Show HN: Imagine Kickstarter, but doubters get paid if the project flops(trypieces.com)
trypieces.com
Show HN: Imagine Kickstarter, but doubters get paid if the project flops
https://trypieces.com/p/as9wuvhp1qwb4NvpMGG2FU
14 comments
Thanks for the thoughtful comparison and the links!
You actually inspired me to make a quick change. Based on your note about photos and media, I just ungated the platform. I previously had a text Pieces only flag active, but I've turned it off. You can now attach images, video, audio, and docs to a Piece; not just text.
As for your other points:
Time-limits for release: This is a super interesting idea. If people find it useful, I think it could fit into Pieces.
Tipping vs. Funding: The investigative journalist or artist scenario is exactly the shape that Pieces is built for ("fund the unlock"). While voluntary post-release tips are great, they don't fully solve the free-rider problem that Pieces aims to address via dominant assurance contracts. Platforms like BuyMeACoffee handle tips well, but Pieces is laser-focused on the pre-release funding stage.
Good luck with your projects as well! What are you currently working on?
You actually inspired me to make a quick change. Based on your note about photos and media, I just ungated the platform. I previously had a text Pieces only flag active, but I've turned it off. You can now attach images, video, audio, and docs to a Piece; not just text.
As for your other points:
Time-limits for release: This is a super interesting idea. If people find it useful, I think it could fit into Pieces.
Tipping vs. Funding: The investigative journalist or artist scenario is exactly the shape that Pieces is built for ("fund the unlock"). While voluntary post-release tips are great, they don't fully solve the free-rider problem that Pieces aims to address via dominant assurance contracts. Platforms like BuyMeACoffee handle tips well, but Pieces is laser-focused on the pre-release funding stage.
Good luck with your projects as well! What are you currently working on?
Thanks - I am working on a couple of DIY home-oriented projects (not computer related.)
But I am also interested in getting something up on tinkeriDOTng too - something about tinkering - maybe a Github for inventions.
Checkout https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47967800 (DripStack) it is actually designed primarily for agents querying human writers - although on the front-end, humans can definitely query too. That concerns pre-release funding for financial writers.. wait how are humans writing these days? Who's to know how much slop it will return?
Regarding pre-release funding, I was thinking artist/creators might want to setup a mini-portfolio of content on the site, but then use the site as a "pipeline of ideas" with each seeking funding.
One use-case for Pieces are DJ playlists. I've seen DJs on Soundcloud wait until a mix gets a certain number of likes or reposts before they post the tracklist. You could contact DJs directly and tell them about the site.
But I am also interested in getting something up on tinkeriDOTng too - something about tinkering - maybe a Github for inventions.
Checkout https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47967800 (DripStack) it is actually designed primarily for agents querying human writers - although on the front-end, humans can definitely query too. That concerns pre-release funding for financial writers.. wait how are humans writing these days? Who's to know how much slop it will return?
Regarding pre-release funding, I was thinking artist/creators might want to setup a mini-portfolio of content on the site, but then use the site as a "pipeline of ideas" with each seeking funding.
One use-case for Pieces are DJ playlists. I've seen DJs on Soundcloud wait until a mix gets a certain number of likes or reposts before they post the tracklist. You could contact DJs directly and tell them about the site.
A "GitHub for inventions" sounds like a project worth building. I wonder if you could pre-fill the site in with public patents and show the diffs of each patent; that would be interesting to me. Good luck with that and the DIY projects!
You hit the nail on the head regarding the "AI slop" worry. I think the majority of it will be AI agents in the future and/or heavily assisted with AI. To filter out that noise, Pieces tracks a creator's lifetime volume and uses a weighted rating system where only actual participants in a Piece can affect the rating. That should help a little, but still needs to be proven in practice.
The "pipeline of ideas" concept is interesting. I'll definitely reach out to some DJs and see if this would interest them.
Really appreciate the ideas and the brainstorm!
You hit the nail on the head regarding the "AI slop" worry. I think the majority of it will be AI agents in the future and/or heavily assisted with AI. To filter out that noise, Pieces tracks a creator's lifetime volume and uses a weighted rating system where only actual participants in a Piece can affect the rating. That should help a little, but still needs to be proven in practice.
The "pipeline of ideas" concept is interesting. I'll definitely reach out to some DJs and see if this would interest them.
