We have a great opportunity to put into play a whole suite of tools and features at a music festival in Louisville, Ky.
If we are truly targeting mass adoption and usability, this event IMO offers that and more as a dynamic case study with an organization (and city) that we will be able to grow with for as long as we can keep up on our end.
LouiEvolve is a community lead music and cultural arts organization based in Louisville, Kentucky. Active year-round, initiatives include events, artist mentorship, development, and community outreach.
LouiEvolve Music & Arts Festival is a three-day event featuring local, regional and national artists, fashion designers, graffiti artists, food vendors and more.
The most recent festival was in 2019 and brought in 2500+ attendees, headlined by The Homies and Jack Harlow.
2023 is the first year back since the pandemic and we anticipate to equal that number of attendance.
As one of the most up-and-coming independent music scenes in the entire country, introducing blockchain and NFTs to the community is a natural fit.
LouiEvolve Instagram: @louievolve
Website: https://www.louievolve.co/
Goals: 25% of all attendees to interact on-chain in some way.
Establish use-cases and a relationship for future activations with LouiEvolve and NEAR.
Education. Education. Education.
Projects Involved: Mintbase, KeyPom, Meteor Wallet NearHubs, NxM, Charm3d, Harmonic. More are welcome where it makes sense. I’m very open to exploring.
Benefits to the Near Ecosystem: Prime case study to showcase a range of direct applications for an active and growing creative community and the opportunity to grow with them as we use this event to begin establishing and integrating long-term web3 strategies and activations.
Establish a new precedent and blueprint for NxM activities as a whole.
LouiEvolve NFT Marketplace featuring performing artists.
-
We are curating a white-label NFT marketplace to host NFTs for sale from select artists. (3-5).
-
Select artists will be airdropping NFTs to audience members during their set.
QR codes (keypom) will be displayed behind the artists on stage for users to scan. (2-3)
- LouiEvolve will have posters displayed throughout the two venues for members to collect special edition LouiEvolve Branded NFTs that may be used for perks or access to future events. These will be free collectibles. (2-3)
Metaverse Performance.
25+ performers will be showcased throughout the entirety of the weekend. This includes headlined and featured performances, as well as artist and beat cyphers. Select performances wil also be streamed live into the metaverse and pre-recorded to be displayed and viewed.
We will be using NEARHubs & Spatial as our metaverse spaces.
Blockchain Brunch.
LouiEvolve and affiliate groups in the past have done a post festival brunch. This year we are collaborating with a well known event in the region called the Producers Corner, a bi-monthly event hosted by Jon Woo, an A&R and artist manager for some of the “Big 3” record labels, like Universal.
This event on its own throughout the year usually brings between 150-300 people each time.
Jon Woo Instagram: @jonwoogotbeats
Producers Corner partners with other industry professionals for a presentation and discussion on niche subject matter like entertainment law and web3. For this iteration, we look to feature discussions surrounding the emergence of crypto, NFTs, and web3 in the entertainment industry, what artists need to know, and how they can take advantage of new opportunities.
Why do artists need to know about web3 & NFTs?
Blockchain technology and NFTs allow artists to take full ownership of their work and the platforms to distribute their work directly to fans.
NFTs are a tool to build and engage with your community. An extension of your brand, community and product offerings.
Key Concepts:
Ownership/Independence
Transparency
Royalty Splits
Community Building
There is a misconception that:
-
NFTs are/have to be expensive. (NFTs can actually be free minus gas fees)
-
NFTs are valuable just because they are an NFT. (NFTs are as valuable as the brand and community it represents.)
NFTs neither have to be expensive nor are they valuable just because they are an NFT.
NFTs are just the result of a process, authenticating a piece of work and storing that data on the blockchain. It is similar to a certificate of authenticity for a baseball card.
The value is determined like anything else. It is about the community it serves. Different communities will find different assets and rewards valuable just like any other brand and community.
A Few Examples of Uses for NFTs as Artists:
For an artist that plays shows often enough, they can use NFTs for something like a meet and greet before or after a show.
For an artist that releases a lot of content online, NFTs can be used to give fans exclusive or early access to new content, merch or other releases.
1 of 1 pieces of art. True fans are collectors and they will support their favorite artists by collecting whatever they release, if they’ve built that connection and value already.
For artists that have established an fanbase, NFTs can be as simple as creating a unique piece of art and letting your most die-hard fans bid on the work. You can add whatever perks to ownership as you like.
Own Your Own Economy:
We are currently helping Asher Roth build out the foundation for an entire web3 based ecosystem. His community of artists and producers work together on different collaborative projects and members of the community gain different access to different channels on his discord based on participation and competitions throughout.
Members collect or purchase NFTs for elevated levels of participation and access to create with Asher and his team. The NFTs are gamified to be similar to how badges, and skins from video games represent different in-game assets. Collecting a specified combination of two or more NFTs may also trigger and unlock new rewards and access points.
Gaming assets are also an example of NFTs but that is for another conversation. NFTs simply represent digital assets that can bring value to a community depending on how they are used and supported.
NFTs are simply community assets used to serve a community.
Other benefits also include transparency in transactions. All transactions done on-chain are visible for all to see. No lost payments from PROs or confusion on where your money is going.
Royalty Splits
Automated royalty splits are also a huge benefit to artists using NFTs. Smart contracts allow the automation of payments among collaborators for the specified percentage. There is no admin. There is no third party. Artists get exactly what they are owed every time with full receipts.
Forever royalties are also available for artists using NFTs. If your NFT is resold after it is first purchased, forever royalties can be coded so that a percentage of future sales also go to the original artist(s).
The percentage of royalties can always be set by creators.
Festival Schedule:
Thursday (7pm-2am): Features The Vibe Open Mic, Kentucky’s longest running open mic event hosted by Sasha Renee. Sasha is a hip-hop artist that has written with the likes of Killer Mike and other prominent artists. Also performing at major festivals such as 3AC in Atlanta. The Vibe is a staple in the Louisville music community and has seen other Louisville superstars like Bryson Tiller pop in to show appreciation to the event that has given so many artists a platform to perform.
There will also be vendors, food and other creative activities going on throughout the night.
Sasha Renee Instagram: @sashareneemusic
Friday (7pm-2am): A celebration of fashion and styles from some of Louisville’s up and coming designers, we will be hosting a fashion show and bazaar featuring other local artists to highlight the intersection of fashion and music.
Artists exhibit and galleries.
Custom Sneaker Auction
To cap off the night is an after party featuring some of Louisville’s hottest DJs
Saturday (12pm-2am):
- Poetry Slam
- 502 Beats Cypher
- Spicy Wing Cookoff
- Headline Performances:
- Wuntayk Timmy Instagram:@wuntayktimmy (is currently in discussions with multiple major record labels and has been a collaborator and writer with Jack Harlow.
- After Party
Sunday: 12-5
Blockchain Brunch with the Producers Corner
Budget:
Headline Performers: $750
Camera Crew: $1,500
Photo, video and editing
This includes video for metaverse performances, performance video and post production wrap-up video.
Wristbands: $500
Materials: $450
Posters for QR Codes
Infocards
Flyers
Stickers
Banners
Venue(s): $750
Community Outreach/Local Influencers/Potential Media Placements: $500
Event Security: $500
50 NEAR for transactions and network maintenance. “light” prizes maybe.
Total: $4,500
+
Total Near: 50N