As of this week, we now support PulseChain! This integration opens up a world of possibilities for creators, users, and developers in the PulseChain ecosystem.

For Users: Upgrade Your NFTs with Multimedia Content

The Darkblock protocol enables any multimedia file to be encrypted and permanently attached to a single NFT or entire collection, creating what we call token-bound assets that are portable, composable, and able to be accessed in a decentralized way via our open-source Viewer.

By using the Darkblock app (though we’d love to see devs build new ones for the PulseChain ecosystem), anyone can now easily encrypt and attach whatever type of content they like—whether PDFs, EPUBs, MP3s, MP4s, GLBs, etc.—to their NFTs. Only owners of the NFTs will be able to decrypt and access the content (learn more in our docs).

Using Darkblock is a perfect way for creators to sell premium content in a web3-native way or for artists or project founders to reward their communities of holders with exclusive goodies. You can even embed our open-source Viewer in your own website, offering a portal to the Darkblock app that holders can use to decrypt and access their token-bound files and allowing you to keep your community on your site rather than send them to a platform’s token-gated walled garden.

For Developers: Build the Future of Web3 Applications

Darkblock’s support for PulseChain means developers can now integrate Darkblock into their apps, platforms, games, and more.

One of the powers of Darkblock is that it showcases the power of composability in a whole new way—with multimedia files. You see, once NFTs’ carry token-bound assets (rather than the assets being locked in walled gardens and token-gated) they become accessible to any app or platform or game that integrates the Darkblock protocol.

Imagine crafting entirely new user experiences where token-bound assets act as media building blocks. Using Darkblock, devs could build web3-native versions of Audible, OnlyFans, Kindle, Gumroad, etc., on PulseChain. Games and Metaverses could integrate the protocol to enable users to connect their wallets and upload their 3D avatars and metaverse assets at runtime. For example, each Pulse Cat holder could have the 3D file encrypted and attached to their NFT.

Unleash your creativity and leverage Darkblock on PulseChain to pioneer the next generation of decentralized apps! Check out the docs or come chat in our Discord’s dev-chat channel.

How to Get Started: Connect Your Wallet

Ready to explore the potential of Darkblock on PulseChain and redefine the possibilities of NFTs?

If you’re a creator or project founder, visit our app, connect your wallet and begin encrypting multimedia content that you want to attach to your NFTs.

For developers, our documentation provides the necessary insights to seamlessly integrate Darkblock into your projects.

Darkblock is here to empower creators, users, and developers in the ever-evolving landscape of blockchain technology, so we can’t wait to see what the PulseChain community creates with Darkblock.

Stay tuned for more updates, innovations, and a future where NFTs are more than just static images – they’re a gateway to immersive, multimedia experiences.

From the beginning, Darkblock has offered its Viewer as an integral part of its end-to-end solution for helping creators sell premium content in a web3-native way—i.e., we don’t want to just let creators encrypt and attach multimedia files to their NFTs, though that alone would be super cool, we want to provide them with a simple, no-code way for their fans to decrypt and access those files on their own website rather than rely on third-party apps or token-gated platforms.

Darkblock’s Viewer is a powerful tool designed to provide a seamless and immersive experience for both creators and NFT holders. But the original version did have its limitations, especially when it comes to Ethereum and EVM chains. This is because when a creator embeds the original Darkblock Viewer on their site—which is as easy to do as embedding a YouTube video—they need to designate a single token the Viewer is set up to handle, which means it works well for creators who want to give access to content attached to an ERC-1155 edition, but not a great fit for creators with an ERC-721 collection.

Darkblock’s new collection-level Viewer eliminates those limitations. Check it out now in our docs or read on for what it enables for creators.

Breaking Free from Single-Token Constraints

With the new collection-level Viewer, creators can break free from the shackles of single-token limitations.

By embedding the collection-level Viewer on their website, creators can now let their fans connect their wallets and access all the content they own from an entire collection, even if it’s unique content attached to multiple ERC-721 tokens within that collection.

Here’s an example that will help illustrate why this is relevant. Say Yuga Labs wants to enhance the value of its Apes and uses Darkblock to encrypt and attach a unique 3D, metaverse-ready Ape avatar to the corresponding ERC-721 token (easy to do via Darkblock’s PFP Content Factory). That would be cool (especially if Yuga partnered with a metaverse or game that uses Darkblock’s Unity plug-in to enable the automatic upload of that avatar at runtime…). Then, say, it wanted to attach some exclusive VIP passes to its solid gold- and trippy- fur Apes.