Really appreciate the ideas and the brainstorm!
I had another idea - linked in my profile.
It's really about getting another person involved in a Piece, rather than waving something semi-cloaked in front of people.
I suppose being pre-release and post-built is the sweet spot you'd be looking for - even if it's been built by someone else.
So you'd add a field - "third-party recipient" and they'd be notified of the piece once it goes live. They could also claim that piece if they wanted to actually cooperate.
An AskMeAnything setup by fans would seem like the most obvious use-case but really anything goes. So the Claimant (or creator?) would post a link to the forum for the AMA and the Piece concludes at that.
There was some discussion I was in a number of months ago about bounties. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44654489 - it was said "wish there were more solid options. It's an interesting space and there's a lot of opportunity for people who can get it right"
Best of luck with it, once again.
It's really about getting another person involved in a Piece, rather than waving something semi-cloaked in front of people.
I suppose being pre-release and post-built is the sweet spot you'd be looking for - even if it's been built by someone else.
So you'd add a field - "third-party recipient" and they'd be notified of the piece once it goes live. They could also claim that piece if they wanted to actually cooperate.
An AskMeAnything setup by fans would seem like the most obvious use-case but really anything goes. So the Claimant (or creator?) would post a link to the forum for the AMA and the Piece concludes at that.
There was some discussion I was in a number of months ago about bounties. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44654489 - it was said "wish there were more solid options. It's an interesting space and there's a lot of opportunity for people who can get it right"
Best of luck with it, once again.
No problem. The whole creators/bonders/backers thing is interesting. It feels like it adds a layer of extra cost to the content. So a content creator is paying a kickback to the bonders - it's like paying a commission.
Why should the creator pay a bonder anything, what have they done? Are they doing favors for the creator or the backers? Would it be in a backer's interest to also become a bonder? Why does there need to be an extra bonder entity? Maybe the creator should just pay a listing fee that is reimbursed if fully funded, otherwise it is distributed to backers in a funding-fail?
Bonding is also like a prediction bet - "I bet this piece gets fully funded / I bet it doesn't." That's all they're doing, right, or would bonders be like a record company who would fund and endorse some type of content, so it's like a stamp of approval or provide expectation/goodwill to a piece pre-release?
Why not just have a standard group-funding model, and then run prediction betting alongside it separately?
Anyway, I was thinking - what would be the most valuable piece of information to back, while also being the most minimal? A password? What's behind the password? How about a new album to download from a webpage with HTTP Basic Authentication?
How about backers who want some information to NOT be released before a deadline? That could be pretty funny, or would it be like blackmail?
It's like Pieces is where you go once you've got the NOC list.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/v8P1T1pgOjU
Some people want the information released, some people want the information suppressed.. who wins? Is it really the NOC list or a fake?
WikiStopLeaks / SpyNation. Make sure that hard drive is in a secret location and fully purged!
Why should the creator pay a bonder anything, what have they done? Are they doing favors for the creator or the backers? Would it be in a backer's interest to also become a bonder? Why does there need to be an extra bonder entity? Maybe the creator should just pay a listing fee that is reimbursed if fully funded, otherwise it is distributed to backers in a funding-fail?
Bonding is also like a prediction bet - "I bet this piece gets fully funded / I bet it doesn't." That's all they're doing, right, or would bonders be like a record company who would fund and endorse some type of content, so it's like a stamp of approval or provide expectation/goodwill to a piece pre-release?
Why not just have a standard group-funding model, and then run prediction betting alongside it separately?
Anyway, I was thinking - what would be the most valuable piece of information to back, while also being the most minimal? A password? What's behind the password? How about a new album to download from a webpage with HTTP Basic Authentication?
How about backers who want some information to NOT be released before a deadline? That could be pretty funny, or would it be like blackmail?
It's like Pieces is where you go once you've got the NOC list.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/v8P1T1pgOjU
Some people want the information released, some people want the information suppressed.. who wins? Is it really the NOC list or a fake?
WikiStopLeaks / SpyNation. Make sure that hard drive is in a secret location and fully purged!
Hi HN, I built Pieces.
Many people never make a cent from what they know, even though information clearly has value. The problem is that information is infinitely copyable. The moment you share something good, the window to get paid closes and the downstream value flows to everyone but you.
