The EGO Badge
An Experiment in Tokenizing Social Capital
Digital identity and reputation systems are hot topics within the blockchain space. In the arts, much of our creative identity is tied up in the things we create and collect, the projects we support, and in the groups with which we associate. Being an early supporter of an undiscovered artist carries a certain gravitas that in many ways functions as an informal reputation system within social circles. In some sense, our musical affiliations form the basis of our creative identity.
With the minting of a unique ERC20 token with each purchase of RAC’s Ego, Ujo Music is taking a small step towards turning this informal reputation system into a tangible form of social capital. Your support of the RAC x Ujo project is forever memorialized in this token as a reputational badge that is verifiable, exchangeable, and most importantly, valuable on the Ethereum blockchain.
How might this be used in music?
Showcasing Individuality: Badges for Social Accessibility
Collectors are an important part of any music ecosystem. Masters of discovery, collectors dig in hard to reach places and unearth hidden value where others might not look. Anyone who follows an artist, creates a playlist, or buys an album can consider themselves a collector.
Ujo Music can be thought of as the musical persona for your digital artistic identity where, as a collector, you will be able to showcase your discoveries with pride. The items we collect that connect us to the artists we love — vinyl records, pins and badges, tour T-shirts, concert tickets — can find a place in our collections as tradable, tokenized badges. More than just trophies, these badges signal so much more about our identities as fans — they’re proof of our ongoing support.
Take, for example, buying RAC’s latest album Ego — the act of supporting his latest project is immutably recorded on the Ethereum blockchain. Receipt of the EGO badge is proof that you have supported Andre’s career, either by purchasing the album directly or buying the badge from one of his fans. Possession of this token in your Ujo Music persona lets Andre know that you are a bonafide supporter of his work, signals to NinjaTune that you are a supporter of one of their artists, and lets other fans know that you have similar tastes in music.
Wouldn’t it be exciting if you could skip the line at the next RAC show in your local city or access a special Ninja Tune tent at the next festival with this badge? How cool would it be if, upon meeting a stranger at the show, you were able to view each other’s music badges and trade them? What if RAC could send a message to all holders of both EGO and Strangers badges to clue them in on the afterparty?
Finding Our Tribe: Badges for Community Building
Even before the fall of the traditional record label model and the rise of DIY artistry, collectives and creative communities have functioned as important support networks for the cross-pollination of ideas, artist development, event promotion, and collaboration. In a social context, badges can become the ‘street-cred’ that help us find our sonic tribe or better yet, create our own.
With a more complete and persistent picture of our musical affiliations, we will have a greater ability to self-organize into communities that reflect our cultural tastes and preferences. Your Ujo persona acts as a gateway to communities where you will be able to find and connect with like-minded individuals by signaling the creative projects you’ve created or supported over time. In the near future, we hope to see entire creative communities form both digitally on Ujo and in the ‘analog’ world, granting membership and special perks based on the badges one has collected.
We are already witnessing new digital communities pop-up in music hubs like New York. What if creative communities were able to bootstrap themselves using new ways of fundraising and build event spaces where artists could congregate, using Ujo personas to accept members or grant access to the physical space? And beyond just social capital, what if these communities began accepting their own tokens or badges as currency?
What’s Your Persona?
Tokens are a useful digital asset class that’s finding a myriad of different innovative uses. By acting as a verifiable link between our identities as creators and fans to the music we love, we believe badges could function as an exchangeable form of social capital that signal reputation in music communities.
An important mode of organization in independent music, creative communities can begin to use open tools on Ethereum to foster social interactions, collaborate, and succeed together. Collectors, communities, creators — all will find a place to stay on Ujo Music, the home for artistic identity on Ethereum.
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