For consumer focused publications, direct reader subscription dollars are a necessary part of a sustainable business model.
Meanwhile, readers demand Internet-level variety in their information diet, but will not pay for one source at a time. Thus, a bundle is necessary.
Furthermore, the relationship between reader and publisher must be a direct one, or else we're not fixing much -- just replacing one set of distribution controlling aggregators with another. Thus, an open bundle is necessary -- one that's powered by a protocol, not by a company.
OpenBundle will be comprised of a few components:
The OpenBundle Protocol, built on Ethereum, which establishes a set of bundling, money splitting, and subscription billing rules that no one person or organization can change. The rules will be governed over time by OpenBundle's stakeholders.
The INK token, part of the protocol, serves to incentivize OpenBundle's growth. 10% of subscription revenue is shared by holders of INK in proportion to their holding. Anyone can earn INK as a reward for referring subscribers and publishers to the network.
OpenBundle Admin, a web application for publishers to list their content as part of OpenBundle, manage its price, and be notified when subscriptions start and stop.
Third-parties will be able to build consumer apps to abstract away the complications of the underlying protocol by providing a user interface for subscribers to manage their subscription, including the ability to pay by credit card.
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OpenBundle is part of Stoop. Say hi on Twitter @stoopinbox.