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Harian Kompas has cemented its status as one of Indonesia’s leading newspapers, reaching 3.8 million readers across the archipelago. A strong ethos of adapting to changing times has been instrumental in maintaining and growing a loyal community of readers. The team pioneered a Web2 strategy in the early days of the Internet with the launch of Kompas.com in 1995. In 2010, it was one of the earliest adopters of the QR code.
So what’s next for Harian Kompas?
“Loka/Masa” - the first Tezos NFT collection
You may have guessed it — a foray into Web3.
From September to December 2022, 57 editions of Kompas’ 57 most aesthetically striking photos (from 2003 to 2018) from its archives will be released as NFTs, for a total supply of 3249. These photos hold their value as journalistic products, including time and location stamps, and remain unprocessed to convey the original narratives. They can be minted on Objkt.com, one of the leading marketplaces on Tezos.
For years, Harian Kompas has been celebrated for the quality of its published photography. With a decorated roster of photojournalists, their pages have been filled with beautifully composed photographs from talents like Kartono Riyadi, Julian Sihombing, and Arbain Rambey. Moving into Web3 was the next logical step — Harian Kompas is now eternalizing photos that capture the most pivotal moments in Indonesia’s history, and enabling its photographers to be part of the booming creator economy in the Tezos ecosystem.
To gain an exclusive insight into this campaign, we caught up with the mastermind of this move, Helman Taofani, Commercial Development Manager at Harian Kompas. Joining him is Ruanth Chrissley Thysson, a trusted advisor for the organization and a leading Web3 community enabler in Indonesia.
Having spent almost two decades as a creator in print media, there’s no better person to lead Harian Kompas’ NFT strategy than Helman. From a young age, Helman fell in love with art and writing. Starting as a graphic designer at Harian Kompas in 2015, years of hard work and dedication led him to his current position.
One thing remained constant throughout his life - his identity as a creator. In addition to his work for Harian Kompas, Helman is also a published travel writer and a prolific blogger. The incredible potential that Web3 and NFTs can offer creators is incredibly clear to Helman.
In this interview, Helman shares with us why Harian Kompas decided to launch NFTs on Tezos, the newspaper’s philosophy on the creator economy, and what this means for both Web3 creators and the community.
Ruanth is a Dutch-Moluccan mix, growing up primarily in Dubai, and Singapore, and a graduate of the Royal College of Art (UK), National Film and Television School. In 2019, his work got Oscar nominated as well as 3 BAFTA nominations between 2019-2022. He fell in love with blockchain tech in 2015, bought his first NFT in 2017, and hasn’t stopped since. A founder of Metarupa, the first Indonesian NFT Community, Ruanth is currently advising brands and persons on the wonderful world of NFTs.
Harian Kompas was founded in 1965 and is Indonesia’s most influential newspaper today. Being such a pioneering institution, it’s amazing news that Kompas is entering the world of Web3. Was it a hard decision to make, given that NFTs are not fully accepted by the public yet?
Helman:
Kompas has always had a progressive mindset. We pioneered Web2 media with Kompas.com in 1995, the early days of the Internet. Back in 2010, we embraced the early adoption of the QR code. The next logical progression is into Web3. So, we would like to participate in the space as creators too. In June, we’ve featured Balinese artist Rakajana, who’s also on Tezos, on the front page!
We have also noticed a trend - a growing culture of people paying for content, demonstrated by the success of Netflix and Disney +. Incidentally, the same thing is happening in Web3, where people are paying for art as NFTs.
As creators ourselves, we stand fully behind the principles behind Web3. We see NFTs as a gateway into a world where people appreciate each other’s creations, whether it be photographs, paintings, journalism or other forms of media.
When we enter this space, we have to be humble. Our first position has to be as creators, to explore and learn this new technology.
It’s fascinating that when we talk about Web3 creators, we think of individual artists. But it doesn’t strike us that news media companies are actually creators too. And they’re huge. So, it’s very exciting to see Kompas take a step into Web3.
Helman:
Yes, you’re absolutely correct. At its core, a media company is actually a massive congregation of creators. There are photographers, content writers, and designers. Web3 is something that can empower media too, allowing us to tap into a global ecosystem of creators, and audiences.
Could you share with us the thought process behind this NFT release? What was Kompas’ intention, and why did you choose to release photos as NFTs?
Helman:
Earlier this year, the trend was Profile Picture (PFP) artwork and projects. But when we discussed what direction we wanted to take, we decided to stay true to our identity and strengths in the media space.
Previously in June, we released a project on Ethereum called Narasi Fakta Terkurasi. 57 of the most important news articles were minted on-chain as single unique NFTs. The next creative asset that we explored was photography. We’ve always prided ourselves on having some of the most talented photographers in Indonesia, and we have millions of photographic assets in our archive. We will stick to our strengths in journalism, which will always be relevant.
Speaking of art and community, those are the reasons why we’ve chosen Tezos to be our blockchain of choice for Loka/Masa. But now, we’ve noticed that Tezos has a thriving community of photographers, with a genuine love for the craft.
We want to be able to connect with our fellow artists on Tezos, through our shared appreciation of photography. So, we’ve chosen 57 of our best photos from a professional viewpoint. We consider things like composition, colors, and visual aesthetics. Perhaps these photos may have strong historical significance, but we’re not talking to the community through that medium - but instead as photographers.
