Name of the organization or individual submitting the proposal: Mózes Dániel
Describe the project:
SkyMusic is a web based music streaming application and a decentralized alternative to Spotify and YouTube Music that operates on the S5/Sia network. Users can stream music from our library, S3 storage and local sources. SkyMusic primarily utilizes the S5 channel (developed by Redsolver).
Who benefits from your project?
Artists, listeners, Sia network, community developers and everyone who wants to stream music anonymously and securely.
How does the project serve the Foundation’s mission of user-owned data?
The data is completely anonymous, and no user statistics are collected during the application’s usage. We apply S5 security for the storage of music connected from S3 and local sources. Users can connect to any S3 completely anonymously and securely.
Grant Specifics
Budget: 39600 USD
My full time salary: 6000 USD for 6 months (minimum 160 hours work per month)
Maintenance costs and other expenses (e.g. storage, marketing): 2400 USD
Expanding our music library: 1200 USD
Timeline: 6 Month
Project Milestones
The project is divided into six main milestones, each of which falls into a specific month and enjoys priority during that period. Alongside these, I naturally continue to work on the other tasks of the project, although I progress with them at a lower intensity during that month.
Milestone 1: Expanding Web App Functionality and Design (1st month)
During the first milestone, I will concentrate on expanding the functionalities of the web application. This phase is aimed at enhancing the user experience and adding new features to ensure the application meets the increasing needs of its users. This includes refining the design of the user interface and the development of design elements, for example, to provide a more intuitive and visually appealing experience.
Milestone 2: Mobile Application Development (2nd month)
The second milestone focuses on the development of the mobile application. My goal is to create an intuitive, fast, and stable application that aligns with the web interface. I aim to make the app available across multiple platforms (e.g., iOS, Android), thereby ensuring widespread access. This approach simplifies the user experience, making the app easy to use regardless of the type of device.
The goal of the third milestone is to make my application accessible on a variety of devices, not limited to web browsers and mobile apps. In this phase, I’m focusing on developing a desktop application, enabling the music streaming service to be used in diverse environments and situations. My ambition is to create a cohesive music experience that offers seamless usage through a unified user interface in the desktop environment.
The fourth milestone goal is to introduce a web3-compatible licensing solution that enables support for creators in exchange for licenses. I intend to implement this licensing model using solutions such as Fabstir or similar platforms. Since the application will be free to use, the project will primarily rely on donations. I am planning to provide a separate license support option where users can support the project, with 100% of the proceeds dedicated to licenses. I plan to automate this process. Users can choose how they want to support the project, including supporting the operational expenses of the app, purchasing licenses, or supporting me directly.
Milestone 5: Completing Initiated Tasks for Balanced Progress (5th month)
The fifth milestone serves to conclude the tasks that were initiated but not completed during the previous four milestones. This becomes necessary as it might happen that certain milestones require more work than initially estimated. This stage ensures balanced progress in all areas, so that every detail of the project can reach the sixth milestone in a detailed and ready state.
Milestone 6: Project Finalization and Release the Stable Version (6th month)
In the sixth milestone, based on user feedback, I correct the remaining errors and refine the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX), and aim to make the application future-proof and scalable. This can significantly contribute to the success of the project. In this milestone, I also aim to release the stable version of the project.
Potential risks that will affect the outcome of the project:
Streaming music is dependent on the Sia network, as every music file (Our music library) is stored and served from the Sia network.
SkyMusic uses the S5 network, so the application is dependent on this network.
Allow me to share some important information regarding the SkyMusic project. I am deeply grateful for the support the project has received; its development is progressing excellently. My previous experience with the Sia network enabled me not to start from scratch and acquire many new insights that can be further utilized in the project’s next phases.
Here is a brief summary of the project’s unseen results so far:
I have created a middleware API, which is crucial in handling API requests, thereby enhancing the system’s security by ensuring limited access. Middleware API is currently not available in public Github repository.
