Moonshot Mafia #05 | magipop: A Rhapsody About Literature, Music, and Art
“magipop is a creator DAO, a workshop of imagination that turns cool ideas into chill stuff. magipopDAO is a pond full of creativity to spawn amazing content. It is a creator DAO to make IPs together and pay back their creators and shareholders in a tokenomics way. At the outset of magipop, a group of talented creators produced a series of stories, and a metaverse sci-fi set project named ‘Bubble Observers’. It is currently creating a series of derivative works with ‘Bubble Observers’ as the core IP. magipop aims to create diverse DAO atmospheres and stable business models through the decentralization of collaboration. Incubate multiple creator teams to co-create the amazing magiverse and CREATE A NEW CREATOR ECONOMY.” (Visit magipop for more information)
“140,000 words of science fiction works compiled in three months” and “10k+ followers in two days” is not enough to show magipop’s powerful creativity and appeal. As a creator of the DAO, magipop aggregates unique brainwaves into a literary, musical, and artistic rhapsody and launches them into the future and unknown world.
Melito, the founder behind the project, is also a pioneer. Born in 1997, he not only has many experiences in technology entrepreneurship but also retains the unique romance and rebellion of the young generation. As an artist, musician, and writer, he also has a different approach to technology and entrepreneurship: instead of doing it for the sake of his family and society, technology and business are more like amplifiers of his thoughts, through which his consciousness and soul are forever engraved on the drawing board of the times.
At Moonshot Commons’ Web3 Fireside Chat #5, we invited Melito to tell us about his experience and ambition. Hopefully, as he wrote at the beginning of his Bubble Observers story, “… from now on, you will no longer be a reader, you will be my messenger… I leave the mission to you. Go for it and good luck!”
“This era of art is technology and business, not sculpture.”
As a Gen Z partner, you’re not just a startup founder — you have a lot of titles that go beyond that, exploring many areas in various ways. Can you tell me a little bit about how you got to this point? What kind of thought process is driving you?
I was born in 1997 in Zhejiang, Hangzhou. Since I was a kid, I’ve been influenced by art, music, and technology. I’ve played a lot of instruments, from guitar, electric piano, and drums, to later electronic instruments. Since I got my first iPad2 in high school, I haven’t missed any milestones in the American technology industry, such as those in Apple, Microsoft, and Google. At that time, I thought the software industry was cool, and I wrote my first app with the mindset of trying it out, which was very simple but especially fulfilling.
I have always believed that technology and art are inseparable.
The current era is characterized by technology and business, rather than traditional art forms. StepBeats was one of the first ventures to explore if AI could surpass human creative capabilities in music. My motive for this was driven not just by solving social problems but also by expressing myself. I have often had radical ideas, such as blowing up the planet or creating a company and suddenly ceasing operations, which I believe to be beautiful in an absurd and incomprehensible way. While these ideas are intriguing, they do not align with business logic.
To be successful, one must offer something of commercial value that solves real issues for consumers. This lack of practicality is ultimately what led to StepBeats’ failure. With magipop, I had the opportunity to explore a Web3-based business solution that could tell stories and IP. I prefer this over creating a valuable product or service that satisfies the public. My approach to creating is akin to ultimate nihilism, where I create without any intention as if it is a part of life. This is encapsulated in the Fudan school motto, “A free and useless soul”.
Do you prefer to see yourself as an engineer or an artist? Can you talk about your views on these two identities?
I love technology and art, and I see programming as a form of art. However, I am not as talented at programming as my partners are. My ultimate vision is to be a great artist in this era through technology and business.
I’ve written standalone iOS and Android back-end applications, but I’m not the kind of person who can battle it out in the information space. The main reason I learned there was to realize my own ideas. For example, if I happened to need a vehicle when telling a story, it could be an app or a service. In addition, I like to get to know all the skills and allow myself to do a lot of things independently to reach a certain height with lower communication costs. Even so, you will still find that some things are impossible for one person to accomplish, and if you insist on working alone, it will lead to inefficiency instead.
