Feature – Darkblock https://www.darkblock.io Empowering creators with tools to achieve creative sovereignty Wed, 27 Sep 2023 21:25:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://www.darkblock.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/icon-66x66.png Feature – Darkblock https://www.darkblock.io 32 32 Darkblock launches PFP Content Factory to give PFP project founders a quick and easy way to spread the vibes https://www.darkblock.io/news/darkblock-launches-pfp-content-factory/ https://www.darkblock.io/news/darkblock-launches-pfp-content-factory/#comments Tue, 28 Mar 2023 18:02:38 +0000 https://www.darkblock.io/?p=3960 Darkblock, the multichain protocol and app that turns NFTs into decentralized vaults for digital assets, announced today the beta launch of its latest product, “PFP Content Factory.”

Building a PFP project is hard regardless of market conditions. Holders expect regular updates, new content, added value, etc., all while founders are trying to be heads-down building for the future.

Darkblock developed PFP Content Factory to provide these founders with a quick, fun and easy way (also free!) to engage with their holders, develop some camaraderie within the community, and spread the vibes.

PFP Content Factory is a content-generation and bulk-upgrade tool that allows project founders to quickly generate unique images derived from all the PFPs in their collection, then upload the entire batch of newly generated images and have each one automatically attach to the correct corresponding NFT within the collection. This is all done via Darkblock’s protocol.

These derivatives could include overlaying a border around each PFP with custom messages (e.g., “HODL to the moon” or “Find me at #ETHDenver”) or placing each PFP in a cheesy holiday-themed frame. The product will also enable founders to generate 3D assets, such as the original PFP in a digital frame to be hung in the metaverse. Darkblock is also working on the ability to bulk-feed the PFPs into an AI engine like Midjourney to generate AI derivatives, opening up even more possibilities for unique and exclusive content.

Take this PFP of a Blue Cow eating a mushroom…

Assume there are 10k unique and colorful cows like this in the collection. A project founder could use PFP Content Factory to easily create derivatives of all 10k PFPs by applying filters, overlaying borders with custom messages (e.g., “HODL to the moon” or “Find me at #ETHDenver”) or cheesy holiday-themed frames, or randomly applying various graphics.

“Taking a single PFP and putting a border around it is not hard—but quickly doing it to 10k PFPs, and then sorting those 10k new derivatives and attaching them to their correct corresponding PFP… That’s the magic behind PFP Content Factory,” said Chris Seline, CEO of Darkblock. “We’re excited to provide PFP projects with a powerful tool that they can use to push the boundaries of what’s possible with their NFT collections.”

Darkblock piloted the tool with Jungle Cats, a 5k-edition PFP project on Solana. For Valentine’s Day, Darkblock used PFP Content Factory to create Valentine’s Day-themed versions all Jungle Cat holders’ PFPs and then attaching them all in one go to their unique corresponding NFTs. Unlike an airdrop, these Valentine’s Day PFPs were free to deliver and will forever travel with their PFP.

Of course, project founders are also able to use Darkblock’s existing collection-upgrade tool to deliver other types of content (e.g., comic books, videos, films, PDFs, etc.) to all NFTs in a collection—something more akin to “Google Drive for NFTs.”

PFP Content Factory gives projects a low-effort touch point to stay engaged with their communities and, as Darkblock rolls out analytics tools, will give project founders a glimpse into just how engaged their holders are.

The PFP Content Factory is now available for use by PFP project founders. For more information, visit Darkblock’s website or get in touch.

]]> https://www.darkblock.io/news/darkblock-launches-pfp-content-factory/feed/ 1 View your NFTs’ Unlockable Content on OpenSea with Darkblock’s New Chrome Extension https://www.darkblock.io/news/opensea-chrome-extension/ https://www.darkblock.io/news/opensea-chrome-extension/#respond Fri, 16 Dec 2022 06:41:54 +0000 https://www.darkblock.io/?p=3835 One of web3’s promises is decentralization. From the creator perspective, that means controlling their work and having a direct relationship with their collectors and customers without relying on centralized platforms. That, by the way, is what our decentralized, open-source protocol makes possible. 

