Ethos Guild - Phase 1 Foundation COMPLETE ✅

Executive Summary

Ethos Guild is the official audio identity program for the entire AeThex ecosystem. It is not a separate business, but a community guild living within the Foundation arm dedicated to creating the sound of AeThex through synthwave, SFX design, and original composition.

Phase 1 Mission: Build the foundational scaffolding—both legal and technical—so that content can be added in phases 2 and 3.

Status: ✅ COMPLETE - All Phase 1 deliverables shipped and ready for Phase 2 MVP.

Phase 1 Deliverables

1. ✅ Database Schema (Supabase Migration)

File: code/supabase/migrations/20250206_add_ethos_guild.sql

Tables Created:

Table
Purpose
Key Fields

ethos_tracks

Music & SFX assets uploaded by artists

user_id, title, genre[], file_url, license_type, bpm, download_count

ethos_artist_profiles

Extended artist profiles with skills & pricing

user_id, skills[], for_hire, bio, sample_price_track, sample_price_sfx, verified

ethos_guild_members

Guild membership tracking

user_id, role (member/curator/admin), joined_at

ethos_licensing_agreements

Commercial licensing contracts

track_id, licensee_id, license_type, agreement_url, approved, expires_at

Features:

  • Full RLS policies (row-level security)

  • Proper indexes for performance

  • Triggers for updated_at maintenance

  • Comments for documentation

Status: Ready to deploy on Supabase (run migration: 20250206_add_ethos_guild.sql)

2. ✅ Community Group Page

File: code/client/pages/community/EthosGuild.tsx

Route: /community/groups/ethos

Features:

  • Synthwave-themed hero with neon pink/purple/cyan gradients

  • Guild mission and value propositions for three audiences:

    • Musicians & Producers

    • GameForge & Foundation teams

    • CORP clients

  • Guild stats dashboard (placeholder for Phase 2 data)

  • Tabbed content: Overview, Features, Roadmap

  • Feature cards showing upcoming capabilities

  • Call-to-action buttons linking to curriculum and NEXUS

Status: Live and ready for community discovery

3. ✅ Curriculum Skeleton

File: code/client/pages/docs/DocsCurriculumEthos.tsx

Route: /docs/curriculum/ethos

Structure: 4 progressive modules

  1. Synthwave Foundations (4 hrs)

    • The Synthwave Sound

    • DAW Setup & Workflow

    • Synth Basics: Oscillators & Filters

    • Drum Programming in Synthwave

    • Capstone: Your First Synthwave Track

  2. Game Audio & SFX Design (5 hrs)

    • SFX Categories for Games

    • Layering & Processing Techniques

    • Procedural Audio with SFX Tools

    • Spatial Audio & 3D Sound Panning

    • Audio Implementation in Game Engines

    • Capstone: Design an SFX Pack

  3. Composition & Scoring (6 hrs)

    • Music Theory Essentials

    • Writing Memorable Melodies

    • Arranging & Orchestration

    • Adaptive Music for Games

    • Mastering & Final Delivery

    • Capstone: Compose a 2-Minute Original Score

  4. Licensing & Monetization (3 hrs)

    • The Ethos Ecosystem License

    • Commercial Licensing Basics

    • Rights Management & Royalties

    • Building Your Artist Brand

    • Multi-Platform Distribution

Status: Skeleton complete. Content writing (Phase 3) by AeThex Foundation community team.

4. ✅ App Routes & Navigation

File: code/client/App.tsx

Routes Added:

Navigation Linkage:

  • Ethos Guild page links to curriculum: "Learn Music Production"

  • Curriculum page links back to guild: "Join the Guild"

  • Both pages link to NEXUS marketplace: "Browse Audio Services"

Status: Wired and accessible

Architecture Overview

How Ethos Serves the Ecosystem

Licensing Model (The "Firewall")

Ecosystem License (Non-Commercial, Free)

  • Artists upload tracks to the library

  • AeThex community (GameForge, Foundation) use for free

  • Non-exclusive (artist can sell on Spotify, etc.)

  • Royalty-free for internal AeThex projects

  • Protects artists from exploitation

Commercial License (Paid, For-Profit)

  • CORP wants to use a track for client video/product

  • Artist must negotiate & sign separate contract

  • Via NEXUS marketplace: "Custom Track $500", "SFX Pack $150"

  • Manages payment & IP rights

  • Creates Funnel 3 (Talent Flywheel) revenue stream

What Happens Next: Phase 2 & 3

Phase 2: MVP Build (Q1 2025 - ~4 weeks)

Goal: Make Ethos operational

  • Track upload interface (MP3/WAV, metadata)

  • Artist profile pages & portfolio management

  • NEXUS "Audio Production" category integration

  • Licensing agreement workflow

  • Basic artist discovery & search

Owner: CTO/Engineering Team

Key Deliverables:

  • 4 API endpoints (tracks, artists, licensing)

  • 5 new pages (upload, library, artist profile, settings, licensing dashboard)

  • 6 reusable components (upload modal, track card, artist card, etc.)