I have prepared the project documentation, which is currently not a public GitHub repository but exclusively available on the https://docs.skymusic.app/ website. I am continuously developing this documentation. Currently, only the structure is in place, but I will update the document this week.
The project’s website, which presents the application, is separate from the application itself and can be found at https://skymusic.app/. I cannot make the website public since its style conflicts with licensing limits, although this does not affect the application’s functionality, where I have applied a proprietary design.
Moreover, I am continually developing our music library.
If you would like to view the private repository for the middleware API and the documentation, just let me know and I’ll show you.
It is important to illustrate how uploading a song practically works:
I search artists who create music under the Creative Commons license.
I contact them via email to permit their music to be used in the SkyMusic project. Although this would not always be necessary, I consider this step ethical.
After obtaining permission, I begin uploading the songs, typically received in WAV format. The upload process requires the provision of only a few details, which I aim to further optimize for speed and simplicity. With the middleware API, I automatically convert the tracks into Opus format in various qualities (320, 160, 80, and 40 kbps), then upload them to the Sia network through the S5 network automatically and add the data to the database.
The files do not automatically enter the web application, providing an opportunity to make corrections in case of erroneous data. If everything is in order, I can easily update the songs in the database.
Forecasting maintenance costs, I’ve somewhat simplified it because the costs depend on several factors:
Assuming the application streams music content at 160 kbps quality, as recommended, it generates 72 MB of data traffic per hour. Currently, the average download price: (per TiB) is 5.93 USD (Sia Satellite). Based on this, I calculated that approximately 2456 hours of music listening generates 1 USD of cost.
So, the project will have one source of revenue, which is the donations detailed in the support system.
Introducing the support system:
The application’s support system is built on three main elements.
Application Maintenance Costs: This is the most critical element, enabling the application’s operation. Users can directly support the costs necessary for the application’s operation, ensuring its uninterrupted maintenance.
Supporting Music Creators: The system automatically generates a viewership statistic daily, weekly, or monthly (I haven’t decided which to use yet) based on which music creators receive a share of the music creators’ support funds. The statistic measures the duration of music playback in seconds and distributes the current support amount among the creators accordingly. Payouts are made through the Sia platform, with complete transparency and automation.
Personal Support: Users also have the opportunity to directly support the person or group behind the application. This support does not directly affect the application’s operation but can contribute to the project’s long-term sustainability and development.
This three-tier support system ensures that all participants in the application receive a fair share of the available resources while maintaining the application’s high level of service and development.
Considering the project’s current status and needs, I would like to continue working along the future plans. I am highly motivated and would like to push my other projects and work into the background to fully concentrate on the SkyMusic project. Until now, I could only work on the project part-time, which was a significant disadvantage since I could not focus my full attention on it. Now, understanding the path to make the project more stable and future-proof – especially important for the Sia network as the application can increase network usage – I detailed my plans within this grant.
I intend to work on the project full-time to complete it as soon as possible and allow users to stream music smoothly. If possible, I would like to start the next phase of the project in April.
The web application is available here: https://beta.skymusic.app/ (It’s not yet ready for the beta version, but I will launch the beta this week)
Should you have any questions, I am readily available to discuss the details further.
Thanks for your new proposal to the Sia Foundation Grants Program! After review, the committee has decided to reject this proposal. They primarily cited the following concerns.
Open-sourcing all code is a requirement for grants. We appreciate your honesty regarding your middleware API but all code must be publicly accessible.
Are we correct in understanding that your grant seems to be leaning more toward licensing existing content rather than being a repository for personal-access libraries? There are already several projects attempting this. Could you please cite differences between SkyMusic and more established projects like Audius?
Thanks again. We’ll move this to Rejected, but please feel free to comment in this thread or create a new proposal if you feel you can address the committee’s concerns.
Thank you for the feedback and guidance regarding the project. I fully understand and respect the commitment to open-source principles and I am happy to comply with these standards.
I would like to confirm that I have removed the expanded license solutions from the project plan, focusing entirely on open-source development. I will also make the project’s middleware API open source.
