TRUE TO FORM

THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE SAUDI SCENE IS WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE – MAINTAINING THAT AMIDST INCOMING REGULATIONS IS UP TO EVENT BRANDS. THIS MEANS BRANDS DO NOT COMPROMISE ON THEIR VALUES; THEY BAND TOGETHER TO UPHOLD THEIR VISION.

• AUTHENTICITY OF A SCENE IS ABOUT BLENDING LOCAL CULTURE WITH MUSIC CULTURE – LOCAL EVENT BRANDS ARE DOING THAT THROUGH THEMED EVENTS AND CHOOSING OFF-THE-GRID LOCATIONS – LIKE MUDHUTS, DESERTS AND CAVES. SUCH SMALL EVENTS HAVE GARNERED INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION BECAUSE OF THE UNIQUENESS OF THE EXPERIENCE, AND THE CURIOSITY TOWARDS THE SAUDI SCENE. MISCONCEIVED NOTIONS BEGIN TO SHIFT PUBLIC PERCEPTION ABOUT SAUDI AS A WHOLE. THIS IS DANCE FLOOR DIPLOMACY.

Situated comfortably in his desk, with equal parts street cred and business acumen, was MoE Bajbaa. In the past two years interviews about Proud Angeles - a Saudi lifestyle brand that touches upon streetwear, music and underground realnesshave been a regular fixture in his schedule.

The Saudi creative industry began its baby steps in the 2010s and has quickly developed into a full sprint. This wave of talent, creativity and ambition has broken thresholds and allowed for casual ingeniousness to toy with boundaries of fashion, music, art and community. The Rockstar release, the launch of Proud Angeles’s first endeavor into eyewear, did just that. Foregoing the typical structure of a release - a creative campaign with editorials here and there - MoE and his team were keen on tapping into the underground electronic scene.

For the Proud team, this wasn’t an opportunistic jump onto a trend, but rather an homage to a community they feel a sense of belonging to. The Rockstar sunglasses’ inception happened on the dancefloor. MoE is a regular at underground music events and began to notice a sense of security and solitude when wearing shades on the dancefloor. So, it was a natural evolution to develop his own design of sunglasses.

“I used to have these knock-off 20 dollar glasses I would wear when I would go to raves. People would always come up to me telling me they love my glasses, so I was like ‘I have something there’. The amount of compliments… I loved it. So I made it. Lately, I’ve been relearning how to deal with public spaces and energy. I just… Put on the glasses. Feel unbothered. Party like a rockstar. When I put the glasses on, I feel unbothered. It even blocks your peripherals from distraction. Just you and the music, no BS. That's why underground music. It all happened there”

Following the popularity of pop-up raves happening across the Kingdom, the Proud team devised a launch plan that was embedded within the music ecosystem. It started off organically, with MoE gifting the glasses to one of Riyadh's local DJs – Majed – long before the release. From there, the shades took off, purely from word of mouth and underground street cred.

“I had three samples. I gave Majed one… and the way people were reacting.. ‘Where’d you get those? When is it dropping, when is dropping?’ - so we built hype by the time of the release. It was organic, because I gave it to the right person and wore them in the right places. I don’t really wear them anywhere else. I don’t know, just worked.”

It’s easy to assume this was a strategic and cunning plan to tap into a market – but MoE simply doesn’t see it that way. He attributes the success of Proud Angeles to always having a finger on the pulse of Saudi subcultures. The underground electronic scene is not the first - and surely not the lastniche local community that Proud Angeles has tapped into.

MoE was able to forge these opportunities through genuine connections with these communities - finding a place for skaters, hoopers, artists and DJ’s alike.

The fashion drop before the Rock Star shades had an emphasis on the hidden pockets of Saudi’s scene. This drop was done in partnership with local art legend, Rex Chouk - another scene heavy hitter. The promo video of this drop was worked on by local talents - featuring basketball players, trend setters and local skating legends. MoE finds these scenes not in the name of self-promotion, but simply because he finds common interest and goals within these communities.