But to us, decentralization also means ownership of assets without relying on centralized gatekeepers. In other words, NFT buyers and collectors should be able to access their token’s unlockable content from anywhere… not just on a centralized marketplace like OpenSea, a creator’s token-gated website, or even our own dApp. That, by the way, is also what our protocol makes possible.

That will get easier for collectors as the Darkblock Protocol becomes a standard piece of the web3 tech stack, integrated everywhere people access and interact with their NFTs.

Until then, though, we want to make it easy for NFT owners to access their unlockable content in more of the places they hang out. Since OpenSea is far and away the most popular NFT marketplace, we figured it’s a great place to demonstrate how Darkblock enables decentralized content delivery.

Darkblock’s new OpenSea Chrome extension embeds the Darkblock widget into the marketplace, allowing visitors to immediately see whether an NFT contains unlockable content and, if it does, authenticate ownership of that NFT to unlock and consume the content, whether it’s a video, music tracks, PDFs, 3D assets, or any other type of digital good.

The extension is currently available on Google’s Chrome Web Store.

Please try it out and then head to OpenSea. Given how early we are as a protocol, the vast majority of NFTs do not contain decentralized unlockable content. But if you want to see how an NFT with unlockable content shows up on OpenSea, check out this one from well-known artist Matt Griffin, who used Darkblock to attach a time-lapse video of him creating the piece, a hi-res version collectors can use to print, and a PDF with lore about the character. Or this one from musician Songs of Eden, who uses Darkblock to reward his collectors by continually attaching exclusive videos of his live performances to his NFTs. 

If you want the full experience of owning an NFT and unlocking its content, we have a free NFT you’re welcome to mint that contains unlocklables (it’s on Polygon, so gas shouldn’t cost much). Once the NFT is in your wallet (and you have the Chrome extension installed), visit its detail page on OpenSea. You should see two pieces of unlockable content, including the first three teaser pages of a comic book that I think we should finish one day. But they won’t be accessible to you until you click on “Authenticate Ownership.” Your wallet will prompt you for your signature, after which the protocol will decrypt and display your content (assuming the NFT is in the wallet you have connected).

Darkblock’s Buddy Sample NFT with its unlockable content visible on OpenSea

Need a visual guide? We published an instructional video on our YouTube channel.Quick note: This Chrome extension is still in beta, so we’d love your feedback! Take it for a test drive, and if you like what Darkblock enables, feel free to build on top of our open-source code (Github). We’re also always available to answer questions on our Discord.

]]> https://www.darkblock.io/news/opensea-chrome-extension/feed/ 0 Four Stealth Things We’re Building to Add Utility to NFTs https://www.darkblock.io/news/four-stealth-things-were-building-to-add-utility-to-nfts/ https://www.darkblock.io/news/four-stealth-things-were-building-to-add-utility-to-nfts/#respond Mon, 21 Nov 2022 19:17:14 +0000 https://www.darkblock.io/?p=3823 While our priority at Darkblock is working with partners to integrate our decentralized encryption protocol, we also recognize the need to develop tools for creators to utilize our protocol to add utility to their NFTs. These tools facilitate the use of our protocol and aim to give users a more seamless and—as Michael Shoup from our partner Monark Market would say—“sexy.” Let’s dive into some of our not-so-secret side projects:

1. Darkblock TV App

First up is our TV app! While we launched an initial app last year, we recently pushed a significant update.  

The App is live now in the Google Play store (link) and Amazon App Store (link). If you want to display your NFTs on your TV or even unlock and watch videos attached to your NFTs, all you need is $25 to buy an Amazon Fire Stick. It might be a while until you’re buying Movie NFTs and unlocking the films via the Darkblock app, but that day will definitely come and we’re already working on building the foundation.