I will continue developing the web application until the Grants Committee meeting, and I assure you that I will publish the current development code and the middleware API on GitHub before the meeting. This will allow for a review of the status of my work and provide an opportunity to receive any feedback.
In the following, I would like to present the updated Standard Grant Proposal.
Introduction
Project Name: SkyMusic
Name of the organization or individual submitting the proposal: Mózes Dániel
Describe the project:
SkyMusic is a web based music streaming application and a decentralized alternative to Spotify and YouTube Music that operates on the S5/Sia network. Users can stream music from our library, S3 storage and local sources. SkyMusic primarily utilizes the S5 channel (developed by Redsolver).
Who benefits from your project?
Artists, listeners, Sia network, community developers and everyone who wants to stream music anonymously and securely.
How does the project serve the Foundation’s mission of user-owned data?
The data is completely anonymous, and no user statistics are collected during the application’s usage. We apply S5 security for the storage of music connected from S3 and local sources. Users can connect to any S3 completely anonymously and securely.
Grant Specifics
Budget:39600 33000 USD
My full time salary: 6000 USD for 6 months (minimum 160 hours work per month)
My full time salary: 6000 USD for 5 months (minimum 160 hours work per month)
Maintenance costs and other expenses (e.g. storage, marketing): 2400 2000 USD
Expanding our music library: 1200 1000 USD
Timeline: 6 Month Timeline: 5 Month
Project Milestones
The project is divided into six five main milestones, each of which falls into a specific month and enjoys priority during that period. Alongside these, I naturally continue to work on the other tasks of the project, although I progress with them at a lower intensity during that month.
Milestone 1: Expanding Web App Functionality and Design (1st month)
During the first milestone, I will concentrate on expanding the functionalities of the web application. This phase is aimed at enhancing the user experience and adding new features to ensure the application meets the increasing needs of its users. This includes refining the design of the user interface and the development of design elements, for example, to provide a more intuitive and visually appealing experience.
Milestone 2: Mobile Application Development (2nd month)
The second milestone focuses on the development of the mobile application. My goal is to create an intuitive, fast, and stable application that aligns with the web interface. I aim to make the app available across multiple platforms (e.g., iOS, Android), thereby ensuring widespread access. This approach simplifies the user experience, making the app easy to use regardless of the type of device.
The goal of the third milestone is to make my application accessible on a variety of devices, not limited to web browsers and mobile apps. In this phase, I’m focusing on developing a desktop application, enabling the music streaming service to be used in diverse environments and situations. My ambition is to create a cohesive music experience that offers seamless usage through a unified user interface in the desktop environment.
The fourth milestone goal is to introduce a web3-compatible licensing solution that enables support for creators in exchange for licenses. I intend to implement this licensing model using solutions such as Fabstir or similar platforms. Since the application will be free to use, the project will primarily rely on donations. I am planning to provide a separate license support option where users can support the project, with 100% of the proceeds dedicated to licenses. I plan to automate this process. Users can choose how they want to support the project, including supporting the operational expenses of the app, purchasing licenses, or supporting me directly.
Milestone 5: Completing Initiated Tasks for Balanced Progress (5th month) Milestone 4: Completing Initiated Tasks for Balanced Progress (4th month)
The fifth fourth milestone serves to conclude the tasks that were initiated but not completed during the previous four three milestones. This becomes necessary as it might happen that certain milestones require more work than initially estimated. This stage ensures balanced progress in all areas, so that every detail of the project can reach the sixth fifth milestone in a detailed and ready state.
Milestone 6: Project Finalization and Release the Stable Version (6th month) Milestone 5: Project Finalization and Release the Stable Version (5th month)
In the sixth fifth milestone, based on user feedback, I correct the remaining errors and refine the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX), and aim to make the application future-proof and scalable. This can significantly contribute to the success of the project. In this milestone, I also aim to release the stable version of the project.
Potential risks that will affect the outcome of the project:
Streaming music is dependent on the Sia network, as every music file (Our music library) is stored and served from the Sia network.
