List3n is a music-focused DAO with two main goals: to financially support emerging artists in the web3 space and to invest in music NFTs. We are inspired by traditional arts funding programs, but experimenting with a new model which asks: “Can the funding body be replaced with a cooperative group of people who, by way of tokenized ownership, share decision-making power and become stakeholders in all the funded artists?”
List3n will begin by minting a small collection of 444 NFTs in early April. These NFTs will act as a DAO pass for each holder. Once mint has completed, we will begin accepting artist applications. Holders will be given access to a custom-built web backend which will allow them to vote on music submissions. At the end of each month, a winning artist will be awarded 1Ξ. In tandem, holders of the List3n DAO Pass will be allocated a monthly 1Ξ budget to acquire music NFTs which will be held by the DAO treasury.
The List3n artist grant is a monthly no-strings-attached grant awarded to a musical artist who is selected by majority vote as decided by holders of the List3n DAO pass. Winning artists are encouraged to use part of the funding to invest in web3-related activities, but it is not required. Upon announcement of each month’s winning artist, all 444 List3n holders will be airdropped a commemorative token as a way to immutably document their early investment in that artist’s career.
Separate from the artist grant, List3n will be allocating 1Ξ of it’s treasury on a monthly basis towards acquiring music NFTs. Holders of the List3n DAO Pass can contribute to the acquisition process by proposing and discussing ideas in our discord server. These discussions will be informed by a combination of keeping up to date on the music NFT space with regards to new projects and upcoming mints, as well as a shared knowledge of existing music NFTs that are deemed desirable.
Based on estimated building costs, List3n has a current financial runway of about a year. In the interest of full transparency, let’s explore a worst case scenario, followed by something a bit more optimistic and optimal. Hopefully the following candid analysis will help you decide whether or not you’d like to participate in this project. Okay, worst case first: A year has passed. You are a holder of a List3n token as well as 12 commemorative “winning artist” tokens which have been airdropped to you throughout the past year. The DAO has acquired 12Ξ worth of music NFTs (which could potentially be anywhere from 50-500 NFTs, depending on prices and market fluctuations) and you have been a part of a very unique experiment in supporting and funding artists. Unfortunately the Eth balance in the treasury has dried up, and so the DAO collectively decides to liquidate all digital assets. All funds from this liquidation are shared evenly between holders, and everyone walks away.
And now for something a bit more optimal:
A year has passed. You are a holder of a List3n token as well as 12 commemorative “winning artist” tokens which have been airdropped to you. The artists whose names are on these tokens, who have been supported by List3n, are all experiencing varying degrees of success. Some of these artists praise List3n as having been their gateway into the web3 music ecosystem, and have gone on to launch their own NFT projects and built their own communities. Some of these artists are experiencing more mainstream success. In both scenarios, these airdropped tokens are starting to look nice in your wallet. After a year of DAO operations, List3n has gained a reputation for being one of several key resources for artists who are aiming to implement web3 strategy alongside more traditional music industry rollout and release plans. The DAO is also widely regarded as a unique A&R/discovery pipeline, and manages to secure a few modest investments from music-adjacent tech companies which extends the financial runway for List3n. We push on.
You may have noticed that we (very intentionally) left out the bleakest of bleak scenarios (List3n token mints, the project rugs and disappears) as well as the dreamiest of dream scenarios (List3n funds the next Billie Eilish in it’s first month, web3 ascends and becomes more powerful and influential than all major record companies, all holders are now major players in this new, utopian music business) because the likelihood of either scenario playing out is extremely low. The former, because this project has been founded and backed by several groups of people who care deeply about this space, and the latter because all good things take time.
`Tyler Bancroft is a Canadian music industry veteran with 15 years experience building brands, managing artists and developing talent. As an artist with his band Said The Whale he has toured the world, won a JUNO award and been credited with several top-5 radio songs including a #1 hit at the Alternative format, resulting in over 100,000 records sold. As a manager, record label owner and talent developer he is known for employing creative, out-of-the box marketing techniques and using technology to create unique fan-to-artist experiences. He is an expert communicator and community builder and currently has over 175k followers over multiple platforms including Tiktok, Instagram, Discord, Twitter and Facebook. His journey into web3 began with time spent in the Dreams Never Die and Friends With Benefits communities, and quickly evolved into a passion for using web3 tooling to build a more equitable music industry.
List3n is officially supported by Friends With Benefits and ZORA. In November 2022, a proposal was made within the FWB community which passed by majority vote and triggered a small financial investment in the project alongside an assurance to aid in marketing and promotional efforts. A similar commitment from ZORA followed shortly thereafter.
In addition to these official partners, List3n is advised by the following individuals, all brilliant in their own right: Chad Hillard (Dreams Never Die), Paul Tao (IAMSOUND/Friends With Benefits), Jake Stanley (OmgKirby DAO) and Henry Chatfield (Hifi Labs). Nucson is our full-stack development team. They are a small team who specialize in DAO building and app creation. They have worked with GAP, Motown Records, Universal Music Group, Adidas, Nouns DAO, and others.
FoxRockett Studio is responsible for our branding and NFT artwork. Please click here to download logos and brand guidelines.
Read more about our project in this beautifully written article by MacEagon Voyce for Decencial.
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