How does Arpeggi, invested by a16z, use the ARP protocol to revolutionize the paradigm of music production?

Everyone believes that Web3 will change the creator economy, and we have indeed seen changes in the business models of flat art such as generated art and painting. But what about music?

Web3 Music Platform: Where to Go?

It is estimated that the total revenue of the global digital music market will exceed $15 billion in 2022, with only one platform, Spotify, exceeding $12 billion. In comparison, the revenue of the entire music NFT field in 2022 is only $12.42 million, with platforms like Sound.xyz dominating music NFT distribution. Although Web3 music platforms are competing to put Spotify in an important position in their promotional materials, their real competitors are not Spotify.

Every year, more than 60% of Spotify's revenue is paid to music copyright holders, with the three major record giants, Universal, Sony, and Warner, taking 70% of it. Spotify only appears to be the leader in the music industry, while the actual controllers of the music market are these three major record giants. The Web3 music platforms are fighting against these giants, as well as the complete industrial system they have created, from the cultivation and discovery of musicians to the establishment of the direction of their works, to the distribution, packaging, promotion, streaming, and live performances of their works.

When it comes to Web3 music platforms, I often see the phrase "changing the way we own music". However, it seems too difficult to shake the giants at this level. Is there a new track that the giants have not yet entered? Music production tools seem to be one of the few "pure lands".

What is the music creation platform like in Web3?

a16z-led Arpeggi is a transparent, open-source, collaborative Web3 music creation platform based on the ARP (Audio Relationship Protocol). It allows musicians to share their music and ensures that their audio is properly attributed when used. In the traditional music industry, using someone else's audio legally requires payment and legal permission, but with Arpeggi's CC0 license, you can use any sound you hear for your creations.

ARP Protocol

ARP (Audio Relationship Protocol) protocol is a decentralized, transparent, and trustless music registry for building blocks, allowing musicians to use each other's works without permission, aiming to unleash the full combinability of music as an art form.

When musicians upload music clips or songs to Arpeggi, the audio is registered in the ARP protocol, automatically publishing a blockchain record that proves ownership and providing an NFT as proof of contribution to the audio contributor. Once registered in the protocol, this audio can be reused by other musicians. The foundation of Arpeggi is this theoretically infinitely expandable sound library. Moreover, you can use Arpeggi to directly process these audio files and create new works.

除了声音库之外，他们还打造了 Arpeggi Studio，这是一个网页端的 DAW（数字音频工作站），用户可使用它从头开始创作、发布并 Mint 音乐 NFT。完成歌曲制作后，创作者只需点击 Mint 按钮就可以简单地将作品注册到 ARP 协议中，这样其他用户就可以使用它制作更多的作品。原始音乐 NFT 的创作者会获得 Token，一首歌曲不仅能获得一个 Token，音频工程文件中有几个音轨就可以得到几个 Token。

In addition to the sound library, they also created Arpeggi Studio, a web-based DAW (digital audio workstation) that allows users to create, publish, and mint music NFTs from scratch. After completing the song production, the creator only needs to click the Mint button to easily register the work in the ARP protocol, so that other users can use it to create more works. The creator of the original music NFT will receive tokens, and a song can not only receive one token, but also receive tokens for each track in the audio engineering file.

By connecting your Web3 wallet and binding your email, you can use Arpeggi's online DAW to make music in your browser without having to purchase expensive audio software and hardware or perform complex installations.

Project Progress and Investment Background

In September 2022, Arpeggi Labs completed a $5.1 million seed round of financing, led by a16z, with participation from 1confirmation, Palm Tree Crew, WndrCo Ventures, Steve Aoki, 3LAU, Wyclef Jean, Disco Fries, Electric Feel Ventures, Louis Bell, Joe Zadeh, Audius Foundation, Shayne Coplan, Paul Veradittakit, and Cooper Turley.

Arpeggi's two main products, CC0 sound library and DAW, are still incomplete. Currently, when original audio uploaded to the CC0 sound library is used by others, the creator cannot receive royalties and can only receive a certificate. Additionally, there are also many bugs in the DAW that need to be resolved by the team.

In February 2023, in order to further utilize the composability of Web3, introduce new artists and producers, expand the functionality of DAW, explore new goals such as royalty systems, Arpeggi Labs is once again seeking $11 million in funding and has raised $9.1 million from 21 investors.

Summary

In today's music industry and consumer market, which has long been dominated by giants, opening up new tracks is a necessary choice. Most Web3 platforms are committed to changing the way we own music, while Arpeggi focuses on changing the way we create music, perhaps that's why they were able to attract a16z. No one can be sure where the Web3 music market will go, but we are happy to see more such new attempts.

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