"I like basketball, I like house music, hip hop, graffiti and skating - even though I don’t skate. Doesn’t matter if I’m part of the community - what we have is mutual ground. People know I’m the Proud Angeles guy and they’re skaters…we find that mutual ground like ‘hey when are we gonna do stuff together’ and not ‘hey when are you gonna wear my stuff?’ I want to actually engage with different scenes with the right way and right tone. You can’t feel entitled to the community. Pay respect to people. You have to engage with the community to know how to treat the community. You don’t tap in by walking in as an entrepreneur. The entrepreneur will come in when the opportunity is there. Approach them as a person. I didn’t walk into the house scene as an entrepreneur."

The Rockstar Glasses release happened over two weeks –with a party both in Jeddah and Riyadh. Interestingly, the glasses weren’t the focal point of the party, but the music was. MoE came to find that most people who were keen on attending the launch, marketed as a fashion event, came for simply the music and energy.

“We had the stock in February, we could’ve launched then. I was telling Momo [MoE’s right hand man] ‘I don’t just wanna do a pop-up and just have people show up. They’re gonna come, dance, and ignore the sunglasses. It’s not like clothes that I know will sell. I’m taking a financial risk by having parties in Jeddah and Riyadh for the glasses.’

MoE convinced his team to sell tickets. The tickets were sold as two tiers - one for admission alone and the other included entry with a pair of Rockstar glasses. They noticed most of the revenue80% to be specific - was generated from attendance tickets alone rather than glasses bundle. On the other side of the same coin, the attendees that generally come for the party became familiarized with Proud Angeles and their apparel. It’s hard to measure a return on investment if your main goal is cultural capital. The events were jam packed, leading to both excitement and anxiety.

“It wasn’t rocket science - we saw how others were doing it. In Riyadh we were very cautious of finding a licensed venue. In Jeddah - until this moment, I keep thinking ‘bruh the risk was so high.’ ”

Proud Angeles is set to find itself in the intersection of scene, authenticity and entrepreneurship more frequently in the future. Pivoting towards experiences and lifestyle events that connect the dots between communities. For MoE - it’s more than just clothes. It’s a lifestyle.

BY ARABIAN PRINCE

NOT ONLY A GRAMMY-NOMINATED SONGWRITER, RAPPER, PRODUCER, AND DJ, ARABIAN PRINCE IS ALSO A TECHNOLOGIST AND FOUNDER OF INOV8 NEXT OPEN LABS. AT XP, HE SERVES AS A MEMBER OF THE ADVOCATES & ADVISORY (A&A) BOARD TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SHAPING OF OUR INNOVATION PILLAR PROGRAMMING. ARABIAN PRINCE IS FOCUSED ON EMPOWERING YOUTH TO EXPLORE THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY WITH INCUBATOR PROGRAMS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF INVENTORS.

Let's talk about innovation. Not just any innovation - but the innovation of music. Since the transition from the era of vinyls, CD’s and physical sales to the streaming generation: how artists are able to capitalize on their music and brand has shifted. The domination of streaming platforms puts artists in a precarious position, making a fraction from streaming than they would from sales and downloads.

Enter Web3. Web3 – in layman’s terms – is the new chapter of Web history. Web1 was a matter of uploading HTML pages for users to read. Then Web2 came along - giving users the ability to read and interact with one another. Web3 takes it to another level, where users can read, interact with and own content.

Since artists do not make as much revenue from physical sales and downloads as they once did, artists are now exploring innovative ways to replace the income they have lost to streaming. Many artists have turned to NFTs and Web3 for answers.

NFTs, or non fungible tokens, can be thought of as an irrefutable receipt that logs every previous owner. This information is protected through blockchain - making it impossible for it to be altered. This makes the line ownership of things, like songs, transparent and honest. NFTs, blockchain and tokens are new ways that artists can monetize and secure their music through peer to peer sales. This also allows artists to set the value of their own work and to intimately connect with their most dedicated fanbase.