If Yuga wanted to embed the original Viewer, they’d need to get developers involved to allow holders to enter their individual token or build a wrapper that would enhance the Viewer to display multiple 721s. Both doable with Yuga’s resources, but out of reach for many small projects and indie creators.

With the new collection-level Viewer Yuga could embed it on their site with some simple HTML code (like we said, as easy as embedding a YouTube video) and each holder, after connecting their wallet, would immediately have access to any token-bound files attached to any NFTs they own from that collection. 

The collection-level Viewer means it’s no longer about one token – it’s about the entire collection.

Seamless, Intuitive, and User-Friendly

Our mission at Darkblock is to make it as easy as possible for creators to monetize their content in web3. The collection-level Viewer is intuitive, ensuring holders enjoy a user-friendly interface while navigating through the content attached to their NFTs, whether it’s art, music, ebooks, or any token-bound asset.

This enhancement is not just about functionality; it’s about transforming the way creators showcase their NFTs. The collection-level Viewer enables creators to offer a richer, more engaging experience to their fans right on their own website, fostering deeper connections with their community. 

As we continue to build and evolve, we’re excited about the endless possibilities this enhancement brings to the world of decentralized, token-bound content.

The collection level embeds are only available for EVM chains currently. If you need this functionality for another chain, please contact us in our Discord to request the feature!

About Darkblock

Darkblock, a web3 pioneer in decentralized content delivery and monetization, enables creators to control the distribution, accessibility, and monetization of their content without making it right-click-savable. By repurposing NFTs into tokenized vaults for digital content (e.g., music, videos, podcasts, films, comics, ebooks, 3D metaverse or gaming assets, or even HTML files), Darkblock provides the encryption infrastructure creators need to harness the power of web3 technology, unlock new storytelling and community-building tools, explore new business models and ultimately build a new creator economy free from platform control.

Website | Discord | Twitter | YouTube | Medium | LinkedIn

NFTs have redefined digital ownership, extending far beyond the realm of digital art. The teams behind Darkblock and Unlock recognized this and have for years been building toward a shared mission—empowering creators with web3-native ways (i.e., permissionless, decentralized ways) to form and engage with their communities, moving them closer to creative sovereignty.

While Darkblock has been at the forefront of decentralizing content, freeing it from the walled gardens of web2 platforms by enabling creators to encrypt and permanently attach their multimedia files to NFTs (creating token-bound content), Unlock’s unique contribution to this evolving space has been enabling creators to leverage NFTs to explore web3-native subscription and membership-based business models.

Giving creators access to both capabilities is why Darkblock’s integration of Unlock Protocol is so powerful.

Flexibility and Customization

One of the key highlights of this integration is the freedom it provides to creators.

Stella Achenbach, founder of The ALANA Project, sees all kinds of groundbreaking opportunities by integrating Darkblock and Unlock into her tech stack.

“The capabilities offered by utilizing Darkblock in combination with Unlock Protocol is something I’ve been looking for a long time,” Achenbach says. “It provides us with the opportunity to build our community and sell subscriptions to exclusive content, all in a web3-native way that doesn’t rely on centralized platforms or solutions, which is a game changer for us.

“We’re beginning with selling subscriptions to ALANAmagazine and exclusive holder content, and we see the potential for so many more use cases as we continue to build and deliver value within our community.”

Watch the video below to see how creators can use Unlock Protocol to deploy a smart contract (referred to as a “lock”) and mint an NFT (referred to as a “key”) with specific conditions and time-based constraints on digital ownership, then use Darkblock’s no-code app to encrypt and attach multimedia files to those NFTs that, by virtue of a simple checkbox added to the workflow, will only be accessible to an NFT’s owner based on time constraints the creator set via Unlock.

New Business Models Unlocked

This level of customization now available to creators empowers them to experiment with various, web3-native business models, whether it’s renting content or other digital assets or selling subscriptions or memberships that come with access to exclusive content.

Subscription-Based Magazines

Imagine launching a subscription-based magazine powered by NFTs. With Unlock Protocol and Darkblock, creators can offer their readers exclusive content through NFT memberships. Whether it’s monthly issues, premium articles, or interactive multimedia experiences, this integration paves the way for innovative publishing models in the digital age.

