Innkeeper.eth: Promoting Decentraland’s Nightlife
By Decentraland DAO, , in Community Highlights
Innkeeper.eth, a Decentraland DAO grantee, has been a vital contributor to Decentrraland’s nightlife for the past two years at The Inn (137,-2)—although they’re just as equally known for throwing IRL, hybrid parties. Their project is a staple for live-streamed hybrid performances, parties, and cross-reality experiences that bridge the gap between the metaverse and the physical world. With a grant of $25,700 from the Decentraland DAO allocated in November 2023, they started a six-month project to improve operations and bring in more new features for their patrons.
This community spotlight will cover Innkeeper.eth's history and operations, what its recent DAO grant means for its future in Decentraland, and the behind-the-scenes workings of the project.
How a DAO grant is promoting Decentraland’s nightlife
On November 14, 2023, after a very enthusiastic voting period, the Decentraland DAO enacted a $25,700 grant for Innkeeper.eth. This funding injection was earmarked to move the project forward over six months (October 2023 through March 2024), and here’s how they’ve been putting it to work:
Artist Lineup: Innkeeper.eth has been focusing on locking in their artist lineup, making sure they’ve got the talent to keep the virtual party scene alive. With this funding, they’re aiming to bring in some fresh faces and keep the crowd coming back.
Operations: A chunk of this grant covered their day-to-day operational costs, like server maintenance, event coordination, and all the other behind-the-scenes activity that keeps Innkeeper.eth running smoothly.
Real-World Presence: Innkeeper.eth also planned to strengthen their hybrid approach and expand their real-world presence. Funds were allocated to expand the scope and impact of real-life onboarding parties. That’s right—they planned to use some of the funds to host in-person events, bringing Decentraland to a whole new audience.
Innkeeper.eth: a project overview
Innkeeper.eth was started around two years ago by a group of friends led by the self-proclaimed Inn janitor Grins. They wanted to make a place in Decentraland where artists and party-goers could meet and have good times together. Soon enough, the Inn became a popular destination for live metaverse music and parties.
Fast-forward to today, and Innkeeper.eth has become a mainstay of Decentraland’s social scene and nightlife. For the past two years, they’ve been consistently hosting live-streamed performances and parties, every Tuesday and Thursday, attracting a diversified audience from around the world and a strong artist roster. You can check their upcoming events and lineup on their site.
But, they didn’t stop there, extending their scope to the physical world with cross-reality parties in Amsterdam. Picture this: Live DJ sets, Decentraland projections, and a gaming computer on the dance floor—all integrated into one hybrid experience.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/5pFq37P-N3o
Operational solutions and NFTs for melodies
The people behind Innkeeper.eth are meticulous about making sure their memorable experiences run smoothly, especially since raves can happen in the Inn and in Amsterdam at the same time, and that’s not the typical night out.
They’ve rolled out a suite of custom solutions to optimize their operations, including streaming servers and attendance tracking systems. Plus, they’ve launched an NFT collection called Innkeeper Melodies.
Each Melody holds a unique, unreleased song that you can't find anywhere else, metaverse and beyond. Owning a Melody is like owning the master recording—you can use the song however you want, including incorporating it into your content without royalties. To get your own, attend events hosted by Innkeeper.eth!
https://twitter.com/innkeeperdoteth/status/1621251399035097089?s=20
Metrics and goals
Innkeeper.eth has set clear metrics and goals to track their progress and ensure transparency with the community:
Onboarding: They prioritize onboarding new users by teaching them how to create wallets and navigate Decentraland at physical events. They measure success by tracking attendance and monitoring wallet usage, which gives data on user engagement and retention.
Attendance: Innkeeper.eth set a target of reaching 100+ unique addresses per week at their virtual venue. This metric, in addition to assessing the popularity of their events, also serves as a benchmark for attracting sponsorships and further investment in the project.
Artist Lineup: Innkeeper.eth aims to plan events and performances at least one month in advance to ensure a diverse range of talents are showcased and contribute to the project’s long-term sustainability.
Are you an artist? Access the backstage portal
Innkeeper.eth provides performers with a fully-functioning artist portal, the Backstage website, designed to make event management simple. In this portal, artists can see their scheduled events and book new ones and manage their profiles and avatars.
One of the key features of the Backstage portal is its ability to track metrics openly. Performers can view real-time data on attendance, engagement, and other metrics, allowing them to make informed decisions and make the most of their performances. The metrics can be narrowed down to each audience member: The dashboard will show exactly who attended each event, with an avatar for each participant.
Future plans for Innkeeper.eth
The current grant allowed the Inn team to expand their offerings while promoting Decentraland community growth. They led 11 digital events in February 2024 that brought over 350 attendees across digital and hybrid events, bringing in 132 new users to the Decentraland community.
On April 6, in Amsterdam, they hosted the final cross-reality party from the series of events funded by the current DAO grant. Presented as a “mega cross-reality party,” they secured a venue in the Dutch capital and brought with them a large projector showcasing Decentraland on the big screen in front of the dance floor. At this point, they’ve become pretty good at throwing this kind of hybrid party.
So, when the vesting ends, what are their prospects? First, they’re looking to expand their platform by integrating more VR experiences. One of their notable moves was to team up with PatchXR to host real-time VR performances, streamed exclusively at the IRL parties and in Decentraland.
They’re also committed to improving transparency. This includes potential plans to open-source their platform, making their tools and resources available to other projects in the community. Some Decentraland users have pointed out that their backstage future could even help the DAO.
Innkeeper.eth stands as a great example of the future of digital entertainment. They stand for more than just throwing parties. Their work focuses on building bridges between cultures, realities, and people. And, with each event, they’re proving that the metaverse isn’t just a place to escape to—it’s a place to connect, create, and celebrate. So if you’re ever participating in their parties, you know how to contribute: share some screenshots and make sure everyone knows the nightlife is lit in Decentraland! If you have questions for Innkeeper.eth, you can always connect with Grins on socials. Have fun partying!
The metaverse is full of yet unrecognized potential and opportunities. Do you have an idea that could benefit the Decentraland community? Learn more about the DAO’s grants here.
Do you know of a cool Decentraland community project that you think should be next in the Community Highlights series? Contact the Decentraland Foundation team @decentraland on X.
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