Scratchpop! A Boomers to Zoomers Music Fan Game.

Hello. I am Tim Chaney, and I have been active in the games industry since 1985, with huge success from 1985 to 2010. Since then I have been an agent for indie game studios raising funds. Now it is time to bring my own game to the market. I have a super team with me that can make ScratchPop! a huge mobile game hit, in a sector that is totally open for exploitation with a quality game, that relies on music knowledge.

A successful campaign will allow us to build a prototype with which we can explore equity funding opportunities for the full £40,000 required to build the launch game.

ScratchPop! is the merging of 3 gigantic audiences with a knowledge of music fans into one app - any age, any gender, every music genre, anywhere.

ScratchPop! from Popsociable will be a highly engaging game due to its focus on interactivity, personalization, and social elements that foster long-term enjoyment and repeat play.

It is a cross-generational app that merges tailored music knowledge, gamification, social interaction, and monetization to appeal to a broad audience. Here’s a deeper breakdown of its core features and audience engagement potential:

Key Features. Gamified Music Discovery:

• Scratch-to-Reveal Gameplay: Users scratch a blacked-out screen to reveal iconic album covers, from any era or genre, having to identify them quickly and accurately.

• Era-Specific and Challenge Options: Players select specific music eras (Baby Boomers to Gen Z), or the “Lucky Dip” mode for a randomized, high-stakes challenge. This engages fans of all ages and lets them explore music outside their primary interests.

Socialized Experience:

• Multiplayer and Leaderboards: ScratchPop! brings together competitive and social elements, allowing players to challenge friends, track scores on leaderboards, and share achievements on social media.

• Community Challenges and Events: The app will introduce weekly or monthly themed challenges (like “80s Rock” or “Hip-Hop Legends”) to foster a sense of community and competition among users.

Monetized Layers:

• In-App Purchases and Ads: Players can purchase special scratch tools, earn or buy hints, or skip to new challenges. Advertisements and partnerships with music platforms or merchandise stores offer additional revenue.

• Subscriptions or VIP Access: For a small monthly fee, subscribers unlock ad-free gameplay, exclusive trivia, and access to a rotating selection of premium artist subjects and genre-specific challenges.

Expansion Potential (PC Integration):

• Cross-Platform Play: Later integration on PC expands reach, allowing ScratchPop! to cater to a wider audience and provide a seamless experience across devices.

• Enhanced Visual and Audio Effects: On PC, the game can enhance visuals for larger screens, immersive sound effects, and introduce multiplayer tournaments for a more competitive, social experience.

Target audience/engagement:

• Music Fans Across All Ages: ScratchPop! appeals to fans of every generation, catering to both casual listeners and music buffs with diverse options based on music knowledge, nostalgia, and discovery.

• Competitive Gamers: By adding leaderboards, multiplayer modes, and rewards, ScratchPop! draws in competitive players looking for social and high-score bragging rights.

• Collectibles and Nostalgia Enthusiasts: For users interested in music history and iconic albums, ScratchPop! offers a collectibles vault.

More audience Engagement Tactics:

• User-Generated Content: Players could contribute album cover suggestions or trivia questions, deepening engagement and building a community around shared music knowledge.

• Progressive Rewards and Achievements: Introducing achievements, badges, and unlockable content that cater to long-term players, giving them milestones to strive for and a reason to stay engaged.

• Social Media Sharing and Playlists: Integrating playlists or sharing features allows users to showcase their favorite album finds, linking to streaming platforms to discover and listen to the music behind each album cover.

• Ad-Supported Free Play: Supported by (relevant) short ads, ScratchPop! will remain free and accessible while generating revenue.

• Premium Features and Microtransactions: Users can purchase hints, unique tools, or exclusive access to certain music eras (or years), ensuring casual and dedicated players alike have rewarding options.

• Collaborations with the Music Industry: Partnering with record labels, streaming platforms, and YT channels could open avenues for sponsored album covers, exclusive trivia, and artist-related content to boost engagement and revenue.

Scalability: The later planned expansion to PC adds value for more dedicated players and increases advertising potential. ScratchPop! could eventually include specific genres, and artists, creating a dynamic, evolving platform.

By tapping into the universal love for music, competition, and nostalgia, ScratchPop! has the potential to build a loyal, multi-generational audience that grows through its engaging, ever-expanding content.

Game Flow and Mechanics. Tool Selection and Difficulty:

• Tools: Players start by choosing a "scratch tool" (from a thin stylus to a thick highlight pen), each with varying difficulty levels. Points scale with the tools' difficulty, encouraging players to take on harder challenges for higher rewards. Players can buy skins for their toolset.

• Points: Thin tools offer minimal scratch surface per swipe, increasing the challenge and points for correct answers, while thicker tools reveal more of the cover but reduce points' potential.

Music Era Selection:

• Era Choices: Players pick their music era of expertise, based on their best knowledge range from (d.o.b) Baby Boomers (1954-1964), Gen X (1965-1980), Gen Y (1981 - 1997), or Gen Z (1997-2012). This choice influences the selection of album covers and trivia, allowing players to leverage their strengths in a particular era.

