SickCity: Artist onboarding Drive

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

SickCity: Artist onboarding Drive

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

60000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

7

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

Whenever an Artist or a normal person tries to move forward with shifting their Catalogue to resources available on Cardano, we see reluctance due to complexity of web3

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

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

Yes

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

NEWM: some coordination on their part will be required in form of Marketing and technical help for NEWM Studio

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

No

License and Additional Information

Not Applicable

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal

Education

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Who you’re targeting, how you’ll reach them, and why this matters for Cardano.

Music Artists, specifically, the artists who are inclined towards going Web3 or converting their content in Web2 to a Web3 Platform, and hence resulting in a robust availability of music rights and RWA on cardano blockchain and the resulting in flow of related FAN activity.

personal connections, Twitter, Instagram or other material based on merit

Provide a list of key activities of your project?

Key activity in the “Artist Onboarding Drive” will include a establishment of connection with Artist to persue them to Upload their Music to various platforms using the NEWM Studio on Cardano, where tehy will be processed through all the sterps of making a wallet, getting ADA, doing transaction, defi for their Music.

What are your success metrics?

Satisfaction of the artist, and increase in the amount of music available on the Cardano ecosystem, and making more and more artist aware of the assts and platforms available on the Cardano Blockchain.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

The Artist Onboarding Drive directly supports Cardano's broader mission to onboard more artists, integrate real-world assets (RWA), and offer a transparent Web3 alternative to traditional music and creative industries. This initiative aims to guide artists—especially those with existing music catalogs—into the Cardano ecosystem through practical education and streamlined onboarding.

Our primary focus is to introduce artists to on-chain distribution via Cardano, helping them understand how to tokenize their royalty rights and sell serialized versions of their songs using platforms like NEWM Studio and various NFT/CNT marketplaces. From day one, participants will receive hands-on support to navigate these tools effectively.

We will place special emphasis on capturing feedback from participating artists to continuously improve the onboarding experience. By identifying and resolving friction points in the artist journey, we aim to make the transition to Web3 smoother and more intuitive.

Key Metrics of Success

• Number of artists successfully onboarded through events and workshops
• Increased engagement with Cardano-based tools and marketplaces
• Reduction in time from wallet creation to first track release
• Simplify blockchain concepts for non-technical users
• Explain the value and utility of RWAs (stream tokens)
• Provide guided walkthroughs of the NEWM Studio and other platforms
• Prepare artists to independently manage their on-chain music distribution workflows
• Drive visibility and usage of NEWM and other NFT/CNT marketplaces
• Gather and utilize artist feedback to enhance the onboarding experience and platform usability

This shift in focus—from early-stage Web3 artists to seasoned professionals with legacy content—represents a significant opportunity to expand NEWM's total addressable market and drive broader adoption of the Cardano blockchain.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

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

Value to the Cardano Community

• Onboards traditional and established artists into the Cardano ecosystem
• Increases active wallets, on-chain transactions, and NFT (stream token) minting
• Expands visibility of Cardano in the mainstream creative/music industry
• Demonstrates real-world utility of Cardano for music rights, distribution, and monetization
• Creates reusable onboarding frameworks for future creative sectors

How Impact Will Be Measured

• Number of web2 artists onboarded through this initiative
• Volume of catalogue content uploaded (multi-track releases)
• Decrease in average time from wallet creation to first release
• Qualitative feedback from artists on onboarding experience
• On-chain activity related to artist actions (mints, transactions)
• Artist feedback, testimonials, and satisfaction surveys
• Case studies showing onboarding-to-release journeys

How Outputs Will Be Shared

• Public blog posts, videos, and social media content
• Live or recorded onboarding sessions and walkthroughs
• Community sharing via Twitter/X Spaces, Discord AMAs, and YouTube panels
• Documentation of the journey

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & 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?

Jimmy Londo, The Sick City and NEWM teams have a proven track record of successfully delivering projects, demonstrating our capability to execute with high levels of trust and accountability. Our collective experience spans multiple industries and includes the successful implementation of initiatives ranging from community events to digital innovation projects. Here are some key aspects of our existing capabilities that demonstrate why we are best suited to deliver this project:

Track Record of Success: Our teams have a history of delivering projects on time and within budget, showcasing our ability to effectively plan, execute, and manage initiatives from conception to completion. This includes events organized by Sick City, digital projects undertaken by NMKR, and community engagement initiatives facilitated by NEWM.

