NEWM: Music App Usability Enhancements

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Ryan Jones

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Incorporated)

[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] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

NEWM will implement a series of product enhancements to make the NEWM Music App more competitive against existing music player applications and draw a broader user base to the Cardano ecosystem.

[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.”

No dependencies.

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

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

All development and addition to the NEWM GitHub repository made to deliver this solution will be open source similar to the existing codebase.

[METADATA] Horizons

Music

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

As part of the next phase of NEWM Music App development, the development team will focus on enhancing the overall user experience with the intent to grow the user base active on the Cardano blockchain. The team will focus on the design and implementation of several new features to significantly improve this experience, specifically those that are commonly found in traditional and familiar music players (e.g., Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, etc.). Examples of features that could be implemented (final list of features will be defined during the first proposed milestone of research and final design/product requirements) include:

• Playlists
• Favorites
• Recents
• Downloads
• Enhanced Wallet Content Browsing

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

The success of this project will provide value to the Cardano community through the significant increase of new users onto the Cardano blockchain and into the NEWM ecosystem via the mobile app. A more desirable application containing features consistent with those available to the user base in other Web2 music players will make the transition to our Web3 product much easier and provide a superior user experience than the MVP version of the app.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

The NEWM team has a proven track record of successfully delivering on catalyst proposals/projects and demonstrating our capability to execute with high levels of trust and accountability to the Cardano Community. 

Our commitment to transparency has strengthened our standing as an accountable team. We maintain and nurture open lines of communication through all of our community channels, and support a culture of mindful listening where community members feel heard. We also consistently share our code and development progress with the wider ecosystem, underscoring our dedication to open-source principles and community engagement. This level of openness encourages community feedback and critique, enabling continuous improvement and bolstering the reliability of our software.

We have also organized the team responsible for the delivery of this initiative and prioritized the work on our product roadmap such that required resourcing and all necessary skill sets would be available to implement immediately upon receiving project approval.

Past funded and delivered projects include, but are not limited to:

• The RecordStore 2.0 – newm.io/recordstore 
• NEWM Studio Music Distribution Platform – newm.studio 
• NEWM Marketplace 
• NEWM Music App
• Music Video Festival (annual event in collaboration with Nucast) – newm.io/musicvideofest
• Kogmios Library 

Our past successful Catalyst fund proposals, our continued achievement with adapting and bridging industry gaps and our commitment to transparent communication and code delivery provide a robust basis that ensures our ability to deliver this with trust and reliability.

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Solution Research and Product Summary Documentation (1 Month)

A: Milestone Outputs:

Feasibility research conducted to determine refined project timeline and general solution requirements. Product feature documentation outlining functional (UX/UI) and technical (backend/server) requirements to build the enhanced usability feature set. This documentation will be leveraged as guidance in the next phase of UI design and the creation of the formal Product Requirements Document (PRD).

B: Acceptance Criteria:

Functional and technical overview documentation is created and made available for the project team.

C: Evidence of Milestone Completion:

Feature summary document (Google Doc, PDF).

UI Design and Formal Product Requirements Document (1 Month)

A: Milestone Outputs:

Figma (or similar) UI wireframes and comprehensive designs and the features’ Product Requirement Document (PRD), both of which will be utilized by the Product Delivery and Development teams to create development tickets and as a reference for Quality Management team members when reviewing and testing the to-be-developed feature.

B: Acceptance Criteria:

Designs and PRD are created and leverageable by Product, Development, and Quality teams for the next phase (i.e., development).

C: Evidence of Milestone Completion:

Figma files and PRD (Google Doc, PDF).

Product Development (3 Months)

A: Milestone Outputs:

GitHub repository(s) updated and feature code developed. Feature code deployed to the staging environment and ready to test on TestNet.

B: Acceptance Criteria:

Codebase and feature deployable to TestNet environment, developed to design and specification

C: Evidence of Milestone Completion:

Codebase accessible via GitHub

Testing and Critical Bug Fixes  (1 Month)

A: Milestone Outputs:

Feature QA and testing reports. Updated codebase with bug fixes and enhancements defined during the testing period.

B: Acceptance Criteria:

The codebase is tested and meets all requirements outlined in PRD and UI designs, all critical bugs have been resolved, and the updates are ready for Production/MainNet deployment.

C: Evidence of Milestone Completion:

Test case documentation (Google Sheet, PDF). Bug and enhancement report (Google Doc, PDF). Screen recording walkthrough of these features and functionalities (on TestNet) from within NEWM Music App, demonstrating the features prior to launch.

Production Launch (1 Month)

A: Milestone Outputs:

Feature launched in NEWM Music App production environment.

B: Acceptance Criteria:

The codebase containing specified enhancements is deployed to the Production/MainNet environment.

C: Evidence of Milestone Completion:

Screen recording walkthrough of these features and functionalities (on MainNet) from within NEWM Music App demonstrating the features. NEWM Music App Release Notes (Google Doc, PDF).

Closeout (1 Month)

A: Milestone Outputs:

Final close-out report.

Final closeout video.

B: Acceptance Criteria:

Final close-out report.

Final closeout video.

C: Evidence of Milestone Completion:

Final close-out report.

Final closeout video.

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

NEWM

Role(s): Product Management, Project Delivery Management, Solution Development

Link: NEWM

Responsibilities: Oversee overall project execution from design to delivery. Create all project milestone evidence documentation and deliver proposed solutions.

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Project Lead: USD 1500 x 8 Month

Project Management: USD 1000 x 8 Month

Designer: USD 2000 x 5 Month

Developer (Frontend & Backend): 4000 x 7 Months x 4

Contingencies: USD 2000

= 144,000 USD or 400,000 ADA at 36 Cent per ADA

By quoting the Scope and milestones in advance we are taking an obligation to fulfill our promise even if the costs are higher than the current prices and saving the community risk of unforeseen price action or higher partnership costs.

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

The requested budget of 500,000 ADA is very reasonable for the scope of work outlined. This includes:

1) Designing, building, and launching an open-source tool over 12 months

2) Research Principles & Constructs

3) Open Source Models & Documentation.

The breakdown shows efficient use of funds, with the majority going towards development. Operational costs after launch are also budgeted.

This proposal offers a solution to create an easy-to-use tooling for RWA Trading, and strengthening the narrative of RWA. This fosters increased adoption and user acceptance among the Music Artists, supporting the long-term relevance and success of Cardano.