UNDRGRND: THE WHITE AND BLACK PAPER
FEBRUARY 15TH, 2024
If you’re reading this then you have the appetite for change; the willingness to help usher in a new cultural landscape, one that sweeps away the creaking, rusting, old ways that are no longer fit for purpose, in favor of one that puts artists and supporters first.
What Is UNDRGRND?
Without relying on exhausted counter-culture tropes, for many of us, the underlying ideology of the underground doesn’t need to be explained: it’s an instinct that drives you to dig deep for What’s Next, to feel the rush of finding artistic gold down the rabbit hole of discovery.
It’s about making your own mind up about what matters and supporting those amazing artists who are going under the radar. Success - and more importantly, quality - should not be decided by the size of the marketing budget. Growing up, underground to me meant knowing something before the masses knew. People who care about art, music, and movies, who push things forward, gravitate together to move the cultural dial.
These people are more than just ‘hipsters’. These communities always existed in various cultures, generations, and social classes. It is not a specific style, personality type, taste, age, or status: it’s about a shared passion for innovation.
The underground is the genuine, pure essence we all identify in challenging and transformative art before greed or survival commodifies it.
UNDRGRND intends to preserve and support those unknown creators, projects, and locations that either fail from a lack of awareness or lose their genuineness from a lack of conviction. We invite like-minded people to come together to provide a robust support network around tomorrow’s artistic giants. Joining our tribe, by signing up for the UNDRGRND membership card, will create a path to cultural awakening.
Total Supply: 5000
Available for sale: 2500
Private Sale Open: Feb 15th
Public Sale Open: Feb 19th
Benefits:
5,000,000 $GRND per card
DAO Membership
Staking Rewards and Future Airdrops
Exclusive Artist Drops
Access to Events (Virtual and IRL)
Merchandise Discounts
Physical Media Benefits
Whitelist for UNDRGRND AR Book
Participation in the first DAO Proposal (Revenue Share %)
UNDRGRND DAO
Who can say what is good, or cool? We all can.
UNDRGRND will reflect many different experiences and viewpoints because it democratically represents all of us. UNDRGRND DAO will manage the content and provide support to help operate the various aspects of UNDRGRND. The DAO will hire writers for feature articles and editors for videos and podcasts. The DAO community will help choose artists featured in UNDRGRND DIGS, purchase work for the UNDRGRND collection, and determine any future sales. The DAO also includes:
Executive Board - proposals may come from anyone within the DAO, however, a majority of proposals will come from the executive board that will impact the community, who will vote or offer suggestions for change. The first executive board will be selected from various advisors to help set the foundation for the UNDRGRND DAO. In the future, these positions will become elected positions from community members and receive stipends and rewards for their contributions.
UNDRGRND Nation - many DAO dApps can be used for proposals, voting, and oversight (e.g. Hypha Earth, DAO DAO) and may be used in the early decision-making process. Network State Protocol is a similar tool that executes these actions, while also allowing connected DAOs to support and work in tandem to grow. DAOs within the NSP operate as nations and agree to established terms to preserve this supportive network.
$GRND Supply - 50% of the max supply of $GRND will remain in a treasury wallet for future development. This $GRND may be used for future utility or be burned depending on the tokenomics or impact. This will require a development team and select advisors to overview the ecosystem before any proposals are made to the DAO for voting.
$GRND
While UNDRGRND membership card holders will become the first DAO members, holders of $GRND will be able to participate in votes by holding a certain amount of tokens. Initially distributed manually via a referral basis a DEX LP will allow others to purchase, or sell, $GRND tokens.
Treasury - this amount will be held and distributed, or burned, depending on the development needs, but will be determined by the executive board with approval from the DAO.
Staking - certain NFTs (e.g. PFP projects, exclusive drops) will earn rewards of $GRND through a staking mechanism.
Community - used to incentivize engagement with content, onboard artist communities to the ecosystem, or incentivize the degen community to reduce supply of their collection. This will also be used to reward those helping to develop and build the UNDRGRND community.
Dex LP - the majority of $GRND is given away for a reason. $GRND can be used as a way to generate income for smaller artists, or allow coin speculators to trade.
Initial Claim - those who purchase and UNDRGRND Membership Card will receive an additional 5,000,000 $GRND with their purchase.
Staking wallet developed two years ago when $GRND was called $COLLECT
The endless possibilities of creating new utilities will determine the value of the token, but is not a determining factor in the financial health of UNDRGRND. The first true utility for $GRND will be the gamified curation tool for the UNDRGRND marketplace, Dig It.
Dig It
Over the past month, many people have asked why $GRND has been distributed slowly and manually. Why not randomly? Why not a raffle? Or a token IFO? Why not do it like this influencer or that project?
$GRND’s primary utility will give holders the power of influence on the future UNDRGRND Marketplace. Holders of the token can bid to place their favorite creations on the front page of the UNDRGRND Marketplace. Other marketplaces still utilize old methods (curators, gated access) to showcase specific artists and help them receive the attention they deserve. While these methods serve a purpose and provide value to the creative community, it leaves many on the outside looking in. The great promise of NFTs and web3 was the democratization of the art(s) world. To do that requires giving the proper tools to anyone able to articulate their taste in art, music or film, empowering them to share their finds with a broader audience. Restricting this access allows greed to take hold. A new generation of art collectors, curators and appreciators are waiting for a chance to refine their skills, taste and assessment.
