Upturn: Empowering Artists in the Creative Economy

The internet has revolutionized how we communicate, work, and share our creations, but it has also introduced new challenges. Centralized platforms now control most personal data, and users—especially artists—lack ownership of their work. Upturn is a platform designed to change that, giving artists and creatives the power to control their creations and engage directly with their audience.

If you’d rather get this information in the form of video, checkout this interview we did with Ledfut!

What is Upturn?

Upturn is a token generator on the LUKSO blockchain, perfect for artists and creators to distribute loyalty tokens to their most dedicated fans. The platform was born from the belief that the current landscape for musicians and artists is broken, particularly when it comes to control over their work and interactions with followers.

Ledfut, a veteran of the music industry, wanted to build a platform that shifts power away from labels and platforms like Spotify and back to the artists and listeners. Recognizing the potential of blockchain to address these issues, Upturn’s core team began their journey as a small hackathon project in 2021. Competing in LUKSO’s Build UP#1 hackathon, they continued developing the platform in the background for years. With support from a grant from the LUKSO foundation, Upturn completed its audit and officially launched.

What Can You Do on Upturn?

Upturn provides a range of features designed to make it simple for creators to launch and manage their loyalty tokens. Here’s what the platform offers:

1. Create Your Token: Upturn’s no-code generator makes it easy to design and launch your own community’s LSP 7 token. You can customize parameters such as:
   • Initial Distribution: Distribute tokens to a list of addresses after minting. For example, after an in-person event, you could airdrop tokens to attendees.
   • Creator Fee: Earn tokens whenever users mint or trade them. This helps ensure new fans can access tokens, even if older fans hold onto theirs.
   • Burnable Tokens: You can burn tokens anytime, allowing you to remove them from circulation if desired. If you no longer want specific tokens in circulation, burn them and release new ones.
   • Transfer Burnable Tokens: Tokens can be set to burn if transferred. This is useful for restricting access to gated content. If someone tries to transfer their token, it’s automatically destroyed, locking them out.
   • Mintable Tokens: You can set a capped supply, allowing fans to mint tokens themselves, expanding your community with each new mint.
   • Pausable Tokens: Pause minting if needed, for instance, if you notice bot activity.
   • Blacklist: Create a list of individuals who are blocked from owning your tokens. This is helpful for preventing bad actors, such as malicious whales, from accumulating tokens.
2. Edit Your Token: Upturn uses LUKSO’s updatable metadata standard, allowing you to update token metadata even after the token has been released—a unique and powerful feature.
3. Music and Art Integration: The site also includes a nostalgic iPod feature that allows users to listen to music, making the experience enjoyable. This feature will eventually showcase new artists, giving them additional exposure.

Use Cases for Upturn

Artists and creatives can use Upturn to engage their audience in new ways:

• Loyalty Tokens: Reward your most dedicated fans with tokens for attending events, purchasing music, or supporting your work.
• Monetize Interactions: Creators can earn every time fans trade or mint tokens, creating a new revenue stream.
• Gated Content: Offer exclusive access to content or experiences through token ownership. This ensures only premium fans can access certain material.

What’s Next for Upturn?

The Upturn team has ambitious goals for the platform’s future, including:

• Artist Features: Showcase artists directly on the site, increasing their visibility.
• Marketplace: A marketplace where creators can sell their work, making it easy for fans to discover new talent.
• Interoperability: The team is building bridges to other blockchain platforms, allowing users to seamlessly move their tokens and digital identities across ecosystems.

Conclusion

Upturn is already making a difference in how creators engage with their communities. As the platform grows and adds more features, it will become an essential tool for artists to build deeper connections with their fans.

Whether you’re an artist, freelancer, or creator looking to reward your community and better understand your audience, Upturn provides the tools you need to thrive.

Checkout this interview with Ledfut to continue the conversation!