2. Mobile App

We know the trend is toward more and more content being consumed on their phones, so it was only a matter of time until we released a mobile app. Using a platform called Ionic, we wrote some code in React and Javascript and have exported it to mobile for Android and iOS. 

You can access and view your NFTs and Darkblocks right on your phone. It works with all five chains that Darkblock supports: Ethereum, Solana, Tezos, Avalanche, and Polygon. 

This is still in progress, so if you’re a developer working on a project that would benefit from mobile consumption of your content, songs, or videos, you can use this source code and build on it. For the code, simply reach out to us on discord. 

3. Browser Extension

Next up, our browser extension! This is live right now in the Google Chrome web store (link). This extension allows you to view, unlock and access your NFT’s unlockable content on OpenSea. All you have to do is download the extension, connect your wallet on OpenSea, and our widget will be inserted for you to authenticate ownership, decrypt, and display your content right on OpenSea. Run, don’t walk! 

4. Unity Plug-in

Saved the best for last. Our lead evangelist, Ragnar Mari, developed a plug-in that enables creators to attach Unity-based metaverse and game assets to NFTs, which the subsequent owners can then upload into the Unity-based metaverse and games at runtime. This is huge for developers and metaverse users wanting to upload their content into virtual environments without the risk of right-click-savers. Check out the full demo below to understand the full potential of this feature.

Darkblock is an encryption protocol for distributing & monetizing multimedia content and other digital goods in a web3-native by immutably attaching them to NFTs in the form of decentralized unlockable content only accessible by the NFT owner.

]]> https://www.darkblock.io/news/four-stealth-things-were-building-to-add-utility-to-nfts/feed/ 0 Deliver Exclusive Content to Your Community Using Darkblock’s NFT Collection Upgrade Tool https://www.darkblock.io/news/darkblock-collection-upgrades-exclusive-content-for-communities/ https://www.darkblock.io/news/darkblock-collection-upgrades-exclusive-content-for-communities/#respond Thu, 15 Sep 2022 14:30:22 +0000 https://darkblock.io/?p=3692 Web3 is all about community, whether you’re an NFT project founder looking for fellow degens who share your vision, a dev building a cool tool looking for traction, or an artist who’s attracted a dedicated group of collectors. 

NFTs are often used to represent membership in a community, but their utility often ends there. So what to do if you’re a creator who wants to reward holders? You could airdrop some ERC-20 tokens, token gate some content or experience on a Web2.5 platform, whitelist wallet addresses for a companion NFT drop, offer IRL merch, etc. 

But what if you could turn your existing NFTs into a content-delivery channel so you could reward holders directly with exclusive content?

The Darkblock protocol makes this a reality. As a creator, you can use Darkblock to add decentralized unlockable content to any NFT. You can add content to a single NFT, an entire collection, or even target NFTs with specific traits. The content you deliver is up to you; could be music, videos, lectures, comic books, animations, 3D metaverse assets, ebooks—the format is not a limiting factor. There’s also no limit to the amount of content you can add to an NFT, so you can provide a constant stream of content to NFT holders.

This added utility enables creators to explore new Web3-enabled business models. Want to deliver a new issue of your comic book to your audience each week? That’s doable. Want to release a new episode of your own animated TV show? Yep. Want to sell NFTs to your audience and use them as a delivery channel for your OnlyFans content? It’s possible with Darkblock.

How exactly does it work? Using the Darkblock app (or a growing number of Web3 platforms integrating the Darkblock protocol), NFT creators upload the digital content they want to sell via NFTs or deliver to existing holders. Darkblock’s protocol then encrypts the content, stores it on Arweave (the only decentralized and permanent storage solution out there), and immutably ties to your chosen NFT. Again, you can attach content to a single NFT, an entire 10k PFP collection, or use the trait-targeting feature to deliver a piece of content to the holders of… female zombie heads, for example. From the creator dashboard, you can also determine how you want holders to be able to interact with your content. Is it downloadable or not? Can it be rented out (using the protocol to allow holders to rent darkblock content is on the roadmap)? Up to you as the creator.   

