Last updated 2 months ago
African musicians and platforms like AfroCharts.com have limited access to web3 monetization tools and face major challenges of financial inclusion with the rest of the world.
This is the total amount allocated to Afrocharts | Web3 Artist Portal (Awen). 1 out of 5 milestones are completed.
1/5
Initialization
Cost: ₳ 20,000
Delivery: Month 1 - Apr 2024
2/5
Development
Cost: ₳ 25,000
Delivery: Month 3 - Jun 2024
3/5
Implementation & Prelaunch
Cost: ₳ 20,000
Delivery: Month 5 - Aug 2024
4/5
Launch and Rollout
Cost: ₳ 20,000
Delivery: Month 8 - Nov 2024
5/5
Closeout & Evaluation
Cost: ₳ 15,000
Delivery: Month 9 - Dec 2024
NB: Monthly reporting was deprecated from January 2024 and replaced fully by the Milestones Program framework. Learn more here
Leonard Novati
Build a Proof of Concept web3 portal for token-based membership and revenue share tools to be used on AfroCharts.com, the largest independent African music streaming service.
Yes, this project is dependent on NMKR & CardanoPress
The code generated from this grant will be released as open source under the MIT license, promoting transparency, collaboration, and accessibility for the broader developer community.
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)
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.
Approach:
To address this problem, Awen 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.
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 integration of a web3 portal into Afrocharts.com will bring several benefits to the Cardano ecosystem.
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.
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
Transparency
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 & Regional Expertise
Leonard Novati and the AfroCharts team developed the largest independent mobile and desktop app (Afrocharts.com) for Indigenous 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.
Ian McCullough (Cullah) has lead decentralized music communities using p2p networks and open licensing frameworks for 10+ years. He has relevant experience and understandings of the Cardano ecosystem as a full-stack developer. Founder of Awen LLC providing software solutions for the decentralization of the creator economy.
Validation Methods
To validate our work, we will measure with
Research, Planning, and Initialization
Cost: 20,000 ADA (20%)
Length: 1 month
Milestone Output(s)
Acceptance Criteria:
Development
Cost: 25,000 ADA (25%)
Length: 2 month
Milestone Output(s)
Acceptance Criteria
Implementation & Prelaunch
Cost: 27,500 ADA (27.5%)
Length: 2 months
Milestone Output(s)
Acceptance Criteria
Launch and Rollout
Cost: 27,500 ADA (27.5%)
Length: 2 months
Milestone Output(s)
Acceptance Criteria
Closeout & Evaluation
Cost: 30,000 ADA (30%)
Length: 2 months
Milestone Output(s)
Acceptance Criteria
Ian McCullough (Cullah)
Role: Full Stack Developer
Relevant Experience:
Maggie Schmidt
Role: Project Manager / Quality Assurance
Relevant Experience:
Leonard Novati
Role: Full Stack Developer
Relevant Experience:
The costs for this concept will be mostly work hours for administration, project management and full stack development and design. The costs include service and hosting fees.
Assuming a $0.3 USD to 1 ADA exchange rate and average cost per team work hour:
Full-stack developer : 250 ada per hour
Project Manager : 150 ada per hour
Milestone 1: Research, Planning, and Initialization (20,000 ADA - Approximately 20%):
Milestone 2: Development (25,000 ADA - Approximately 25%):
Milestone 3: Implementation and Prelaunch(27,500 ADA - Approximately 27.5%):
Milestone 4: Launch & Rollout (27,500 ADA - Approximately 27.5%):
Milestone 5: Closeout and Evaluation (30,000 ADA - Approximately 30%):
The project costs have been diligently considered, taking into account industry standards, market-driven rates, and the comprehensive skill sets required.
This ensures that every ADA spent contributes to the successful execution of the project, aligning with Cardano's vision for a decentralized and informed community.
The budget reflects not only the project's immediate needs but also its enduring impact on the Cardano ecosystem.