Expertise in Relevant Domains: Each team brings unique expertise to the table, with Sick City specializing in community engagement by successfully onboarding new artists to the Recordstore, and NEWM offering expertise in music industry dynamics and blockchain integration. This diverse skill set ensures that we can effectively address the multifaceted challenges of the project.

Commitment to Transparency and Accountability: We are committed to operating with transparency and accountability throughout the project lifecycle.

Jimmy is single handedly responsible for welcoming the highest number of Artists on Cardano Blockchain by running the longest searalised Music Drop each epoch for the Artists through DripDropz.io

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Artist Onbording Drive Concept & Report

Milestone Outputs

The concept report should detail the overall objectives, complete structure, and timeline. It needs to outline marketing strategies, identify necessary marketing assets, and list planned partnerships and social media channels. Furthermore, it must provide comprehensive details and criteria for artist participation.

Acceptance Criteria

The intended outcome is a report that shows the concept of Artist Onboarding Drive and how we might be able to achieve it. and will include items including Overall objectives, Completeplanning, Marketing strategies, Marketing asset needs, Timeline, Partnerships, Social media channels, Comprehensive festival details, Competition guidelines, Ticketing workflow.

Evidence of Completion

Report submitted documentation detailing:

• Overall objectives,
• Complete structure planning
• Marketing strategies
• Marketing asset needs
• Timeline planning
• Partnerships
• Social media channels
• Comprehensive details

Delivery Month

2

Cost

18000

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

Asset creation and Onboarding

Milestone Outputs

Marketing assets creation and Artist outreach wich might include copywriting claims, messaging, branding, videos, banners, posters, and all other necessary text and visual content depending on the strategies developed in an earlier phase.

Starting the marketing campaign designed to maximise reach and engagement, which will utilise various channels such as social media, influencers, and targeted ads to promote the outreach program and attract Artists.

Acceptance Criteria

The reviewers will have access to all the marketing content to be used, the marketing campaign, and the Copywriting claims, Messaging, Branding, Videos, Banners, Posters and all other necessary text and visual content depending on the strategy

Evidence of Completion

Link to the Marketing material & public communications that will be used for the Onbording campaign

• Copywriting claims
• Messaging
• Branding
• Videos
• Banners/Posters and all other necessary text and visual content depending on the strategy

Delivery Month

4

Cost

18000

Progress

80 %

Milestone Title

Closeout

Milestone Outputs

This is the compulsory last milestone where We will submit all the results of the KPIs and how we performed on them during the proposal period with the final compulsory

• close-out report
• Final closeout video

Acceptance Criteria

The acceptance criteria will be the availability of the compulsory report and video in the form of a

• close-out report. (available in Google Doc)
• Final closeout video. (available as Youtube Video)

Evidence of Completion

• Link to final closeout report
• Link to final closeout video

The link for these will be available on Google Docs and YouTube

Delivery Month

7

Cost

24000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

• Project Lead: $2,000 × 9 months
• Project Management: $1,000 × 9 months
• Designer: $2,000 × 6 months
• Marketing and advertisements: $6,000

Total: $45,000 (approx. 60,000 ADA at $0.75 per ADA)

Note: 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 expected costs.

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

Given our focus on onboarding traditional and established artists, each participant in this initiative will act as a multiplier—bringing not only their own catalog to the Cardano blockchain, but also introducing their fanbase and peers to its ecosystem. This creates a ripple effect that increases user acquisition, wallet creation, and on-chain activity.

By offering hands-on education and streamlining the onboarding journey with NEWM Studio, we remove key barriers that have previously limited mainstream adoption. Our lean, impact-driven approach prioritizes practical outcomes—wallets, releases, and artist engagement—while keeping costs aligned with industry standards for content creation, education, and support.

We will optimize resources through a globally distributed team, ensuring efficient delivery without compromising on quality. With open-access outputs and a replicable onboarding model, this project represents a strategic and transparent use of funds that delivers long-term value to the Cardano ecosystem by expanding its presence in the global music and creative economy.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes