The community of music lovers that rewards your fandom
Main Achievements
- Creation of 20,000 Music IDs via our iOS app
- Funding from Outlier Ventures
- Support from ASCAP
- Partnerships established with Polygon and Ready Player Me
- Successful Proof of Concept for Web3 Music ID as a Soulbound NFT
The OffBeat Vision
OffBeat was conceived to redefine the landscape of music discovery and community engagement. In a world where the traditional music streaming model prioritizes consumption over fandom, we recognized the widening gap between artists and their fans. This model has made it increasingly difficult for artists to monetize their craft unless they are superstars or rights holders with extensive catalogs. Moreover, it has stifled fans' ability to express their passion for music, as mainstream platforms offer limited avenues for such expression.
Asia has demonstrated the potential of a fan economy model, where the artist-fan relationship is the cornerstone. This model allows fans to be rewarded for their loyalty and enables artists to engage with their most ardent supporters. OffBeat took inspiration from this and aimed to be the catalyst for this change in the Western world.
An Ecosystem for Fandom to Thrive
Our platform was built around the concept of the Music ID, a comprehensive profile that serves as a "musical passport" for each user. The Music ID captures a wide array of data, from your streaming history and concert attendance to manually added musical preferences and even music NFT ownership. This feature not only allows users to connect based on similar musical interests but also serves as a platform for sharing musical tastes and discovering new connections within the music community.
Building a Community Around Music
The Music ID was the cornerstone for creating a community where music is the focal point. It enabled us to facilitate connections between fans, providing a space where they could engage through music and be rewarded for their fandom. This community became the ideal setting for a fandom reward system, allowing artists to create deeper emotional bonds with their fans by crediting and rewarding fan behaviors.
Rewarding Fandom
Within the OffBeat ecosystem, the Music ID collected these fan rewards and accreditations, thereby increasing the value of your musical passport. We built a proof of concept of the Music ID as an soul bound NFT. Being non-transferable, this NFT was uniquely tied to each individual user, and its decentralized nature allows for the information to be potentially accessed by other services or even by the artists themselves. This not only enhanced the user experience within OffBeat but also had broader implications for external web3 platforms.
You can check and play with the proof of concept here 👇
Our pitch
Pitch by Yaw Asamani
Winding down operations
Despite all the progress made in a very short amount of time, OffBeat encountered financial hurdles, struggling to secure investors in a declining market just when we needed to raise capital. After a thorough analysis, we made the difficult decision to cease operations.
By focusing on each unique music identity and building communities among fans and between fans and artists, OffBeat aimed to be the ultimate platform for discovering new music and being rewarded for your fandom. Even though we have closed our doors, we remain optimistic about our vision and believe that the music industry, especially streaming platforms, will become more social and interactive in the near future.