Covering All Bases Part 2: Introducing TezTones
A look into the competitive arts league inspired by team sports
In Part 1 of our interview with Bases, we got to learn a little bit about who Bases is on a more personal level. In that article, we got a sneak peek into one of his new Tezos project, TezTones. In Part 2, we will find out what TezTones is, why it is important for Tezos, and how you can get involved! Here’s Part 2 of my interview with the talented Bases…
Introducing Teztones
What is TezTones?
“TezTones is a sports league for artists. We began as an art collective and had two exhibition rounds to test and build out this idea. The name of our collective is TezTones, and the teams compete in the TezTones ‘Artletics’ Premier League. We draw a lot of inspiration from traditional professional sports and e-sports. Some terms we like to use are a-sports, art sports, and ‘artletics’. We are building a league and a platform for artists to compete with each other in a friendly and organic way. We want the League to feel inviting while providing an experience for audiences who enjoy seeing artists compete in a top-tier environment. We had our first two exhibition rounds, and now we’re in our first official season, having just finished our second match.”
How does it work?
“For our first season, we have nine teams consisting of 26 artists who competed in our most recent Match. We also have team captains for each team and consistent team members throughout the season. Fans can root for their favorite team, and it’s been an incredible experience as we pair musicians with visual artists to work collaboratively and give equal attention to the music and the visual art. Teams have four weeks to develop their submission based on the current theme. We then allow ourselves a week to mint the work and promote the event. That week leads to the Match, which is the actual match day and the time we announce the rankings.”
Who came up with the idea?
“I’ve been a part of TezTones since the beginning. However, the idea is derived from Hashbrown, another fantastic artist and builder in the space. Definitely, please check out his work. He had this idea for some time and brought it to a couple of us. It started organically, mainly through X/Twitter spaces, and from there, Hashbrown, myself, Para, Fendel, and others have been instrumental in developing TezTones.”
Competing for Prizes
Are there prizes for top teams?
“We have a winner’s fund which is funded from our collective NFT Sales. Typically it’s right around 10% that gets added to that fund. Moving forward, really forever, we plan to send those funds to the artists who won. The first two exhibition rounds were sort of an all-in competition, the team who won was awarded the prize pool and we routinely send those funds to the winning artists. For the first official season, we are building up funds for the post-season, so a portion of the prize pool for each Match is dedicated to the post-season pool, while the majority of the funds are awarded to the team that ranked 1st.”
How are the rewards distributed to the players?
“As a captain, there is a slight increase that you receive both in terms of royalties and sales. We adjusted many of the different ‘buckets’ that we have to account for the post-season, our artist relief fund, our post-season fund, a fund for each Match, and then we have TezTones itself. It’s somewhat incremental, but as a captain, you have more
responsibility and a bit more work because you’re communicating, you’re submitting the forms with your team’s final artwork, so there is a bit of an increase. You can check out the royalties and splits on Objkt.”
Are there judges for each match?
“In the first two pre-season matches, we elected judges similar to a Battle of the Bands competition, The Voice, or America’s Got Talent, that sort of approach. It worked well and was a great experience, but we wanted to open it up to a public vote. We want artists and fans to participate in the conversation and the decision-making process. Most recently, we had both a public and a peer vote. We’re still developing the weighted system and exactly how that works, but generally, if you are interested in TezTones and like what’s happening, you can vote and have a voice regarding the rankings for each Match.”
How does voting work?
“When you’re voting, you are effectively ranking each team. So, in addition to selecting your favorite artwork, you are asked to rate each team one through nine. Points are added based on your ranking, which adds up to a total at the end.”
How To Compete
How can artists and community members get involved?
“It depends on how you would like to be involved in TezTones. As a spectator and a fan, the TAPL is for those who enjoy competition and watching artists compete at a very high level. You can be involved by watching our videos on Youtube and Objkt, connecting with us on social media, and attending and participating in our live Match Days. If you’re an artist looking to be involved, we have a sign-up form and draft new artists at the beginning of each Match. We encourage anyone who is interested in participating to visit artists.teztones.com. A great place to start is our YouTube page and our website, which has all the information available and our FAQ section. Similarly to traditional sports or esports, you have your favorite team or artists you’re rooting for. You can follow along their journey as they move through the season.”
What is the draft process like?
“To begin this Season, we elected Team Captains based on who had contributed to the first two pre-season matches. We then created draft buckets for musicians and visual artists and randomly drafted artists to create nine teams, each with 3–4 members on their team. During the regular season, we have a sign-up form, and artists can sign up to be included in the next Match. Based on where a team is in the overall season rankings, Team Captains can draft a new artist.”
What is the collaboration process like?
“It’s based on each team and part of the challenge of a collaborative environment, similar to traditional sports. So, that is one of the excellent components. As captains, we get to contribute and understand how to communicate with teams, build team camaraderie, and ensure that everyone has a voice and feels included. I have enjoyed this process of collaborating in a competitive environment. So much of it comes down to the teams, artists, and who you draft. Ideally, we’re creating long-term teams, which is why we created the Season format. We have the ability, as teams and artists, to connect and build a true bond that is meaningful and important.”
The Future Of TezTones
What does Teztones have in store for the future?
“In the long term, this stands the test of time. We are carving out a new market and platform for artists to compete. The idea is to create this platform to communicate the concept of Artletics and to allow artists worldwide to collaborate and compete similarly to traditional sports. We will seek funding to expand the league and grow the experience organically. Right now, we’re letting that happen naturally. There are so many different components to making this a successful league. We’re focused on creating an excellent experience and platform where the artists, fans, and community members are elated at the end of the Season. We’ve already gained an audience and continue to build and expand that over time. Most likely at the end of the regular season, we’ll have a bit more time to look at the next step for TezTones.”
Conclusion
And there you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth. TezTones is shaping up to be one of the coolest, and most fun ways for artists to collaborate, get to know one another, and grow. I believe projects like this are essential to the Tezos community and I cannot wait to see how the teams perform this season!
TezTones Links
Twitter
Instagram
Art Submissions
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