar with cryptocurrencies into the Cardano ecosystem, strengthening it.

This project also aims to attract students, music artists and businesses into the Cardano ecosystem.

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

The success of our project will be measured through different criteria:

We will track the successful completion of every step detailed in this proposal within its timeline.

We will improve and develop the platform regarding user’s feedback, especially during the Beta testing phase. This feedback collection will be made through our website, social media, forums and media channels.

Bringing new people into the Cardano ecosystem, and after completion, we seek to bridge our platform with other Cardano projects.

In term of timeline, the success will look like:

Success after 5 months of receiving funding: The website is launched and the first users begin to register.

Success after 10 months: All technical problems have been solved and the website works smoothly. We reach 5,000 users and 15% of them use Cardano currency. People begin to give to fundraising for scholarships. We will develop the marketing using the network of youtubers and musicians we already have.

We will also begin to bridge our platform with other Cardano projects.

Success after 15 months: We reach 20,000 users and at least 10 music schools are using our platform. 50% of users are using Cardano currency. We could then begin to host advertisements on our platform and become financially self- sufficient. With money increasing, we will focus more and more on marketing, contacting other influencers, music festivals and advertising on platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for example. We already know people from Shinetech working in marketing and ready to work on this project. After 15 months, we should be able to pay for the first scholarships.

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

At the end of every step detailed in the timeline and even after the platform launch, we will update the community on the progress of our platform Rythmeet through: 

Website: Rythmeet.com

Twitter: @rythmeet

Github: https://github.com/alanhegron/Rythmeet

Telegram: @AlanHegron

Instagram: @Rythmeet

The website is empty and social media accounts have no activity yet. Everything will change after receiving the funds and beginning the development phase.

Once the platform is launched, we will continuously inform our members on every news involving Rythmeet through publications on social media.

We will share the impact and opportunities of our platform with new partners, like artists, music festivals, music schools.

We plan to participate in music events like concerts and festivals to showcase our platform and the potential of Cardano.

We also plan to participate in Town Halls to inform the catalyst community on the progression of the platform and to have feedback from it.

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

The proposer, Alan Hegron received 2 Ph.Ds in research and worked for top ranking Universities like Columbia University or New-York University. As a researcher, he developed the capability to manage multiple projects simultaneously involving international teams and to face and solve critical problems within projects. He will be responsible for the coordination of the team members and the completion of all steps.

Most members of the developing team work for Shinetech which is a leading software development provider founded in 2001 in Beijing, China, with additional global locations in the US, Canada, Europe and Australia. Shinetech collaborated with more than 1500 clients including world known companies like Coca-Cola, BMW, Ralph Lauren or HP. For HP, Shinetech developed its website and is still managing it worldwide, proving the seriousness and efficiency of the company (https://www.shinetechsoftware.com/). Beyond our team, Shinetech will provide us with extensive resources including platform frameworks, a marketing team and any specialist we may need.

Even though Shinetech is a Chinese company it is also based in other countries like US, Australia or Canada so restrictions that may occur in China regarding cryptocurrencies won’t affect the development of Rythmeet. Also, the Rythmeet platform will be registered in Europe.

Here is the development team:

Project manager, senior full-stack developer: Jason Hao Li

• Over 4 years of experience in full-stack web development. Expert in back-end development frameworks, front-end development, system design, business analysis and senior project manager. (CV attached)

Expert PHP developer: Finley Fei Ma

• Over 9 years of experience in PHP, Node, Front-end and 4 years project manager. Expert in PHP MVC framework, web development and CI/CD. (CV attached)

User interface designer: Keyon Keyang Du

• Over 7 years of experience in graphic design. Expert in UI and UX design and mobile app design. 4 years as UI team manager. (CV attached)

Expert PHP developer: Ranger Guan

• Over 9 years of experience in software development. Expert in front-end and multiple languages (PHP, javascript, TypeScript, Python…). Expert in web applications including E-commerce, in app creation and in Agile development methodologies. (CV attached)

Senior software engineer: Jeff Junwei Chen

• Over 7 years of experience in software engineering, proficient in both frontend and backend development. Expert in blockchains and digital currency. For example, he developed the website www.ddpurse.com which is a BCH wallet based on WeChat platform. Users can generate a wallet to manage their cryptocurrency (BCH), receive the BCH to the address generated in DDPurse, or send BCH to any other BCH address, and backup the mnemonic words etc.

Bioinformatic specialist with PhD-level: Albert Feghaly

• Over 6 years in academia using Python, Javascript, big data, ML. Albert is developing with his team the successfully funded ''osNFTs for science popularization'' project from Funds #6 to #9 and “PanDAO: Focus on interoperability” from Fund#7. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/albert-feghaly-28060a113/)

While the current budget will allow us to develop the Rythmeet platform, we may request additional fundings in future Catalyst rounds to develop the marketing and add new features.

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

The main goals for our Rythmeet project are:

1- Create a versatile and decentralized platform for all musicians, on the Cardano Blockchain. This will provide security and trust for the users.

2- Promote inclusive and equitable access to musical education and musical career development.

3- Introduce the Cardano cryptocurrency to new people in an easy and accessible way through their passion: music.

4- Create a User-friendly, smooth and intuitive interface. Shinetech has already developed frameworks that perfectly suit our project.

Shinetech being involved in multiple and different types of industry, our development team has the technical skills to develop the platform using effective technologies like the Cardano blockchain and smart contracts.

Market feasibility: The global musical instruments market size was valued at almost $10 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $11.5 billion by 2030. On the other hand, the global Peer-to-Peer market was valued at approximately 68 billion in 2019 and is increasing every year. Our platform will provide enhanced security using the Cardano blockchain and a user-friendly interface. Consequently, we have no doubt that it will be financially sustainable over the years and will lead to a considerable increase in transactions using the Cardano cryptocurrency.

[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.

Coming soon

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

Week 1: Setup the website with initial ecommerce platform frameworks available at Shinetech, install plugins and spread project documents to the development team members and discuss for comprehension.

Week 2 to 3: Design the whole platform and define the features to add to the framework (Checkpoint 1: ADA12,000 for this part).

Week 4-6: Develop features for payment and to allow web users to trade with Cardano (ADA).

Week 7-8: Develop features for each account, like changing profile, sharing information through social media and beginning of integration into blockchain (Checkpoint 2: ADA18,000 for this part).

Week 9: Develop features between accounts, like rating, review, text chatting

Week 10 to 11: System test for receiving and inspection, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), solve problems found through system tests and finish integration into blockchain (Checkpoint 3: ADA33,000 for this part).

Week 12 to 16: Beta testing with volunteered music schools

Week 17-20: Solve issues found by users and launch. This will be the end of the MVP phase (Checkpoint 4: ADA9,000 for this part)

Next months: Further business analysis and add features based on users' opinion.

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

1 Developers (Back- and Front-End): 35$/hour: ($1,225/week x 6 weeks = $7,350) (ADA22,050)

1 Developer (Cardano Blockchain): 37$/hour: (1,295/week x 6 weeks = 7,770) (ADA23,310)

1 Technical Project Manager: 35$/hour ($1,225/week x 4 weeks = $4,900) (ADA14,700)

1 Content Writer: 35$/hour ($1,225/week x 2 weeks = $2,450) (ADA7,350)

1 Designer: 35$/hour ($1,225/week x 2 weeks = $2,450) (ADA7,350)

Total: $24,900 / ADA75,000

This budget reflects Shintech prices. Alan Hegron, the creator of this project, will not receive and financial compensation for his work.

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

Coming soon

[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