CONCEPT 1: PHANTOM GALLERY
A decentralized digital art marketplace where creators can sell limited-edition digital works with built-in scarcity.
USER STORY:
Visual artist Marcus creates generative art but is frustrated with centralized platforms taking 30% cuts and controlling his relationship with collectors. With Phantom Gallery, he deploys a personal storefront where his animations are served only after Bitcoin/Monero payment verification. Each piece includes a unique access token that maintains artificial scarcity.
TECHNICAL ARCHITECTURE:
- Go backend with the Bitcoin/Monero paywall middleware
- WebAssembly-based content viewer with DRM capabilities
- IPFS integration for content delivery with encrypted access
- File storage backend with AES-256 encryption for persistent records
- JWT-based authentication for ongoing access to purchased works
PRIVACY CONSIDERATIONS:
- No personal data required beyond wallet addresses
- Monero prioritized in UI for enhanced collector privacy
- Self-hosted infrastructure eliminates third-party tracking
- Zero-knowledge proofs for ownership verification
MONETIZATION:
- Primary sales through direct cryptocurrency payments
- Optional secondary market with creator royalties via smart verification
- Tiered pricing for different edition sizes
- Subscription option for collectors to access artist’s complete works
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
This revitalizes the limited edition art market concepts pioneered by printmakers, but in digital form. It echoes William Gibson’s prescient concept of digital art ownership while embracing cypherpunk ideals of value exchange without surveillance.
IMPLEMENTATION ROADMAP:
- Core paywall integration (2 weeks)
- Content delivery system (3 weeks)
- Artist dashboard (2 weeks)
- Viewer experience (2 weeks)
- Beta with select artists (1 month)
- Public launch (after feedback implementation)
RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS:
- 2 Go developers
- 1 Frontend developer with WebAssembly experience
- Self-hosted server or decentralized hosting solution
- Testing wallets for both Bitcoin and Monero