Why did you choose Objkt.com as the marketplace to mint?
Helman:
Simply, we’d like to lower the barrier to entry to collecting NFTs as much as possible. As I’ve shared before, we chose Tezos to mint on because the photography community is thriving there. Naturally, we’d choose the most popular platform where people can jump in right away and start interacting with us.
Ruanth:
There’s a reason why Objkt is so popular. It’s the smoothest mint on Tezos I’ve experienced so far. And the community is very strong too.
Having such a recognized brand come into the space is significant, especially for Web3 communities of photographers and artists. What does this mean for these creators?
Helman:
We’d like to communicate to our fellow Tezos creators and collectors that we are joining the community with a roster of photographers. Hopefully, together we can form a strong community and culture of photography NFTs, and build up a thriving Tezos ecosystem!
We’re also trying to lower the barrier to entry to photo collection, which is why we’ve priced the NFT mint quite affordably. We want to encourage people to start collecting again, which was something we did back in the analog days.
Ruanth:
I think it’s very hopeful that a brand like Kompas is embracing NFTs. Kompas may not have been the first to enter, but they’re one of the most impactful simply because they believe in the creator’s culture. We wanted to make it inclusive, and as Mas Helman said — Kompas has taken steps to make it as easy as possible to collect the NFTs. Our focus is to bridge the gap between creators and collectors.
In this bear market, there is very little happening. But now, if you talk to a creator and tell them that Kompas is releasing NFTs on Tezos and multiple blockchains, it’s very encouraging. When you’ve got such a big company doing this, creators get inspired. Yesterday, I was in my NFT community Discord where photographers come to hang out and chat. I mentioned that Kompas was releasing NFTs, and immediately some of the works of our photographers got sold. In bear markets, a little bit of hope sparks a little more. The network effect of brands entering this space is very uplifting.
Despite owning the full intellectual property rights to the photographs, Kompas is still choosing to split 50% of the royalties with photographers. Clearly, Kompas is embracing the spirit of Web3, and it is very encouraging to all creators. Was this a hard decision to make?
Ruanth:
We suggested splitting royalties with photographers and Harian Kompas was immediately very open to it. They’re leading the way and setting an example for how other brands should enter the space.
As we’ve experienced, big brands entering the space is exciting but also subject to a lot of scrutiny. We’ve definitely had good feedback. Our creator community feels like Harian Kompas has entered the space with sincerity and a genuine desire to see the creator economy succeed.
Helman:
Well, our intention was always to inspire a thriving creator scene in Web3. So, naturally, we have to show this spirit. Anyway, we’ve always appreciated our creators such as content writers, photographers, designers, and more at Harian Kompas. To show them love by sharing royalties with them - it was an easy choice.
We are thankful to Mas Ruanth and the Metarupa community, for helping us to understand this space from a creator’s position. We considered things like what would make creators happy? Having their work appreciated and royalty share for example. Perhaps other brands may want to leverage on their branding power, but for us - we are creators first before a brand. And I think our community understands that.
The majority of people who know Harian Kompas have no familiarity with Web3. How do you see them involved in Kompas’ move into Web3, and will you offer utility to attract them?
Helman:
First of all, we hope that we’ll be able to bring the artistic revolution that’s happening in Web3 to the mainstream public. The team has been very open to initiatives that inspire mass adoption, and there’s a lot of amazing content in the space that I’m sure will inspire people and bring joy into their lives with the vibrance and community spirit of Web3 creators.
Of course, we see creators of all kinds turning to Web3 eventually. On a Twitter Spaces recently, one of our listeners pointed out that in Web2, the main way of making a living for photographers is to sell them as stock photos. But people aren’t buying to collect, but rather to use them. In Web3 where creators make their works into NFTs, photographers may release them as digital collectibles, a new way for people to directly support or invest in them. This way, fans become patrons and collectors turn into a tight-knit community built around an appreciation of that photographer’s art.
Currently, physical benefits are clearer to non-Web3 folk. So, one of the strategies to onboard them is to also offer “phygital” utilities through NFTs - a blend of physical and digital utilities. Each NFT will be worth 1 point, and the collected points may be exchanged for limited edition custom printed merchandise including postcards, T-shirts, our photography book “Untitled”, and a full-sized acrylic print of the photograph. Each will have edition numbers printed on them, and will only be printed once.
One of the things we’re really excited about is a physical showcase of our NFTs at the National Museum in Jakarta on October 28. Due to the pandemic, we’ve not had any exhibitions for the past 3 years. This time though, it’s going to be different - it’s available on the blockchain, and more importantly, the audience can collect the artwork! At the October 28 exhibition, printed postcards of the 57 photos will be on sale, and buyers will also receive a NFT. This is what we mean by “phygital” utility, and with this we hope to onboard more people onto Web3.
Can you give us a sneak preview of any future things that Harian Kompas might release as NFTs?
Helman:
Of course. At Harian Kompas, our archives go back a long way. We have many forms of media, like printed media, photographs, and infographics. The written content NFT scene has already kickstarted. There are also many exciting things to explore. But one thing is for sure - we stay true to our core. Journalism, that’s our identity.