  • Full error handling & validation

Phase 3: Content & Community (Q1-Q2 2025)

Goal: Populate with founding artists and curriculum

  • Community writes music production curriculum

  • Founding artists invited to upload tracks

  • Guild leadership & curator roles established

  • Monthly artist spotlights & events

  • Integration with GameForge mentee program

Owner: Community Team (Dylan & Foundation)

Key Actions:

  • Identify 5-10 founding artists to seed the guild

  • Schedule curriculum writing sprints

  • Create artist guidelines & COC

  • Plan inaugural "Synthwave Showcase" event

Legal Framework (CEO Action Item)

Your Responsibility This Week:

  1. Draft AeThex Ecosystem License template

    • Non-exclusive, royalty-free for AeThex internal use

    • Attribution requirements

    • IP ownership clarification

    • Term: perpetual or limited duration?

  2. Draft Commercial License Agreement template

    • One-time use, exclusive/non-exclusive options

    • Broadcast/sync/mechanical rights

    • Pricing negotiation guidance

    • Term & renewal options

  3. Draft Artist Agreement

    • Rights & ownership (artist retains original)

    • Revenue share model (if applicable)

    • Content moderation policy

    • Dispute resolution

Blocker for Phase 2: Upload feature cannot be launched until legal templates are approved and displayed during upload.

Technology Stack

  • Frontend: React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS

  • Backend: Node.js + Express (in code/server/index.ts)

  • Database: Supabase (PostgreSQL) with RLS

  • Storage: Supabase Storage for MP3/WAV files

  • Design: Synthwave aesthetic (neon pink/purple/cyan)

  • Components: shadcn/ui (Button, Card, Input, etc.)

Files Created

Metrics & Success Criteria (Phase 1)

Metric
Target
Status

Database migration created

✅ Yes

DONE

Community group page live

✅ Yes

DONE

Curriculum structure complete

✅ Yes

DONE

Routes wired in App.tsx

✅ Yes

DONE

Synthwave aesthetic implemented

✅ Yes

DONE

Legal templates drafted

⏳ Pending

CEO ownership

Phase 2 technical plan documented

✅ Yes

DONE

What Ethos Means for AeThex

Strategic Value

  1. Sound Brand Identity

    • Every AeThex game has "the sound of AeThex"

    • Synthwave aesthetic = competitive advantage

    • Professional quality, instantly recognizable

  2. Talent Pipeline

    • Foundation nurtures emerging musicians

    • NEXUS connects them to paid work

    • CORP profits from client projects

    • DEV-LINK gets cost-effective game audio

  3. Community Engagement

    • Attracts musicians, producers, sound designers

    • Mentorship program grows talent

    • Monthly events & spotlights build loyalty

    • Curriculum positions AeThex as educator

  4. Revenue Diversification

    • Funnel 3 (Talent Flywheel): CORP billing for commercial licensing

    • Artist growth = ecosystem value

    • Possible future: royalty-share on commercial success

Known Limitations & Future Enhancements

Phase 1 Limitations (By Design)

  • No real user data in gallery (will populate in Phase 3)

  • Licensing workflow not fully operational (awaiting legal templates)

  • Curriculum content not written (community-driven in Phase 3)

  • No monetization or payment processing (Phase 2+)

Future Enhancements (Post-Phase 3)

  • Royalty tracking & payment automation

  • AI-powered track recommendations

  • Live jam sessions & collaboration tools

  • Streaming analytics integration

  • Artist funding campaigns

  • LABS x Ethos AI music generation partnership

Action Items Summary

Owner
Task
Deadline
Status

CEO (You)

Draft 3 legal templates (ecosystem, commercial, artist)

This week

⏳ In progress

CTO (Braden)

Deploy Phase 1 database migration

This sprint

✅ Ready

CTO (Braden)

Plan Phase 2 sprint (4 weeks, ~20 hrs)

Next week

Ready to schedule

Community (Dylan)

Identify founding artists

Next month

⏳ Pending

Community (Dylan)

Schedule curriculum writing sprints

Next month

⏳ Pending

Questions? Next Steps?

  1. Review this document with the team

  2. Approve the strategic direction (or iterate)

  3. CEO: Get legal templates drafted

  4. CTO: Schedule Phase 2 sprint planning

  5. Community: Begin founding artist outreach

Appendix: Strategic Brief (from CEO)

"This is not a new, standalone 6th business arm, music label, or corporation. Instead, Ethos is the official audio identity program for the entire AeThex ecosystem. It is a community Guild that lives within the FOUNDATION arm of the aethex.dev platform."

"Its primary mission is to provide high-quality, original music and sound design for our internal GAMEFORGE projects. It will also serve as a talent pool for our for-profit CORP arm, creating a new, monetizable 'Audio' category in our NEXUS marketplace."

"The program's aesthetic will be Synthwave/Retrowave, aligning with our innovative, '80s-inspired, tech-forward brand."

Vision: To build the world's most vibrant community of digital musicians and sound designers, all collaborating on the aethex.dev platform.

Mandate: To create the "sound of AeThex."

Phase 1 Complete. Ready for Phase 2. 🎵✨

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