Southeast Asia is an incredibly rich tapestry of vibrant cultures and heritage— full of artistic masterpieces and stories waiting to be told. All too often, these voices are silenced, choked by old gatekeepers and a lack of access to the world marketplace. Web3 provides this radical solution, the opportunity to flip the script and enable Southeast Asia’s creatives to thrive more than ever before. Never mind Switzerland, Singapore and the UAE, the real revolution is happening right here.

Web3: Fairer Deals For Creators?

With traditional creative industries, such as music, art, and film, the focus was on the intermediaries. Yet this system often places artists themselves at a disadvantage. Southeast Asian artists, particularly those from emerging economies, may be subject to unfair contracts and a lack of creative and economic control over their work. Collectively, it’s time we start asking the question—are we really satisfied with the same old same old? Web3, built on the principles of transparency and security through blockchain technology, has an opportunity to remedy this. Think NFTs, for example. And they let artists connect with fans on a tangible level. This cuts out the middleman and helps artists receive a greater percentage of the revenue. Think of a Balinese painter selling directly to collectors around the world without galleries taking 50% of the sale as commission. That's the power of NFTs. Digital sovereignty is the missing ingredient, not just for digital art, but for all creators.

NFTs Unlock Royalties, Not Just Sales

NFTs aren't just for selling digital art. Most importantly, they can embed royalty structures that ensure artists earn a cut of future sales, including long after their work has been resold. This is huge! Unlike most products, where the artist only makes money from the first sale of their work, their art continues carrying value long after they’ve created it. Consider a pop, hip hop, or R&B track produced by a Filipino artist that makes it big internationally. With NFTs, they could be paid royalties on every trade or use of the song, giving them a long-term profit reserve. This is much more than a one-time payment; it is rather a permanent source of funding!

DAOs: Community-First Creative Control?

Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) such as Friends With Benefits provide a groundbreaking model for organizing and funding creative endeavors. Imagine a DAO that supports Southeast Asian film artists. In this democratic community, citizens collaborate to vote on which projects are most worthy of funding and how to best spread limited resources. This shift has relieved dependence on the conventional VCs and studios. Now, the community has a tremendous opportunity in its hands. Isn’t that what we all want, a more democratic and transparent creative ecosystem? Forget top-down decisions. DAOs foster collaboration and shared ownership.

Metaverse: Global Stage, Local Voices

The metaverse offers Southeast Asian artists a new virtual world to perform their craft on a transnational stage. Now picture a digital art exhibition showcasing their work, able to reach anyone in the world with an internet connection. Or an augmented reality experience from their favorite Malaysian pop stars. The metaverse knows no borders, offering creatives in Southeast Asia the opportunity to connect with new audiences and foster communities worldwide. Who can say, but maybe hope is not lost after all. Maybe the next big cultural trend would come from Jakarta or Bangkok, instead of New York or London.

DeFi: Financial Freedom For Artists?

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) allows creators to access new financial services, without the middlemen of traditional banking and finance. This is especially true in Southeast Asia, where many of these artists have no access to credit or other forms of financial services. Think of the next musical superstar from Myanmar. They leverage DeFi to get a loan for their next venture, avoiding the bureaucratic red tape and exorbitant interest rates of conventional banking institutions. DeFi gives artists the ability to own their financial lives so they can reinvest in their craft. So this isn’t only about the value of art, it’s about the value of financial inclusion.

Web3 Games: New Revenue Streams Emerge

Web3 gaming provides alternative emerging revenues for Southeast Asian game producers and creative talents. Now, picture that same game, except the characters and storylines are based on Southeast Asian mythology. Players are taking an active role and getting crypto rewards! This opens up an entirely new market for homegrown talent here and helps developers capitalize on their creations in new and creative ways. Why should all the benefits of gaming, which can enrich local communities immensely, while all the profit goes to the big corporations?

Education: Bridging The Web3 Skills Gap

We need to invest in training programs that equip Southeast Asian artists and developers with the skills they need to navigate the Web3 landscape. This covers everything from blockchain 101 to NFT creation to DAO community governance. Building the technology isn’t enough—it’s time to empower people to use it. Now is the time for educational institutions, tech companies, and investors to work together. Join us to help make these learning opportunities broadly accessible! If we want to maintain that competitive edge, we need to continue growing the next generation of Web3 innovators right here in SEA. We hope that by 2025, Southeast Asia will be Web3’s home ground. We should be at the forefront of its creative uses! The potential is there, the talent is there, all that’s missing are the marching orders. Who's with me?