Users will able to push any work from the live feed to the front page using $GRND
When out bid, you receive more tokens than you spent with a % going to the artist.
Gamified Community Curation - Dig It will reward users actively participating in curating the front page of the UNDRGRND Marketplace. Any time a user is outbid for a spot on the front page, they are rewarded with their initial tokens and some from the new top bidder. A percentage of each new top bid will also go to the creator of the being highlighted.
Daily and Monthly Top Digger Rewards - anyone curating the UNDRGRND marketplace is referred to as a “digger”, someone who finds hidden gems or seeks out new and unseen creations and creators. Those participating in Dig It and winning the top spot will be rewarded daily as well as monthly.
Promote new art - Dig It provides a way for artists to promote their new releases. Artists receive a percentage of $GRND spent to highlight their work, as well as engaging in other tasks, providing them the resources needed to utilize the UNDRGRND as their own marketing support system.
Community Digs - The weekly publication feature UNDRGRND DIGS also provides an opportunity for further amplification of yet-to-be-discovered artists. This feature will allow for community members to select and nominate one of the five artists featured and eventually could become a new stand-alone article with enough community support.
If you think of UNDRGRND as a web3 art, music, and film publication providing proper tools to creators and fans to bring attention to their favorite songs, movies or artists, you can begin to see other use cases for how Dig It and $GRND will be utilized in the future.
Marketplace
The most common misconception in this space is that if you just build it, they will come. Larger marketplaces are struggling to adapt to an ever-changing environment. Sustainability and longevity will remain the focus of UNDRGRND. Remaining dedicated to the smaller, under-represented creators and being the launching pad to elevate them to the next level allows for UNDRGRND to remain credible, financially stable and flexible to continue to implement the innovative ideas needed for relevancy in bull and bear markets.
The marketplace will not begin on Tezos but will support the ecosystem through the DAO.
Multi-Chain Entry Point - many came to the space in 2021 thinking the path to success would be quick and easy. OpenSea is exactly that: a vast, open world where many get lost. With no multichain, small, community-focused marketplace out there, many are discouraged and leave the web3 space when they fail to find their place. UNDRGRND can provide the launching pad, support and stability needed to help build any creator's fan base.
Art, Music, Film - underground communities exist in all creative worlds. The potential of web3 can reshape and reignite the independent music and film industries in a way yet to be captured in this space.
DAO Support - the UNDRGRND DAO operates as the largest built-in customer to the UNDRGRND Marketplace. It also provides the much-needed marketing support and audience for creators trying to become something bigger
Revenue stream - the marketplace provides the revenue stream for these necessary services for creators who are looking to build their audience. 50% of the revenue generated to cover administrative and content creation costs like writers, podcasts, editors, Space Hosts, social media and community management.
The other 50%? Well…that’s for the DAO to decide.
IF the DAO is established. IF the marketplace is built. IF the DAO approves.
No one knows what will happen. This is not a reality but an intent to discuss and attempt to compel others to agree.
The Venue
The need for a physical space to bridge web3 and onboard newcomers is undeniable. The digital realm connects communities separated by distance. Locally, a physical space becomes a point of congregation and human connection. Rather than a traditional gallery, UNDRGRND will be a venue to showcase artists, buy physical media, and connect the underground communities of art, music and film. With the familiar heady feel of an independent record store the UNDRGRND Venue provides multiple use cases for web3 community members and introduces an arena in which we can earn the trust of those still skeptical of the long-term vision of the crypto community.
Display Digital Frames - the best use case for a physical space is to showcase the art and technology through the use of digital frames. Those skeptical of purchasing “jpegs” can see firsthand the potential of NFTs and manufacturers of these frames can begin to showcase their products to those already on board.
Live shows - the venue would provide an opportunity to have live events featuring musicians and artists. These events can be streamed live to the UNDRGRND Community, offer another use case opportunity for $GRND and Membership Card holders to earn revenue by allowing the rental of their passes for exclusive events.
On-board musicians and artists - the venue will serve as a way to attract new artists and musicians to the web3 space. Offering an opportunity to perform, showcase work or, potentially in the future, even record albums, the impact of a physical space gives a permanence to people that the digital world does not.
Physical media - anyone nostalgic for the time spent in a record store or disenchanted with the state of the streaming model sees the need for a place to buy and sell physical media. Digital media is still the focal point of everything UNDRGRND does but the ability to hold a new vinyl record in your hands gives a whole different feel.
So this is it, the beginning stage of my master plan to bring back a sense of community, utopian idealism and to finally fulfill the promise of web3.
I’m not able to articulate the gratitude I have felt throughout these past few months for the genuine excitement over this idea. I imagine it is a similar experience that every artist, musician or filmmaker I have swooned over has had when sharing their own creation. I pride myself on my ability to articulate my feelings and I’m finding that words fall short. The best I can do is to share this with all of you