I have encountered a similar situation before. Thus, organization and management also require art, but in this regard, I, at heart, am someone who does not want to control others and does not want others to control me. It played well, which is an advantage, but playing badly will become a disadvantage.
“Web3 emphasizes actualizing, in many ways attempting and working for itself.”
Can we talk about your initial idea and experiences with StepBeats? How did you start implementing your ideas?
In fact, it was a coincidence that Apple held a mobile application innovation competition for Chinese university students. The judges thought the project was quite innovative and awarded it the first prize, and recommended it for the competition. In my sophomore year, Apple learned about our project and invited us to the WWDC, which I had always dreamed of. I also got my first payment.
StepBeats was recommended by the Apple Store and had a peak of nearly 200,000 downloads in a single day, which later accumulated to several million. However, I slowly realized the problems of this project — its retention was not very good, its entry point was not in demand, and the team did not have a deep understanding of the product at that time, but I must say that this attempt gave me a process of thinking and learning. Later on, I always wanted to make improvements, but I didn’t make a big splash. Although the company was still in existence, it was mainly doing B-side business and gradually deviated from my initial vision of expressing myself through music technology.
Now magipop is one step closer to your niche as a storyteller, having recently released Bubble Observers, your first full-length co-written science fiction story. How did you find such a storytelling model? What were your expectations for magipop?
In November/December of last year, our team analyzed what business opportunities existed for Web3, and put together a list of topics. Since a lot of Web3 infrastructure was still missing, I pushed some of the topics of interest to the discussion stage and talked to different people. At that time, I wanted to explore with people and see if I could gain some business insights and analysis. But then I realized that exploring the topic of Web3 was interesting, and the act itself was building a new world because we were envisioning what would happen in a future scenario and how it would happen.
At first, we didn’t want to write a science fiction story, but in the process, we had already subconsciously conceived how this story would happen, so we wrote an animated series. There were no utilitarian claims, but rather it was a storytelling approach to present our exploration. Around February of the following year, 2/3 of the stories were completed, and we started to explore some collaborations. In addition to the first authors, more friends wanted to join the co-creation.
We had a very interesting approach to co-creation, where a lot of the discussions themselves took place on Discord. In fact, the predecessor of magipop was a Web3 exchange group, and there were not many people, so I took over and thought I would run it as a DAO. In the beginning, it was just based on existing trust, and when new members came in after March/April, we slowly move this forward to explore a bigger narrative.
Looking back, Bubble Observers was not a finished series, we will make it a bigger project. I want to break the single image and make a big collection, combining diverse images. In fact, telling a story is often a reality, and there is no way to distinguish between the inner truth and the falsehood. With such a thought, I have slowly pushed this project to this point today. As for how it will go in the future, we have discussed and have some clear plans.
Overall, we feel that magipop is about making content in an IP way, but allowing the creator and owner of a series to be the creator and owner at the same time, giving everyone more opportunities for external collaboration.
Rather than a loose organization, we need to have a core series of content that we can launch and expand the commercial value. When everyone collaborates on the project, it opens up more possibilities for the project itself. Of course, the starting point for magipop was fun and interesting enough to move us. I often find myself reluctant to do anything that feels valuable, but rather something interesting, and in a way represents the tendency and attitude of many people of my generation.
What features of Web3 attracted you at the beginning and prompted the discussion and imagination that followed? What advice or startup tips do you have for people who want to enter the Web3 space?
I don’t have enough experience in this area, but I would like to suggest that people understand, try, and find what they like. The core of this is to do it for yourself, work for yourself, and align with human nature. Of course, the formation of the corporate system is more because the organizational form is a model, but Web3 emphasizes how to achieve the specific, in various ways to experiment and work for yourself.