Darkblock currently supports five chains: Ethereum, Solana, Tezos, Polygon and Avalanche. The tool to upgrade a single NFT is at app.darkblock.io. If you’re interested in the full collection-upgrade tool, you’ll need to use one of these links (as the feature is still in beta and not fully integrated into our web app yet):

But how do NFT holders access the content, you might ask. NFT owners could always use the Darkblock web app, but an even better solution would be for you as an NFT creator (or dev working on any web3 platform) to use Darkblock’s easy integration tools to embed a Darkblock Viewer right on your own project website (read how in our docs). 

The Darkblock Viewer, whether on your own website or our app, allows NFT owners to find an NFT that contains one or more darkblocks, authenticate ownership of said NFT, decrypt the content, and then consume the content right in the Darkblock Viewer. The Viewer supports lots of file formats, so watching a video or reading an ebook is intuitive and easy.

Embedding the Darkblock Viewer on your own site ensures your community members don’t need to leave your website to consume your content. Darkblock is also in various stages of integration with NFT marketplaces and other web3 platforms. We’re also close to releasing our Android TV app that will allow your holders to display their NFT art (you could store a high-res version as a darkblock) or watch your videos or even full-length films on their smart TVs.

The Darkblock protocol is revolutionary for two reasons: 1) It allows creators to interact with and deliver content directly to their communities of NFT holders without a centralized platform taking a cut of their proceeds, and 2) their holders have ownership/stake in your content for the first time. This ownership allows for community building unlike ever before. Darkblock’s collection-upgrade feature allows for a subscriber-like following/loyalty with or without a recurring fee to access the content. Instead, your community members own the content the same way they would if they went out and bought one of your CDs or Blu-Rays or comic books. This means that it is in everyone’s best interest for the NFT to succeed and gain value. 

And NFTs would gain value. A NFT that has dozens of pieces of existing content would likely be more valuable on the secondary market than a brand new NFT that hasn’t been upgraded with darkblocks yet. The more content the NFT creator uploads, the more value the NFT holds. The longer you have subscribed to your favorite web3 musician, the more you are rewarded. 

Collection upgrades are the future of subscription services and community-building platforms because all players win: the creator, the collector, and the community.

If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of collection upgrades with Darkblock, or have questions about how to embed the Darkblock Viewer in your own project website, reach out on Twitter or Discord. We are happy to help integrate our protocol into your web3 project!

]]> https://www.darkblock.io/news/darkblock-collection-upgrades-exclusive-content-for-communities/feed/ 0 “What is UPP!?” Darkblock Presents: Unlockable Party Packs! https://www.darkblock.io/news/what-is-upp-darkblock-presents-unlockable-party-packs/ https://www.darkblock.io/news/what-is-upp-darkblock-presents-unlockable-party-packs/#respond Mon, 18 Jul 2022 14:32:15 +0000 https://darkblock.io/?p=3693 Unlockable Party Packs, or UPPs, is the latest unlockable feature offered by Darkblock. The packs debuted during NFT NYC at the Beyond the Metaverse Party hosted by Spatial, Ready Player Me, and David Cash.

For this event, physical cards with a unique QR code were handed out to attendees. The code on the UPP card granted party goers access (after NFT wallet verification) to the unlockable photos uploaded by the event photographer. However, the packs are not limited to photos. Any digital content can be attached to an unlockable party pack.

UPPs enable shared ownership of digital content by any user with access to an NFT. The Beyond the Metaverse event chose QR codes/cards, but the NFT activation doesn’t have to be QR codes. The NFT that gets upgraded could be the ticket to the event, a token, or any other proof of presence (PoP) tool.