Web3-Native Patreon

Creators can take their memberships and subscriptions to the next level by building a web3-native Patreon-style platform. With Unlock Protocol’s NFTs, creators can grant members access to premium content for as long as they remain members. Darkblock’s integration ensures the content is encrypted, stored in a decentralized manner, and accessible in diverse ways.

Time-Based Rentals

For creators such as musicians, filmmakers, or game developers, this integration introduces the concept of time-based rentals. Use Unlock Protocol to mint NFTs that grant time-based access to the token-bound music, film or 3D game assets enabled by Darkblock protocol.

Enabling the Future of Web3 Content

The integration of Darkblock and Unlock Protocol marks a significant milestone in the world of NFTs and content distribution. It’s a powerful example of how blockchain technology can empower creators and revolutionize the way content is monetized and shared.

If you’re a creator looking to explore these exciting possibilities, we invite you to join us on this journey. Watch the video below that demonstrates how easy is it is for a creator to use Unlock to mint their membership NFTs, then use Darkblock to encrypt and attach content to those NFTs that will be accessible based on the time-based conditions set via Unlock.

The future of content ownership and distribution is here!

About Darkblock

Darkblock, a web3 pioneer in decentralized content delivery and monetization, enables creators to control the distribution, accessibility, and monetization of their content without making it right-click-savable. By repurposing NFTs into tokenized vaults for digital content (e.g., music, videos, podcasts, films, comics, ebooks, 3D metaverse or gaming assets, or even HTML files), Darkblock provides the encryption infrastructure creators need to harness the power of web3 technology, unlock new storytelling and community-building tools, explore new business models and ultimately build a new creator economy free from platform control.
Website | Discord | Twitter | YouTube | Medium | LinkedIn

About Unlock Protocol
Unlock Protocol is building the web’s new business model by enabling new ways for developers, brands, and creators to manage memberships online. Unlock’s solution is an open source, Ethereum-based protocol that streamlines membership management for online communities. Unlock Protocol can be applied to events, ticketing, certifications and credentials, content, subscriptions, newsletters, gaming, API access, or any application that requires time-based membership authorization and access. Learn more at https://unlock-protocol.com

Platforms like OpenSea offer an unlockable content feature to creators who use its apps to mint their NFTs. In the early days, this was one of the only options creators had to provide collectors who bought their NFTs with exclusive access to content.

But OpenSea’s feature is extremely limited—and, if you’re a creator drawn to web3 because you care about controlling your content, you should know it’s a centralized, token-gating approach with very little difference from web2’s model.

• OpenSea only allows creators to add text to the unlockable file. No multimedia files are allowed.
• Links are allowed, though, which means if you want to share multimedia files with collectors, you need to host them elsewhere and link to them from within the OpenSea text file
• The text file is not stored onchain, but on OpenSea’s servers, leaving it susceptible to the well-known risks of centralization. For example, if OpenSea ever shut down or discontinued its unlockable content feature, your collectors would lose access to that content.
• Because the file is stored on OpenSea’s servers and has no real ties to the NFT, it is not portable or composable. In other words, your collectors can’t connect their wallet on another NFT marketplace or platform and access the file. Just like web2’s model (e.g., you can’t read your Kindle books on another ereader or watch that movie you bought on Apple Movies via the Netflix app), there’s no true ownership there.

This is web3. We can do much better.

At Darkblock, we’ve created a web3-native solution for creators who want to provide their collectors with exclusive access to content.

What does “web3-native mean”? It means we forgot everything we know about how creators currently sell premium content, and how we purchase and consume it. Then, we began with first principles to build a new solution that avoids web2’s pitfalls and instead leverages a cryptographic technique known as proxy re-encryption, decentralized storage, and blockchain technology’s ability to provide trustless, immutable and verifiable recordkeeping of ownership and provenance.

The result is the Darkblock Protocol, which enables creators to encrypt and permanently attach multimedia files to their NFTs, creating token-bound content that travels with the NFT (i.e., it’s portable because it’s not stored on any one platform’s servers) and is only unlockable by the NFT’s owner. Encrypted files are stored on Arweave, avoiding the platform-centric constraints of web2 and token gating.

For creators exploring web3-native solutions that give them more control over how they sell and distribute their content, Darkblock emerges as the clear winner when compared to OpenSea’s centralized, inflexible approach.

Let’s break down why Darkblock’s token-bound content surpasses OpenSea’s unlockable content in providing creators with control, flexibility, and confidence that their content won’t disappear one day.

Portability and Composability

OpenSea’s unlockable content is confined to the platform, which means that’s the only place collectors can access your content.

