RARE is an Ethereum token that governs the SuperRare DAO, which oversees key platform parameters, allocates funds from the Community Treasury, and votes on proposed improvements to the network and protocol. The RARE token allows the SuperRare platform to be community-owned with diverse curatorial voices.
What is SuperRare?
SuperRare (RARE) is a platform for non-fungible tokens (NFTs), with a focus on digital art. It has facilitated the collection of a substantial amount of digital art and compensated artists with royalties. SuperRare 2.0, a newer version of the platform, includes features such as web-scale curation, independently running storefronts, and sovereign minting contracts. This enables artists to mint, promote, and sell their works directly to collectors. SuperRare 2.0 operates as a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), which means the community owns and governs the network. The platform's key parameters, community treasury funds, and proposed improvements are all managed through community voting.
How does SuperRare work?
SuperRare operates by addressing three key challenges in the digital art ecosystem: curation and gatekeeping by a single team, limited support for artists, and fragmentation of the NFT art ecosystem. To solve these issues, SuperRare introduced Spaces, independently-run storefronts that curate art and artists, promote sales, run auctions, and collect commissions. Each Space can launch its own branded ERC-721 token and invite artists to mint NFTs with them. Additionally, self-sovereign minting contracts allow artists to deploy a custom NFT minting contract, enabling them to tokenize and sell their art as uniquely independent artists.
What are the potential use cases for SuperRare?
SuperRare seeks to offer artists a platform for direct interaction with collectors. It also offers a solution for art curators and collectors, who can run their own Spaces, curate art and artists, promote sales, and collect commissions. Each Space can launch its own branded ERC-721 token, allowing it to operate as a sovereign crypto art gallery. Furthermore, SuperRare's self-sovereign minting contracts provide artists with the opportunity to tokenize and sell their art as uniquely independent artists, offering an alternative to minting on a shared contract with other artists.
What is the history of SuperRare?
SuperRare initially functioned as a platform where the core team selected artists to mint their works on a shared smart contract as SuperRare NFTs. However, with the launch of SuperRare 2.0, the platform has begun to decentralize, shifting ownership and governance of the network to the community. SuperRare 2.0 launched on a specific date. The platform is governed by a seven-person governance council that controls the Community Treasury via a 4-of-7 multi-sig wallet. The total supply of RARE, the platform's native token, is 1 billion, with distribution to the core community, the Community Treasury, core contributors at SuperRare Labs, investors, and strategic partners.