This peer-to-peer connection opens another door to monetization - offering exclusive experiences and exclusive drops to their fanbase that purchase their NFTs. More importantly, it can be used as a means to directly fund your favorite artists. In recent years, fans are able to directly crowdfund projects for artists. This allows artists to create freely for their fanbase, without ties or limitations.

Many artists, from underground to chart-toppers, have begun investing within the Web3 spaces to promote, launch and showcase music. Web3, once a fringe online community of techies, is now a part of the VMA’s, with Snoop Dogg and Eminem performing as their Bored Ape - one of the most popularly known NFT art series - avatars. Ownership, through NFTs, of avatars performing live in the Metaverse is no longer an abstracted futuristic fantasy - but what you see when you turn on your television.

To most people, NFTs are still an ambiguous buzz word, but many are making money and capitalizing on this new innovation as it is now a viable source

THIS PEER-TO-PEER CONNECTION OPENS ANOTHER DOOR TO MONETIZATION

of revenue. Even large music companies and brands are now looking to NFTs to promote themselves and

Companies, like Royalty Exchange, are now making this source of revenue accessible by offering services for artists to NFT their music cheaply. Getting your work as an NFT is only the first steppromoting and selling your work is all on you.

As of now, speculation is the way that NFTs and tokens grow in popularity and value - popularity of the content and its creator plays a big role. Scarcity and exclusivity is also a large contributing factor to how coveted the piece will be. People experienced in Web3 are now savvier than ever, and are shying away from buying hype pieces for a hefty price tag. As an artist, you must be careful of what you put out. Your work must have integrity and value - the public can easily turn their back on what may look like a cash-grab.

One final thought to consider is you still have to create music that appeals to your fanbase as well as an NFT. That goes hand in hand with what your music stands for. I personally look at NFTs as kind of the same as back in the day when people collected posters and vinyl record covers of their favorite artist. This is just the future of it, and it’s worth the investment of time, money and knowledge. Take the initiative to learn and join the future to make a profit.

FOR THOSE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE WORLD OF WEB3 AND ALL ITS MEMES, TECHIE TERMS AND LINGO - WE CREATED A LITTLE CHEAT SHEET DICTIONARY POWERED BY MHOUSE, AN INTERNATIONAL CLUB HOUSE FOR WEB3 INNOVATORS.

Automated Market Maker

Automated Market Maker – Theorized by @vitalik and pioneered by @ uniswap, AMM were one of the groundbreaking introductions that kicked off DeFisummer and DeFi itself by making DEXs possible. Instead of an order book matching buyers and sellers managed centrally like Binance or Coinbase, AMMs allow crypto assets to be traded in an automated and permissionless way. Liquidity pools are used to ensure there is always a counterparty to the trade.

Blockchain

A blockchain is a distributed database or ledger that is shared among the nodes of a computer network. As a database, a blockchain stores information electronically in digital format. Blockchains are best known for their crucial role in cryptocurrency systems, such as Bitcoin, for maintaining a secure and decentralized record of transactions. The innovation with a blockchain is that it guarantees the fidelity and security of a record of data and generates trust without the need for a trusted third party.

Cryptocurrency

A bankless digital currency that runs on a distributed public ledger and enables anyone anywhere to send and receive payments without reliance on a central authority (such as a bank or government).

A decentralized autonomous organization is exactly what the name says; a group of people who come together without a central leader or company dictating any of the decisions. DAOs offer flatter organizational structures, which are a powerful social force for music communities to mobilize against the backdrop of Web2 musicindustry concerns around financial transparency, equality and data

Fan Token

A fan token is a cryptocurrency created by an individual or group with an audience, often a sports team, that allows its holders participation in the team’s governing activities while gaining discounts and exclusive rewards.