By storing encrypted files on an open and decentralized storage network, your token-bound content becomes portable and composable.

Portability means the token-bound files travel with the NFT and can be unlocked and accessed from any app, platform, or marketplace that integrates the protocol, as well as from a creator’s own website via our open-source Darkblock Viewer, which is as easy to embed as a YouTube video. As the network of integrated apps expands, this portability empowers creators to reach wider audiences beyond a single platform, enhancing discoverability and engagement.

Composability means developers can use Darkblock’s permissionless protocol to build apps and platforms that can freely use the token-bound content as media building blocks to create new user experiences and monetization opportunities that empower creators and consumers.

Some examples of composability:

• A music streaming app that scans a user’s wallet for token-bound MP3s they bought from musicians, then plays those tracks on the user’s Alexa device
• An ereader app that imports a user’s token-bound PDFs or EPUBs purchased directly from authors or publishers
• A video player or TV app that streams token-bound films, videos, or cartoons
• A game or metaverse that uploads a user’s token-bound assets at runtime, whether avatars, digital wearables, or other digital goods (Darkblock’s Unity plug-in already enables this)

Expanded Content Possibilities

OpenSea’s unlockable content is limited to plain-text content. While this may suffice for certain applications, creators who want to offer a more immersive experience through multimedia content, such as videos, audio files, or interactive elements will be disappointed.

Darkblock enables creators to attach a diverse range of files to their NFTs, including MP4s, MP3s, PDFs, EPUBs, HTML, GLB, and more. This opens up new possibilities for creators to deliver premium content and unlock innovative web3-native business models.

Long-term Viability and Interoperability

As the NFT ecosystem continues to evolve, ensuring the longevity and compatibility of your content is crucial. OpenSea’s unlockable content is tied to the platform itself, meaning the content’s availability and accessibility relies on the platform’s existence.

Centralized approaches will always be susceptible to single-points of failure, which is why Darkblock is progressively decentralizing every step in the content journey from creator to consumer: encryption, storage, and access.

When you use Darkblock, you’re future-proofing your content.

Darkblock stores the encrypted content on Arweave, a decentralized storage network that’s designed to be self-sustaining and permissionless. The encrypted files are bound to the NFT via immutable metadata, providing long-term viability and interoperability across various platforms and marketplaces, safeguarding the value of the content for both creators and collectors. Darkblock has also open-sourced its Viewer, which means anyone (not just Darkblock) can embed a Viewer on their website and give owners a portal to unlock and access their token-bound content.

Conclusion

While OpenSea’s unlockable content feature has its merits, Darkblock emerges as the clear frontrunner for creators seeking enhanced security, decentralization, expanded content possibilities, and long-term viability. By adopting Darkblock’s token-bound content approach, creators can leverage the power of web3-native solutions, reaching new audiences, fostering fan engagement, and forging their path in the decentralized creator economy.

This guide walks you through how to spin up a web3-native ecommerce website like the one we built at web3investors.xyz that will enable you to sell any type of digital good—ebooks, PDFs, movies, online courses, audiobooks, 3D metaverse assets, NSFW content, etc.—as a token-bound asset (i.e., the files are encrypted and immutably attached to an NFT).

When you’re done, your site will take crypto or credit card for payment, and your buyers won’t even need to own a wallet to purchase your token-bound asset. After purchase, your buyers will be able to unlock and consume the content directly on your site, or on any app, marketplace or platform that integrates the Darkblock Protocol.

We built web3investors.xyz—where you can purchase a list of 6,000+ names and emails of web3 investors in the form of token-bound .csv and .xlsx files—for two reasons. First, we know fundraising is hard and we wanted to help other web3 founders in their fundraising efforts. Second, after compiling the list for our own use, we realized it offered a great opportunity to showcase how our tech enables anyone to sell any type of digital content or other asset in a web3-native way.

Token-bound assets come with certain benefits, especially when compared with the centralized token-gating model.

