This is the first of four reports to be submitted, recapping the progress and achievements for our GLOA x CreativesDAO Creatives Constellation partnership, initiated in July 2023. (You can refer to our original proposal here: [Approved] - GLOA x CreativesDAO | July 2023 - #10 by Sea)
We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to create at higher levels, thanks to CreativesDAO and NEAR.
In general, the results of our collective work blew away initial expectations. The quality of productions, the strength and execution of the expanded team, the feedback from guests - be it in Goa, India, Nepal, South East Asia, or those following us around the world - has been impressive. Over the period of the past 5 months, our social following increased by over 50%, and global reach expanded 13x.
We managed to onboard fair numbers of new users and followers onto NEAR. Strategically, we have outlined next steps, not only to further grow community initiatives through high quality events, but to advance prototype development of highly useful dApps and NEAR-based solutions, that should be of benefit to most creatives, event/project organisers, and communities.
That said, there is much work to do amongst ourselves (including NEAR and CreativesDAO), to continue improving the accessibility and usability of dApps, and instill easier onboarding processes. We can certainly encourage any number of people to try signing up - but what irresistible features and functionality are there to attract the regular, repeat interaction of users?
We have identified a few plausible roadmaps and potentially killer arts/tech solutions - namely, starting to build solutions to our everyday wants and needs - that will be outlined at the conclusion of these four reports, and in our prospective initial proposal for 2024.
Project 1: Monsoon Sessions Season 3
Goa Music Lab’s Monsoon Sessions is an annual experimental music/arts “TV” and live series. initiated in 2021, Monsoon Sessions has reached out to artists in North Goa who remain in the state for the rainy, quiet monsoon season.
The first season in 2021 produced a near-weekly web stream and A/V recording of different artists who visited the previous Lab studio. In 2022, the series became a weekly live event, every Thursday night at Lush Garden, at Arambol Beach. Both years featured end-of-season showcase events. In 2021, this was a packed house for an open jam at Rooftop Bar, while 2022 became GLOA: Goa Global Arts Festival, hosting 600-700 guests over four days of music/arts/metaverse activities.
In 2023, we simplified our approach, with more emphasis placed on periodic studio sessions. We profiled several key artists, following their progress through the monsoon. Behind the scenes, we onboarded new crew and plotted out the rest of the prolific projects: South East Asia and Nepal, to come.
Video: Monsoon Sessions Season 3, Introducing the Artists
We put out our customary Call For Artists / Crew, that once again attracted a plethora of talented musicians, artists and volunteers for our productions. We’ve found that such Calls, are also another outreach opportunity, to keep the Goa Music Lab name fresh within the wider community’s radar.
Monsoon Sessions 2023 Showcase: L.A. Storyverse
We were delighted at the opportunity to participate in another hybrid live/metaverse event: The Storyverse, by Triskelion Events, hosted out of downtown Los Angeles. As their intended date of the party was also October 14, we approached our Showcase with this theme and vibe in mind. (More info on their event here: Into the Storyverse: a magical immersive dance party Tickets, Sat, Oct 14, 2023 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite)
Meanwhile, the end-of-season Showcase event faced various logistical challenges, in addition to now needing high speed, reliable wifi. Due to the unseasonable prolonging of the stormy monsoon season, we were unable to confirm any of our chosen live venues. As most of the venues in Arambol are designed for clear, warm skies in the open air, we weren’t able to guarantee a show without weather disruption, and weren’t keen on cramped and undersized indoor areas - particularly if it rained. Each of our shortlisted venues took time off this particular rainy October to prepare for the “season” (typically November through March), and our first choice - whose gorgeous property is essentially a rice paddy field - was underwater.
Instead, we pivoted to setting up our new Lab - a secluded 3-bedroom house just outside of Arambol, complete with a music studio and a big empty spare room. We set up the spacious living room as the studio / stage, with half a ping pong table for the music gear, 3D projections, and a sound system.
