Last updated 6 months ago
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 the complexity of web3
A marketing push providing a farm-to-kitchen style approach, where we take a Web 2 artist and help to move their catalogue on Cardano with the help of NEWM Studio.
Please provide your proposal title
Sick City: Artist onboarding Drive
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
60000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
6
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
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 the complexity of web3
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 the form of Marketing and technical help for NEWM Studio
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
No
Please provide details on the intellectual property (IP) status of your project outputs, including whether they will be released as open source or retained under another licence.
NO, not applicable
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Community Outreach
Who you’re targeting, how you’ll reach them, and why this matters for Cardano?
Independent 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 resulting in a flow of related FAN activity.
personal connections, Twitter, Instagram or other material based on merit
We will also direct our efforts towards. By onboarding labels, we have an opportunity to migrate large catalogs of music to start using our service and understand how the Cardano ecosystem works.
Provide a list of key activities of your project:
Key activity in the “Artist Onboarding Drive” will include the establishment of a connection with the Artist to persuade them to upload their Music to various platforms using the NEWM Studio on Cardano, where they will be processed through all the steps of making a wallet, getting ADA, and doing transactions. Achieved through, Marketing Campaign
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 artists aware of the assets and platforms available on the Cardano Blockchain.
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 catalogues—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 serialised 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
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 utilise 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.
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 the real-world utility of Cardano for music rights, distribution, and monetisation
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 the 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
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?
I started developing music solutions on Cardano late in 2022 with my project Sick City. I've partnered with almost every music project that has ever existed on Cardano in some way. I was also the first to start a music metadata standard on Cardano which eventually went into the collaborative efforts to create CIP-60 which is now in it's 3rd version.
Milestone Title
Artist Onboarding Drive Concept Report
Milestone Outputs
The concept report should detail the Overall objectives, Complete structure planning, Marketing strategies, Marketing asset needs, Timeline planning, Partnerships, Social media channels, Comprehensive details, workflow for onboarding and transfer of distribution, and comprehensive details and criteria for artist participation.
Acceptance Criteria
The intended outcome of this report is to show the concept of the Artist Onboarding Drive and how we aim to achieve it. We will deliver a 4 page report which will encompass all points stated within this proposal.
Evidence of Completion
a Link to ONE Concept report named "Artist Onboarding Drive Concept Report" in the form of a Google Doc detailing:
Overall objectives,
Complete structure planning
Marketing strategies
Marketing asset needs
Timeline planning
Partnerships
Social media channels
Comprehensive details
workflow for onboarding and transfer of distribution
comprehensive details and criteria for artist participation.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
18000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
Asset creation and Onboarding
Milestone Outputs
Marketing assets creation and Artist outreach, which 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 Assets to be used, the marketing campaign, and the Copywriting claims, Messaging, Branding, Videos, Banners, Posters and all other necessary text and visual content.
The reviewer will have access to the original content provided through a link to Google Drive containing the marketing asset, with an individual link to the same
We will ensure that whatever is delivered (copywriting, branding, posters, videos, messaging, etc.) meets professional standards
Evidence of Completion
Link to the Marketing Assets in the form of a Google Drive link, and for ease of access individual link to the same will also be provided, and we will provide separate links to all the public communications in the form of marketing and outreach.
Link to the Google Drive containing all the marketing assets
Link to Copywriting claims
Link to Messaging
Link to Branding
Link to Videos
Link to Banners/Posters and all other necessary text and visual content.
Delivery Month
5
Cost
18000
Progress
80 %
Milestone Title
Closeout report and video
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 which will be available in Google Doc
Final closeout video which will be 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
6
Cost
24000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Project Lead: $1,500 × 6 months
Project Management: $1,000 × 6 months
Designer: $2,000 × 1 month
Marketing and advertisements: $1,000
Total: $18,000 (approx. 60,000 ADA at prudent price of $0.30 per ADA)
Note: By quoting the Scope and milestones in advance, we are taking an obligation to fulfil our promise even if the costs are higher than the current prices and saving the community risk of unforeseen price action or expected costs.
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 catalogue 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 prioritises practical outcomes—wallets, releases, and artist engagement—while keeping costs aligned with industry standards for content creation, education, and support.
We will optimise 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.
I confirm that the proposal is a non-technical initiative, with ≤20% of the budget for tech support.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal provides verifiable evidence (portfolio, links, reports) of the team's ability to deliver the project.
Yes
I confirm that the proposer and all team members are in good standing with prior Catalyst projects.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal includes clear objectives with both Output Metrics (what proposal did) and Adoption-Focused Metrics (what effect proposal had).
Yes
I confirm that the proposal clearly explains the user journey and provides a credible plan for how the project will equip and motivate users for future on-chain activity.
Yes
I confirm that the initiative clearly demonstrates how it will grow the Cardano ecosystem or onboard users.
Yes
I confirm that the project plan and timeline (≤ 12 months) are realistic and well-defined.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal commits to public outputs and justifies any exceptions.
Yes
I confirm that the budget adheres to all policies: it is for future work, follows the merchandise rule, and excludes establishing local treasuries, incentives/giveaways, re-grants.
Yes
I Agree
Yes
James Londo
Roles: Product Management, Project Delivery, Solution Development
Website:
https://newm.io/ (Minor Dependency)
Responsibilities: Project execution, milestone evidence, and delivering solutions