• Portability—The encrypted files, and their encryption keys, travel with the NFT (i.e., if someone sells your token, they lose access to the attached files)
• Composability—The files are composable with any app that integrates the Darkblock Protocol. For example, a third-party app scans a user’s wallet for token-bound MP3 files attached via the Darkblock Protocol and lets the user play them on their Alexa device). It’s like Loot—remember that project?—but entire digital files are composable rather than just traits.
• Decentralized—The files are stored on Arweave, a decentralized content “blockweave,” which allows users to access the files on any app or platform that integrates the protocol, on a creator’s website via an easy iframe embed of the Darkblock Viewer, or even on OpenSea via Darkblock’s Chrome extension. Since the files aren’t tied to any one platform, they are free from centralized platform risk, unlike token-gated content, which disappears if the platform or website hosting the content and the “gate” shut down (as happened when the token-gating platform, Rally, shut down recently, and will happen in a few months when Orvylle completes its shuttering).
• Censorship-resistant—The files are censorship-resistant. They’re not owned and controlled by a platform, which can make whatever edits it wants without telling you. Once the files are encrypted and stored on Arweave, they’re immutable.
• True ownership—By introducing decentralization into how digital assets are stored and accessed, buyers of these NFTs (both via primary and secondary sales) have a sense of true ownership of the content they buy, which is untrue in the web2 model, where content platforms like Kindle and Apple Movies control the files and sell users the illusion of ownership.

Token-bound assets realize one of the fundamental promises of the web3 movement—shifting from a platform-centric model (i.e., Kindle, Audible, Apple Movies, OnlyFans, etc.) to a user-centric model where the content’s owner owns the keys and decides where they connect their wallet to unlock and access the files. 

This is the future of digital assets, the future of content, and the future of the decentralized web.

Getting started

Here is this project’s repo, which you can clone and dive into, but read through this guide to learn what other pieces you need to put it all together. Keep in mind that this project will require some technical skill. While we’d like to create a no-code solution for spinning up these sites, we’re not quite there yet. Using Thirdweb and Darkblock are fairly straightforward and definitely doable for non-devs, but Step 5 (i.e., where you need to create the Access Page) is where it gets technical. If you don’t know what “Yarn install” means, you’ll need to enlist the help of a dev to get your site past the finish line.

Overview

As you build your website, you will use the following tools and tech platforms:

• Darkblock’s Protocol & App—to encrypt, store on Arweave, and immutably attach digital content or other assets to your NFTs
• Thirdweb—to deploy the contract and mint the NFT
• Paper—to create a Purchase Page where customers can buy your token-bound digital asset with an email address (which will create a custodial wallet) and a credit card, or with crypto and their non-custodial wallet.

The website consists of three main parts:

• Sales Page—to describe your product and deliver your sales pitch
• Purchase Page—generated by Paper to sell your token-bound digital content
• Access Page—where buyers can unlock and access their newly purchased content

Step 1 — Create your Sales Page

This step is up to you. You can use any website as a sales page. This is where you describe your content or digital product and why people should buy it; this is your sales pitch. If you succeed in getting your prospective customer to click the “Buy now” button, they’ll be sent to the Purchase Page we’ll create in Step 4 where they can purchase your token-bound content.

For web3investors.xyz, we used this react landing page template designed by the talented Issaaf Kattan.

Step 2 — Create your NFT with Thirdweb

In this step you’ll deploy a contract to the blockchain of your choice (in our example, we use Polygon), determine the price of your NFT, and mint the first token from the collection.

1. Visit Thirdweb’s dashboard and connect your wallet. (Note: Make sure you pay attention to which wallet you use during this step as you will need to connect with the same wallet in step 2 when you use Darkblock to encrypt and attach assets to your NFT.)
2. Select “Browse Contracts.”
3. In our example, we’re selling editions of a single token, so we’ll need to deploy an ERC-1155 contract. Select “Edition Drop” from among the different contract options.
4. Feel free to read more about Thirdweb’s Edition Drop contract in its docs. Once you’re ready select the blue “Deploy Contract” button in the top right of the screen.
5. Fill in the contract details:
   1. Give your NFT a name
   2. Provide a description
   3. Upload an image that will be used to represent the NFT when seen in marketplaces and other web3 apps
   4. Set the wallet addresses that will receive funds from primary sales, as well as the recipient addresses for royalties collected on secondary sales
   5. Select the blockchain to which you want the contract deployed. Because this is an ERC-1155 contract, we’re operating in the Ethereum ecosystem, so you have a choice between deploying to Mainnet, a Testnet or other EVM-compatible chain (e.g., Polygon, Optimism, Arbitrum, Avalanche, etc.). In our example, we used Polygon.
6. Select “Deploy Now.”
7. Mint an NFT (“Single Upload” button in the NFT’s section of your contract)
8. Set the “Claim Conditions”
9. Finally, you will need to claim a token for yourself. This is important because you need one NFT to be on-chain so you can upgrade it with Darkblock encrypted content in the next step. Do this via the “Claim” tab next to the “Claim Conditions” tab.