We are committed to this project because we believe it offers a valuable learning opportunity. One of the impressive features of Web3 is its culture which is embedded in the code, creating an effective collaborative environment. It is essential to understand our interests, passions, and goals to maximize this experience and foster self-awareness and independent thinking. For example, I am passionate about comics, not just the cryptocurrency market. Knowing what we want to do is essential to make the most of Web3. Therefore, it is of great importance for the younger generation to cultivate a strong sense of self-awareness. Taking the traditional route may not always lead to personal satisfaction. Especially in the Web3 sphere, it is essential to recognize our strengths and interests to realize our objectives through collective effort.
“The inner core should not be constantly displayed, yet it should be evident in every aspect of one’s work.”
Earlier, we mentioned magipop is a project driven by your own interests. How can you predict the potential risks and challenges it will face in the subsequent commercial expansion?
It is evident that there are potential risks that need to be considered. However, there are a number of visible issues. Dissemination of content and maintaining creativity are pertinent issues. When content is circulated, some people may find it agreeable right away, while others may need to assess the story before they can settle. This situation presents four main challenges:
In response to these challenges, I envisioned a system of people’s congresses that would employ a voting system to map out a democratic process. This system would give the Prime Minister absolute control in an IP. However, citizens would be able to propose changes if they are dissatisfied with the current state of affairs. If the vote passes, the Prime Minister can be removed or the IP can be addressed suitably. The purpose of this system is not to ensure absolute equality in the decision-making process but rather to provide a framework for guiding it.
As a rebel and an advocate of personal freedom, how do you handle the massive organizational and administrative work involved in starting a business? How do you carry out your art in these trivialities?
As an entrepreneur, I run into all kinds of things. One day at work my friend asked for my help to set up a wedding, and I had to cancel on a very important guest I worked so hard to invite. There are times when you have to be the bad guy, including your relationship with investors and so on. For example, because of inconsistent values, I have fallen out with investors and also parted ways with previous partners.
One of the things that impressed me the most was that we had an employee who had an eye problem that was quite serious and needed to be resolved quickly. At that time, I did not have the concept of corporate social responsibility. Since I was in charge of the company, I helped him contact the best doctors and use all of my resources. Regardless if it’s a friend or a colleague, it’s an obligation. The company values do not need to be displayed all the time, but it is reflected in all aspects of our work. I am not the kind of person who makes a company with business gains first, but I also need to make money to support my employees, then business is necessary and business logic must coincide, which is due if done well. Because when you choose such a tool, you are choosing a medium itself.
At the end of last year, I pretty much realized what I wanted. In fact, I knew early on that I wanted to build a large company like Alibaba, but I didn’t find a clear role for myself at the time.
But the night before New Year’s Day, I had a little epiphany: art is the closed interval between the first and last thing you do, and anything in my life fills in that time and constitutes what I define as art itself. That’s my art.
“Later on, I discovered that having an open and determined mindset was the key to helping me identify my passions.”
I can see that you have a very clear assessment of yourself. How would you describe your core values in one sentence?
My core is a combination of the rebellious characteristics of Duchamp, Gavitgenstein, and Hemingway. I take pride in still maintaining a rebellious attitude in my life, a trait that can be further examined through psychoanalyzing my personality. Although most people do not consider themselves to be unique, some people do. Those who usually are one or a combination of the three paths:
I am more like a combination of the first two, but it is difficult for narcissists to self-identify.
Ernest Hemingway, source: FreeRange
You mentioned that what constitutes art is not discrete points, but a continuous interval, so would you have a vision for your future or the final artwork you leave behind?
I do have my own vision.
I would like to recommend a mind experiment called My Odyssey, the objective of which is to imagine three potential lifestyles you might find fulfilling in the future.
There are two parts to carrying this out:
First is to reflect upon your experiences over the past six months and which experiences gave you internal feelings. At the time, I listed out making music and writing articles. This reflection allowed me to gain insight into the mindset that helps me identify what I truly enjoy.
The second part of My Odyssey involves creating three paths for where you envision yourself in five years, without order of preference. The three paths I wrote at the time were actually interesting. One was becoming a dormant artist, and another one was becoming an ultimate rebel, and a figure similar to the character Luo Hei from a book I read. This character has become my blueprint for the person I hope to become, providing me with a sense of purpose and direction.