The packs enable extended engagement with your community via retroactive distribution. Send attendee’s merch, give your biggest fans exclusive access to upcoming events, offer discount codes to a select group, etc.

Best of all, the packs are easy to use! Even web3 novices are accustomed to scanning QR codes on their phones. While wallet verification is required to access the unlockables, onboarding newcomers is easier than ever as companies continue to reduce barriers to entry and simplify the wallet creation process.

Interested in offering your event attendees or biggest fans exclusive unlockable content? Reach out on twitter or discord and we will help you set it up! (Spoiler, it’s incredibly simple!)

]]> https://www.darkblock.io/news/what-is-upp-darkblock-presents-unlockable-party-packs/feed/ 0 Darkblock Adds Mobile Support https://www.darkblock.io/news/darkblock-adds-mobile-support/ https://www.darkblock.io/news/darkblock-adds-mobile-support/#respond Fri, 24 Jun 2022 14:26:02 +0000 https://darkblock.io/?p=3688 Users can now create, view, and upgrade Darkblocks on their mobile device.

Solana, Polygon, Avalanche, and Ethereum creators can now access app.darkblock.io using Phantom and Metamask mobile wallets. All users have to do to access their unlockable content is log into their mobile wallet app, open the in-app browser, and go to app.darkblock.io (see below).

View your NFTs
Access your Unlockables
Supports Many Content Types

Creators can use the mobile integration to add content to their existing Darkblocks (article on content stacking here), create new Darkblocks, or decrypt and view their Darkblocks. NFT collectors can use the mobile integration to easily access their NFTs and view any Darkblocks they own.

Although the NFT movement is mostly desktop-based, we believe seamless accessibility to NFT content on mobile devices is essential in establishing mass adoption of NFTs.

At Darkblock, our vision is to enable creators to deliver their content to their community, regardless of where they are. Mobile support enables that flexibility, new monetization strategies, and greater user engagement.

For a step by step video on how to access your unlockables on the Metamask Mobile App, watch our YouTube video here.

Stay tuned for added mobile wallet compatibility and other Darkblock news on our twitter / discord.

]]> https://www.darkblock.io/news/darkblock-adds-mobile-support/feed/ 0 Content Stacking Now Available on Darkblock https://www.darkblock.io/news/content-stacking-now-available-on-darkblock/ https://www.darkblock.io/news/content-stacking-now-available-on-darkblock/#respond Wed, 22 Jun 2022 14:23:26 +0000 https://darkblock.io/?p=3686

Content Stacking and Collection upgrades are officially LIVE on Darkblock. These added features will allow creators to expand their NFT offerings and change the way content is consumed in web3.

Content Stacking

Content Stacking with Darkblock will allow multiple unlockable files to be attached to one NFT. This is a frequently requested feature for artists, especially Musicians. With content stacking, an entire album of music can be attached to a cover art NFT. While the world could see the album cover NFT, only the verified owner could unlock the music.

Creators can also choose when to release content. This allows musicians to release tracks once per month or as they are ready. In addition to music, this release feature also lends itself well to subscription-based services in web3 (think decentralized OnlyFans /Patreon).

Stacking use cases:

-Album release with cover art

-How to video with instructional pdfs

-Ebooks (chapters + audio)

-Lecture/teaching content

-Tickets and directions to a concert

-Send VIPs backstage passes

-Update contracts/paperwork

Collection Upgrades

Similar to content stacking, collection upgrades allow users to add new content to existing NFTs. Available on our API, content upgrades allow NFT creators to customize their releases, turning any NFT collection into a membership pass for content. Users can upgrade a collection over time, release content to all NFT holders, or release exclusive content to a select group of NFT holders. Offer your biggest followers or contributors VIP access, merch, or content.

We are always upgrading and adding new features at Darkblock. If you are looking for a specific feature, let us know! We are always available on our discord at chat.darkblock.io

]]> https://www.darkblock.io/news/content-stacking-now-available-on-darkblock/feed/ 0