Step 3 — Use Darkblock to create your token-bound content

In this step you’ll use Darkblock’s app to encrypt and attach your digital files to the NFT you created in the previous step.

1. Go to Darkblock’s app and connect with the same wallet you used in Step 1. When connecting, you’ll have the option to select your chain. Darkblock supports five chains—Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, Avalanche, and Tezos. In our example, we used Polygon, but select whichever chain you opted for in Step 1.
2. You need to find the new NFT you just minted to your wallet. To do this, you can click on “My NFTs” in the main nav bar, which will take you to a gallery view of all NFTs in that wallet. If you don’t have a lot of NFTs in your wallet, this is a quick way to navigate to the NFT in question. If you used your degen wallet and have as many NFTs as I do, you can use the Search option on the main nav bar—just enter the chain, contract address, and token ID to be take directly to your NFT.
3. Once you select the NFT, the detail page will have the NFT’s image on the left, the description in the top right, and the Darkblock Viewer below that. There won’t be any content there, but you’re about to add some. If you connected with the same wallet you used to deploy the contract, then you should see an “+Add Content” button above the Viewer to the right. Click on it. (Note: Because we’re selling an ERC-1155 token, which allows you to sell editions/copies of the same token, we only need to upgrade that single token ID with the unlockable asset/assets. Everyone that then buys an edition of that NFT will get access to the assets.)
4. Select the digital file you want to attach to the NFT, give it a name, optional description, and select whether the file is downloadable or not. Darkblock supports any file type, which means you could sell anything: music tracks, videos, EPUB files, PDFs, 3D files, etc. (Note: You can also upgrade entire contracts/collections. If you go to “+Upgrade” in the main nav bar and select “Upgrade a Collection” from the dropdown menu, you can attach content to an entire collection or to specific portions of the collection by selecting specific token IDs or even traits.)
5. Click “Create” and sign with your wallet.
6. Congrats! You have now successfully used the Darkblock Protocol to bind your digital content or product to your NFT.
7. Next let’s get ready to sell these sweet NFTs!

Step 4 — Create the Purchase Page with Paper

In this step, you’ll create the page where your customers will purchase your digital content or product.

1. Go to Paper’s website and connect to the dashboard. If this is your first time using Paper, you’ll need to sign up for a developer account.
2. Go to “Contracts” in the “Checkout” section. Here we will be importing the contract we deployed with Thirdweb.
   1. Click on “Register Contract” and select “Register your contract” from the dropdown menu
   2. Fill in the information about the contract you deployed on Thirdweb.
   3. Under “Contract Type,” select “thirdweb Contract” from the dropdown.
   4. Click “Register.”
3. You now have a contract you can use to create a link to your Purchase Page. On the Contracts page, find your new contract and click on the “Create Shareable Link” button on the far right.
4. Fill out the information that will be visible on the Purchase Page. You’ll notice there’s no where to set a price—that’s because you already defined the price when you set up the “Claim Conditions” for the NFT on Thirdweb. If you need to edit or create new claim conditions, return to Thirdweb and navigate to the contract you deployed. Any changes made there will be reflected on your Purchase Page.
   1. 1. Enter the “Post-Purchase URL.” This will be the link to the “Access Page” on your website, which we’ll build in the next step, where your customers will be sent after a successful purchase to unlock and access the encrypted assets you attached in Step 2. It should use the “?successful=true” flag, so: yoururl.site/?successful=true. For example, for the Ultimate Web3 Investor List, the Post-Purchase URL is: https://access.web3investors.xyz/?successful=true
      2. Enter the “Error URL.” This will be the link to the error page on your site where a buyer will be sent if they’re unable to make a purchase. It should use the “?successful=false” flag, so: yoururl.site/?successful=false. For example, for the Ultimate Web3 Investor List, the Error RL is: https://access.web3investors.xyz/?successful=false

   

5. After you have completed these steps, the link to your Purchase Page is complete. Test it out to make sure it works.
6. Next look under the “Embedded Wallets” section on the lefthand sidebar and select “Auth Settings.”
7. Under “Allowlisted Domains,” add the URL to your Access Page (i.e., the Post-Purchase URL you entered a few steps ago) so that buyers who use a credit card and an email address to create a Paper custodial wallet can connect to your Access Page and sign to prove ownership of the NFT.
8. That’s it!