Generative Art

Generative art is art made using a predetermined system that often includes an element of chance – is usually applied to computer based art (SOURCE: https://www.tate.org.uk/ art/art-terms/g/generative-art)

A way of operating without being governed by a central authority. Instead, the system is spread across multiple points of authority. For example, a peer-to-peer network.

ETH is shorthand for Ether. It is the second largest digital currency by market cap apart from Bitcoin. It’s common for noobs to mix up Ethereum and ETH. Ethereum is the blockchain while ETH is the network’s native token. An even more noob mistake is to confuse it with Ethereum classic, which is the old fork of Ethereum and is not really maintained. ETH is the lifeblood of Ethereum. When you send ETH or use an Ethereum application (dApp), you pay network fees called gas in ETH. The fee incentivizes network miners to process and verify transactions. ETH can be places so you don’t have to buy 1 whole ETH. For e.g. you can buy as little as 0.000000000000000001

Hot Wallet

A hot wallet is a cryptocurrency wallet that is connected to the internet with the private keys also accessible on the internet. Storing assets in this way can leave them susceptible to a hack. The other option is to have a hardware wallet.

Ipfs

AKA the Interplanetary File System is a peer-to-peer (p2p) network that stores files across the globe. Aiming to be the HTTP killer, it’s at the forefront of Web3adoption. IPFS is cheaper to run, more efficient and is less centralised than current protocols.

Immutable

One of the core principles of blockchain technology. It means that something can’t be changed, modified or altered after creation. When an NFT is on the blockchain, its properties, traits, serial number or collection size can’t be altered. It is verifiable, can be audited and tracked forever.

Metaverse

The purest demonstration of Web3, the metaverse is a 3D virtual world where you can build, play, explore and experience whatever you like. Sometimes 2d, sometimes implementing VR and AR technologies, it’s the home of avatars, NFTs, crypto tokens and more and more each week. You can buy land, build a house, party or just hang out in the metaverse.

NON-FUNGIBLE TOKEN

A Non Fungible Token is a unique digital asset that exists on a blockchain. On Ethereum, it is created using ERC1155 or ERC721 standard for non-fungible tokens, as opposed to ERC20 standard for fungible tokens. NFTs are used as a form of digital ownership to represent a unique asset. In a simple form, that asset could be on-chain code like @ artblocks art, or a link to a jpeg like @ bayc. In a more complex form, it could be a real world asset like property from @PropyInc or even a @tesla

Open Sea

The largest and most decentralised NFT marketplace. Opensea has become ubiquitous with NFT trading as the dominant secondary marketspace in the game. Original collections can also be launched on the platform allowing artists to easily find their community and sales. #brokensea is used when Openseais down… which is not uncommon.

Token

A token is a digital asset that appears on its own blockchain. It can be bought, sold and traded like fiat currencies, and can represent either digital or physical assets. Token can also be used to interact with a dApp, which makes life for gamers, shoppers and the whole Web3 world more convenient due to their utility. The term coin is usually used to describe an asset on its own native blockchain e.g. BTC is used and Bitcoin and ETH is used on Ethereum. A token on the other hand usually refers to an asset that can reside on another chain e.g. there are thousands of tokens on the Ethereum chain.

Utillity

The “raison d’etre” of a coin… what does it do? Typically, this was a term to evade securities laws where it was argued the tokens were not securities or breaking laws because the coin was needed in order to fulfill some function… therefore it had “utility”. Could be considered the predecessor of the “Worthless governance token”.

Wallet

A leather container frequently found in a Boomers pocket full of pieces of plastic that they insist have intrinsic value, as opposed to your non-custodial immutable blockchain money which they say is worthless. Also, more often, refers to a crypto wallet which is where you track your crypto holdings. Crypto wallets should come with private keys or a 12 or 24 word mnemonic seed phrase that only you know. Never give your seed phrase to anybody for goodness sake!