Pieces is built on a dominant assurance contract (DAC), a two-sided mechanism:
1. Backers pool funds to unlock a piece of information they want.
2. If the goal is met, it unlocks and the creator gets paid.
3. If it isn't, backers are refunded plus a premium, just for pledging.
So backing has no downside: you either get the information you paid for, or you get paid for your attention. A piece can be anything, from independent research to a hot take.
Posting is free and takes seconds. Happy to answer questions about the whole flow.
Many people never make a cent from what they know, even though information clearly has value. The problem is that information is infinitely copyable. The moment you share something good, the window to get paid closes and the downstream value flows to everyone but you.
Pieces is built on a dominant assurance contract (DAC), a two-sided mechanism:
1. Backers pool funds to unlock a piece of information they want.
2. If the goal is met, it unlocks and the creator gets paid.
3. If it isn't, backers are refunded plus a premium, just for pledging.
So backing has no downside: you either get the information you paid for, or you get paid for your attention. A piece can be anything, from independent research to a hot take.
Posting is free and takes seconds. Happy to answer questions about the whole flow.
Not sure why you're coming up as showdead.. saw your x, definitely not a bot if that's the issue. Maybe the site looks too vibecoded?
Am thinking of experimenting with images.
I like the idea of getting a custom "Piece in process" image... sort like https://i.imgur.com/removed.png but with an appropriate Pieces message that changes as backing takes place with the image becoming the actual image upon successful unlock.
eg: https://trypieces.com/u/john/i/i493493295.png
This would work anywhere across the web that allows for image deep-linking. (not 4chan)
You could run a text-to-image function if the Piece is textual to generate such images. eg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HJgAcAaXcAM_49r?format=jpg&name=...
But, hosting the images is the major issue here. Perhaps create a Wordpress plugin that integrates with Pieces? Provide an API?
But even if it can't convert to the actual image, it's still a good idea for marketing. It could say something like. "Image unlocked, see ____.com [custom domain] or trypieces.com/____ for the full reveal" or just "released through TryPieces"
Am thinking of experimenting with images.
I like the idea of getting a custom "Piece in process" image... sort like https://i.imgur.com/removed.png but with an appropriate Pieces message that changes as backing takes place with the image becoming the actual image upon successful unlock.
eg: https://trypieces.com/u/john/i/i493493295.png
This would work anywhere across the web that allows for image deep-linking. (not 4chan)
You could run a text-to-image function if the Piece is textual to generate such images. eg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HJgAcAaXcAM_49r?format=jpg&name=...
But, hosting the images is the major issue here. Perhaps create a Wordpress plugin that integrates with Pieces? Provide an API?
But even if it can't convert to the actual image, it's still a good idea for marketing. It could say something like. "Image unlocked, see ____.com [custom domain] or trypieces.com/____ for the full reveal" or just "released through TryPieces"
I have no idea why I'm coming up as showdead. Thanks for letting me know. I just sent an email to HN.
On the embed image idea: I understand. If there's demand for that I'd most definitely implement that. For now, landing on the Piece page has all the available information for the current funding status of the Piece and whatnot.
Good idea
On the embed image idea: I understand. If there's demand for that I'd most definitely implement that. For now, landing on the Piece page has all the available information for the current funding status of the Piece and whatnot.
Good idea
[deleted]
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47879268
Another idea is to "bounty-up" photos rather than text.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47550247
Perhaps there is a time-limit for the picture to be released, ie it may not have been created. I am thinking of an artist who may need to paint something or an investigative journalist who needs to report on something.
- comparing my ideas to Pieces, I am not sure if/how there is a match, but the requirements look similar. Good luck!
add: I've always like the idea of releasing music, with the artist able to receive tips for it at any point in time. They release it for free, with knowledge that it will be shared in many ways, including P2P networks where the bulk of distribution occurs. Videos as well. To make it work, they supply very accurate metadata in files, with an address for tips to flow - just thought this would be interesting to you. My idea for that was called GrooveTip.
So perhaps Pieces could allow for the initial funding of music/video to be released. Metadata could lead back to the Pieces page for further tips in the future. In other words, information can have unrealized gains event after it's been released but payments should be voluntary. Perhaps tippers can leave a comment in return and the largest tips get floated to the top with the associated comment. YT already colorizes its tips in live chat windows.