Step 5 — Create the Access Page

In this step, you’ll create the page where a buyer is automatically redirected post-purchase and will be able to unlock and access the digital files you attached to your NFT. If the purchase fails for whatever reason there is an error message and a button that takes them back to the Purchase Page to retry the purchase. If it is successful the user is prompted to connect with the wallet they made the purchase with. On this page we are using Thirdweb’s Connect Wallet Button component and because it supports Paper email wallets, even those who bought using email can just type in their email address and connect with a Magic link they get sent.

After they have connected, they can access the Darkblock unlockable content that is being delivered to them via the Darkblock Viewer in just an easy iframe embed.

(Note: If you’ve made it this far w/out problems, but don’t know what “Yarn install” means, this is where you may need some assistance.)

1. Start by cloning the Access Page repo
2. Yarn install
3. Login to the paper dashboard and get the clientId from the auth section
4. Pass the client id to the paperWallet function in the ThirdwebProvider configuration in your application (the Access Page).
5. Modify the config object
   1. Add your contract address and token id
   2. Pick a blockchain you are working on
   3. Add the URL to your paper minting site
6. Modify the MESSAGES object to reflect your needs.
7. Deploy the page to netlify or vercel for example
8. Done.

Summary

And that’s it. That is how you create a web3-native digital asset e-commerce site. Token gating is so web2. This is the only thing that makes sense if you want to sell digital assets that you and your buyers expect to be permanent. This is just the beginning of this revolution. Learn more at darkblock.io and if you have any questions join the Darkblock discord and we’ll do our best to help you out.

Good luck!

Here’s the GitHub Repo again: https://github.com/darkblockio/web3-native-ecommerce-template

Darkblock just wrapped up a project with Jungle Cats, a PFP project on Solana, that yielded the creation of more than 110,000 unique 3D assets. Using Darkblock’s protocol for decentralized unlockable content, each of these 3D assets was encrypted, stored in a darkblock that was minted on Arweave, and immutably attached to one of the 5,585 NFTs in the Jungle Cats collection.

This morning, holders of each Jungle Cats NFT has exclusive access to 10 unique 3D frames that showcase their iconic lion PFP. These frames vary in shape and color, ensuring that every asset is a truly one-of-a-kind addition to the NFT holder’s collection. NFT holders can now showcase their framed Jungle Cats PFP in virtual reality environments or explore augmented reality experiences. The possibilities are limited only by the imagination of the Jungle Cats community.

In addition to the Darkblock protocol’s ability to turn NFTs into decentralized vaults for encrypted digital assets, this project was also made possible by PFP Content Factory, Darkblock’s content-generation and bulk-upgrade tool. PFP Content Factory 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 partnership exemplifies the power of Darkblock’s decentralized unlockable content technology and its ability to enhance and add value to NFT projects. By providing Jungle Cats NFT holders with unique and exclusive 3D assets, Darkblock enriches the community’s experience and solidifies the value of owning a Jungle Cats NFT.

Jungle Cats holders can access and download their 3D assets by visiting the Darkblock app and following these steps:

• Connect your wallet
• Select “My NFTs” from the main nav bar
• Select the “Unlockables” tab to view your NFTs that have decentralized unlockable content attached
• Click on your Jungle Cat PFP
• To the right, under the description, you should see the Darkblock Viewer with some content visible, but still inaccessible. Click the button that says “Authenticate Ownership”
• Sign the message to confirm you own the wallet that contains this NFT
• Once the content is decrypted, select the file and download!
• Show it off in AR or VR environments

While Jungle Cats holders can access their 3D assets via the Darkblock app, the unlockable content is accessible from anywhere that integrates the protocol. Darkblock’s mission is to decentralize content and make it accessible anywhere someone interacts with their NFTs, whether it’s an ebook, videos, PDFs, or metaverse assets.

If you have a PFP project and are interested in doing something similar for your community, check out PFP Content Factory and/or email Whit, who leads communications and partnerships at Darkblock. 

Because despite market conditions, web3 tech isn’t going anywhere. Companies like Disney, Mercedes-Benz, Canon, Mattel, Adidas, Amazon and Starbucks are still actively building in the web3 space, using the relative quiet of a down market to experiment with the tech and explore how they can incorporate web3 into their digital brand, content and customer-acquisition strategies.

