MakersPlace

Hi @christopher_lee4 . The creations available on MakersPlace aren’t digital versions of physical artwork. They are digital artworks that were created digitally with the intention to be consumed digitally. That being said, today, digital creations are valued less than physical creations. Scarcity, tangibility, ownership, authenticity, resell value, all play into the perceived value of a creation — things that digital creations lack. This is what we’re solving.

@dannieb Very cool, really unique model I like it. Hope I'm not being intrusive, but seeing as you just launched I have a market research service where for $12 you can ask 100 people a question then follow-up based on how they answered and even interview them! https://scoops.io/ You could ask e.g. "Would you pay for digital artwork/creations made by other people if they were as scarce, authentic, and tangible as physical ones?" <- and then follow-up with people who said yes. Anyway If you want to give it a shot feel free to sign up and let me know which email you used over Intercom and I'll pass you $12 in free credits. Best of luck otherwise!

@christopher_lee4 Interesting, will take a look!

@eulerr thanks!

@chris_germano thanks for the question! Skepticism is healthy, especially in such a new and unchartered space, happy to share our thoughts. Here are the three questions I’ve been able to grok: 1. What licenses are buyers getting with these works? We’re currently working on defining clearer language around this that explains to buyers that purchasing a digital creation on MakersPlace is afforded the same property rights that you obtain when purchasing any tangible / physical creation today. What that means, in non-legalese, is that a buyer is given the rights to enjoy it and re-sell it in the future, but are not given the rights to create derivatives or misappropriate the creator’s identity and brand for commercial purposes. This is a decision that we’ve made at this point, but we’re discussing internally about providing more options for creators to sell their works for commercial purposes if they choose to. 2. What will it mean if people are content on using unsigned version of the images? So, this is where MakersPlace is different from say a Getty images or other digital asset marketplaces. What we’re enabling is the ability for collectors to truly own, collect and invest in digital creations, like they’re already doing for physical art and collectibles in general. These individuals actually care about owning something scare and authentic. If you’re looking to simply use or experience a digital creation, there are better options for that. We also believe that over time collectors will value a unique digital creation far more than one that they purchase for a specific on-time use. (i.e renting vs buying) 3. How do you enforce unauthorized use? We’re not directly tackling this issue, but what we are providing is the platform for a creator to establish a permanent proof of ownership at the point of creation so that they have the means to easily prove ownership and even file DMCA takedowns. That being said, with the nature of the internet, it’s very difficult to control the illegal use of a digital creation, but as long as creators are able to capture value from the good actors of the world, then that’s a giant step forward for digital creators.

@dannieb Thank you for taking the time to sate my curiosity. I wish you all success :)

@dackermann that would indeed be amazing :)

Hey @rrhoover , great question! One big surprise I can think of is seeing creators adopt and interact with blockchain technology. The interfaces and general understanding of blockchain technology has certainly improved in the ecosystem over the last year, and we’ve definitely made it easy to interact with the technology. However, we weren’t sure how creators would actually respond to having to understand some of the concepts that are unavoidable. e.g long transaction times, gas fees, setting up digital wallets for payouts, navigating coinbase, etc. There’s still a learning curve but with proper education, clean user experiences and being honest with creators about why things in the blockchain world take a little longer than they’re used to (e.g mining transactions), they’ve been very receptive to the technology. It’s also nice that we’re working with digital creators, who are comfortable using and adopting new technologies.