The night was a success! Anywhere from 40-60 excited guests attended, and all of the audio / video from the session was captured in high quality. The video was then re-broadcast into a hybrid live/metaverse party in Los Angeles: The Storyverse.
Live music artists included: Highchild (Italy), Mycelius (India), Noble Luke (India), ANIMISM (Goa/NZ) and the Lab Ensemble (four musicians jamming on synths, drum machines, loopers and multi-fx). 3D visuals by cryptoKNYT (India). Various visual artists contributed to decorate the house and set up a UV exhibition in an empty space.
Recorded video from the Storyverse:
Video Production: GLOA // NEAR & CreativesDAO
We crafted a special feature video that introduced NEAR & CreativesDAO. This process involved reaching out to wider NEAR and CreativesDAO communities, leading to hiring sammiee1.near for community liaising and necessary research. We interacted with numerous NEAR-based apps and DAOs, to highlight a select few for the episode.
These efforts culminated in the production of the following informational video, that has since been broadcast across India, Thailand, Nepal, and even ETH Milan!
Financial Report
Estimated Budget: USD $1200
Actual spend: $1186
The final budget was nearly precise to its estimate. Switching from producing a live event at a traditional venue to a glorified studio session, meant a cap on earnings by participating artists and crew. The biggest outlay was towards a much-needed upgrade in our video capturing, that became indispensable for all of the four projects in this partnership period.
Wallets Onboarded
New wallets created: 25-30
Active monthly wallets: 11 (active beyond the first month)
This initial phase of onboarding users/wallets was largely discovery. Nearly half of the wallets that were activated in this period inherently became regular users that interacted with the NEAR platform, as they became members of our DAO and council. That said, the limitations of sputnik-dao prevented us running votes / proposals for DAO members who were not a part of the Council, yet had been assigned to other groups.
Most of our users’ interactions were with:
*** NEAR Wallet / MyNearWallet**
*** Sputnik DAO**
*** Ref.Finance**
*** NEAR Elections / I-Am-Human**
On the matter of the latter, all of the regularly active wallets attempted to enroll through I-Am-Human for the recent NEAR NDC elections. Most were successful in I-Am-Human. 4 of these wallets successfully completed the voting / election process; 4 others tried, but were thwarted before the end, either from the 300 NEAR demanded, or from technical complexity / too much of a process, or simply running out of time before the deadline.
Feedback from users: Some didn’t like having to re-import their wallets between devices (or after not logging on for some time). Each time any little transaction was necessary, some had to fill in all their authentication details again, forgetting passwords or misplacing keys. Sometimes transactions failed, often with unhelpful, obscure messages. The over-inflated election process required persistent effort and revealed moderate technical complexity, for questionable outcomes. It was often not clear about the requirements, or that submissions were completed properly. Next steps, like downloading POAP/I-Voted NFTs, or reclaiming the bounty, were not abundantly clear to all.
Furthermore, there is widespread urging for further maturation of sputnik-DAO, to make it more usable and functional, or refreshing AstroDAO. We see an opportunity for GLOA to build and develop in the DAO management space, specifically as required functionality relates to creative communities / projects and events.
Follow-ups: Before the holidays, we’re reaching out to the guests, artists and crew from this project, to urge signing up NEAR wallets and claim a complimentary GLOA NFT. We’re encouraging utility NFT activation, so that beyond their initial NFT Thank You reward, helps activate future content and functionality through future GLOA projects, events and dApps. Estimated period: pre-Christmas 2023.
Final Thoughts for GLOA x CDAO Project 1
The third season of Monsoon Sessions admirably served its purpose: Engaging the local creative community in north Goa, reaching out to international contributors, and promoting GLOA, Goa Music Lab, NEAR and CreativesDAO through various efforts. This was highlighted by the NEAR/CDAO episode on YouTube, and the global Storyverse event with a live Los Angeles & global audience.
This team-and-growth-building exercise served as exemplary practice and rehearsal, ahead of GLOA’s excellent month-long tour to Nepal (project 3).
Next up: The second project - “Web3 Road Show - South East Asia” - alongside DAO Records.