Mercedes-Benz just this week announced it’s going all-in on web3, launching a dedicated entity called Mercedes-Benz NXT to drive its efforts in the space. On May 2, the company said in a tweet:

Enabled by the emergence of blockchain technologies, we believe digital art and collectibles will play an increasingly significant role in people’s online experience. Mercedes-Benz NXT marks a commitment to building a dedicated presence within the Web3 community.

Here’s a look at some of the brands that entered the web3 space last year:

Many of these web3 teams working for big brands will begin with digital collectibles, but they’ll be looking for ways to increase engagement, deliver value to their communities, and build brand loyalty. Content and its role as a vehicle in brand marketing and narrative storytelling is almost certain to be part of the strategic conversations. And when it is, Darkblock will be ready to provide a web3-native way to power those initiatives.

Here are some examples of big brands that are—despite the bear market—launching web3 initiatives, and how Darkblock may fit into their plans:

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is launching a web3 studio that will use blockchain tech to grow its digital brand and reach new audiences.

Darkblock use case: Deliver exclusive content and other digital assets to its community members via their NFTs, whether high-res printable images, metaverse assets, QR codes to redeem exclusive merch, etc.

Canon

Canon is preparing to launch a dedicated Photo NFT marketplace.

Darkblock use case: Use low-res images for the actual NFT, but use Darkblock to encrypt and attach high-res printable image files. Photographers such as Emanuele Ferrari, a well-known Italian fashion photographer, is currently using Darkblock to attach extra images from the photo shoot to his NFTs.

Amazon

The e-commerce behemoth is gearing up to enter the web3 space with its own NFT marketplace. If that’s not a sign of what’s to come, I don’t know what is.

Darkblock use case: If digital goods are going to be tokenized (not just JPEGs, but ebooks, audiobooks, gaming assets) and then bought and sold, there needs to be an encryption and access-control layer that protects the asset and ensures that only the current owner can access it.

Mattel

Mattel has been exploring how to leverage web3 tech with its stable of well-known IP, including Barbie and Hot Wheels NFT collections that both sold out.

Darkblock use case: These brands are launching collections to drive brand awareness and engage with new and existing audiences. By using their NFTs as deliver vehicles for exclusive content, whether storytelling assets, behind-the-scenes content, or even just QR codes for exclusive merch, they can open up new opportunities to engage with their audiences and grow brand loyalty.

Disney

Disney is finally bringing Star Wars to the blockchain. In collaboration with Cryptoys, a collection of Star Wars digital collectibles is dropping May 24.

Darkblock use case: Similar to Mattel, the Star Wars IP is ripe for exclusive web3 content that grows engagement and builds brand loyalty.

Adidas

Adidas was an early believer in web3, dropping its first NFT collection in late 2021 in collaboration with Bored Ape Yacht Club. That effort raised $23 million for the apparel brand, which hasn’t wavered since in its bet on the decentralized web—even because of current market conditions. It recently launched ALTS, which lets its holders burn NFTs from the original collection to redeem an Adidas avatar NFT (aka PFP) that’s tied into a bigger narrative campaign.

Darkblock use case: Narrative campaigns require ongoing storytelling content to keep audiences engaged.

Starbucks

Starbucks is using web3 tech to power its new customer-rewards program, Odyssey. The program lets customers earn and buy digital collectibles (ie, NFTs) that could unlock new virtual and IRL experiences. The program has proved so popular that just getting off the waitlist has been enough to generate a ton of free marketing as people share the milestone on Twitter and elsewhere.

Darkblock use case: Customer rewards program are all about… rewarding customers. Rather than airdrop new NFTs every time you want to reward customers, Darkblock could be used to deliver rewards via customers’ existing NFTs (eg, QR codes offering discounts on their next purchase).

Nike

Nike launched its own “web3-enabled platform” called .Swoosh for its fans “to learn about, collect and eventually help co-create virtual creations, which are typically interactive digital objects such as virtual shoes or jerseys.”

Darkblock use case: Nike has already said it plans to pair its NFTs with 3D files holders can use to “express themselves in new ways,” which is a perfect use case for Darkblock. By attaching 3D files to the NFTs (rather than a web2 approach), a brand such as Nike can ensure its fans that the files are immutable and will travel with the NFTs as they’re bought and sold. Attaching the 3D files via Darkblock would also provide the NFTs with future utility in metaverse or gaming contexts as the attached 3D wearable assets could be interacted with outside the confines of Nike’s website (which won’t be possible if Nike takes a traditional web2 or token-gated approach).

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.