SkyMusic uses the S5 network, so the application is dependent on this network.
Allow me to share some important information regarding the SkyMusic project. I am deeply grateful for the support the project has received; its development is progressing excellently. My previous experience with the Sia network enabled me not to start from scratch and acquire many new insights that can be further utilized in the project’s next phases.
Here is a brief summary of the project’s unseen additional results so far:
I have created a middleware API, which is crucial in handling API requests, thereby enhancing the system’s security by ensuring limited access. Middleware API is currently not available in public Github repository.
I have prepared the project documentation, which is currently not a public GitHub repository but exclusively and available on the https://docs.skymusic.app/ website. I am continuously developing this documentation. Currently, only the structure is in place, but I will update the document this week.
The project’s website, which presents the application, is separate from the application itself and can be found at https://skymusic.app/ . I cannot make the website public since its style conflicts with licensing limits, although this does not affect the application’s functionality, where I have applied a proprietary design. If this is a problem, then within the scope of this grant, I will create a landing page for the web application demo, which will naturally be open source.
Moreover, I am continually developing our music library.
If you would like to view the private repository for the middleware API and the documentation, just let me know and I’ll show you.
It is important to illustrate how uploading a song practically works:
I search artists who create music under the Creative Commons license.
I contact them via email to permit their music to be used in the SkyMusic project. Although this would not always be necessary, I consider this step ethical.
After obtaining permission, I begin uploading the songs, typically received in WAV format. The upload process requires the provision of only a few details, which I aim to further optimize for speed and simplicity. With the middleware API, I automatically convert the tracks into Opus format in various qualities (320, 160, 80, and 40 kbps), then upload them to the Sia network through the S5 network automatically and add the data to the database.
The files do not automatically enter the web application, providing an opportunity to make corrections in case of erroneous data. If everything is in order, I can easily update the songs in the database.
Forecasting maintenance costs, I’ve somewhat simplified it because the costs depend on several factors:
Assuming the application streams music content at 160 kbps quality, as recommended, it generates 72 MB of data traffic per hour. Currently, the average download price: (per TiB) is 5.93 USD (Sia Satellite). Based on this, I calculated that approximately 2456 hours of music listening generates 1 USD of cost.
So, the project will have one source of revenue, which is the donations detailed in the support system.
Introducing the support system:
The application’s support system is built on three two main elements.
Application Maintenance Costs: This is the most critical element, enabling the application’s operation. Users can directly support the costs necessary for the application’s operation, ensuring its uninterrupted maintenance.
Supporting Music Creators: The system automatically generates a viewership statistic daily, weekly, or monthly (I haven’t decided which to use yet) based on which music creators receive a share of the music creators’ support funds. The statistic measures the duration of music playback in seconds and distributes the current support amount among the creators accordingly. Payouts are made through the Sia platform, with complete transparency and automation.
Personal Support: Users also have the opportunity to directly support the person or group behind the application. This support does not directly affect the application’s operation but can contribute to the project’s long-term sustainability and development.
This three-tier support system ensures that all participants in the application receive a fair share of the available resources while maintaining the application’s high level of service and development.
Considering the project’s current status and needs, I would like to continue working along the future plans. I am highly motivated and would like to push my other projects and work into the background to fully concentrate on the SkyMusic project. Until now, I could only work on the project part-time, which was a significant disadvantage since I could not focus my full attention on it. Now, understanding the path to make the project more stable and future-proof – especially important for the Sia network as the application can increase network usage – I detailed my plans within this grant.
I intend to work on the project full-time to complete it as soon as possible and allow users to stream music smoothly. If possible, I would like to start the next phase of the project in April May.
The web application is available here: https://beta.skymusic.app/ (It’s not yet ready for the beta version, but I will launch the beta this week)
Should you have any questions, I am readily available to discuss the details further.
Thanks @mozes! Just so we can keep everything organized, please create a new proposal with your updates in the Proposed section. This specific thread has been moved to the Rejected section of our forum.