• Lucky Dip Option: For a more difficult but high-reward option, players can select “Lucky Dip,” which includes album covers from the past 70 years. Correctly identifying an album here yields a 10x score multiplier, adding excitement and unpredictability.

Scratch-Off Gameplay:

• Black Screen and Scratch Reveal: Players scratch off part of a blackened album cover within a timed window (5-10 seconds, subject to A/B testing). The chosen tool determines the scratch surface area, impacting difficulty and their time to answer.

• Answer Selection: During scratching, four answer options are displayed. A wrong answer means they proceed to a new cover after seeing the correct answer, fostering a learn-through-failure approach that encourages replayability.

Trivia Bonus Round:

*The release version will not include photos due to copyright issues

• Bonus Question: Players can answer a related trivia question about the artist or album to double their points for each correct answer. Trivia questions add depth, allowing players to showcase their music knowledge beyond album identification.

Daily or Weekly Challenges:

• Themed challenges (e.g., “80s Pop Week” or “Rock Legends”) will incentivize players to log in regularly. Completing challenges could unlock unique rewards, like new tools or rare album covers.

Multiplayer or Leaderboards:

Competitive Play: Include a leaderboard where players can see how they rank within their chosen era or globally. Alternatively, players could challenge friends or random people in head-to-head rounds to compete.

Years. This innovative feature taps into the nostalgic “musical awakening” period many fans experience, often between ages 14 and 18, when they form deep connections with the music of a particular era. This feature creates daily excitement while also offering a way to tailor gameplay for dedicated players

Random Yearly Releases:

• Regularly, a particular “Year in Music” is unlocked randomly for all players. This daily year-specific mode offers a unique set of album covers and trivia from that specific time, making the game feel fresh and fostering anticipation for daily play.

• For example, one day might feature 1985, challenging players with albums and questions from that year alone. The following day, players could explore music from 2001, creating a mix of surprises and nostalgia.

Paid Year Selection for Bonus Points:

• Players can pay a small fee to choose a specific year to play (from 1965 to the present day). This lets players dive into their personal “musical awakening” years or other favorite music years, providing a personalized connection to the game.

• Selecting a year will award bonus points for correct answers, creating an incentive for fans to revisit the music that matters most to them.

Engagement and Nostalgia: Allowing players to revisit specific years taps into music’s nostalgic power, as many fans recall their teenage years as pivotal in shaping their musical tastes. This feature draws players in emotionally, potentially enhancing retention and daily log-ins.

Customization and Monetization: The ability to pay for year selection offers a monetization opportunity that aligns with player interests, as fans can personalize their experience to explore the music that resonates with them most deeply.

Music Discovery Integration:

• Seamless Spotify Integration: After identifying an album, and answering the trivia question correctly, players can connect to Spotify to listen to the full album or a highlighted track. This allows ScratchPop! to become more than a game—it’s a gateway to music memories, discovery, and an interactive extension of their favorite streaming platforms.

Leaderboard Competition:

• Global and Regional Leaderboards: Scores are uploaded across global and regional leaderboards, initially with the global leaderboard and later adding U.S. and U.K. rankings. As more data is collected, additional country-specific leaderboards may be introduced, giving players a sense of national pride and further motivation to compete.

• Future Social Competition:

o PvP Mode: After the beta (play vs. computer) phase, we introduce a PvP mode for direct player-to-player challenges, similar to the nostalgia-inducing "Songpop" but with a modern twist.

o Team Play: Later updates will allow users to form groups of 4, 6, or 8 for exclusive, private matches with friends, family, or fan communities, creating a flexible social gaming experience and a highly competitive team leaderboard.

Development and Team Expertise:

• Seasoned Team: With over 100 years of combined experience and expertise in video games, mobile games, music discovery, and monetized trivia, our team is equipped to develop a game that is not only entertaining but commercially viable and first to market in its genre.

• Tried and Tested Engines: We’ll leverage a trivia engine/back end currently deployed successfully in the U.S. and U.K., currently hosting 1M+ games a month. This engine, combined with our development partner’s Spotify music discovery experience, ensures ScratchPop! has a solid technical foundation and scalable backend.

• Proven Track Record in App Development: Having built over 150 mobile apps, including high-grossing trivia, casino, and music discovery platforms, our team understands the nuances of creating engaging, profitable, and user-centric applications.

Gameplay Mechanics and Monetization Strategy:

1. Monetized Gameplay:

o In-App Purchases and Ads: Free-to-play with ad-supported rewards (e.g., hints or additional scratch attempts). In-app purchases will include premium tools, ad removal, and access to exclusive content like rare album covers.

o Subscriptions for Enhanced Play: We will introduce a VIP membership subscription with perks like bonus scratch tools, special playlists, reduced ad frequency, and access to exclusive, high-scoring trivia modes.

2. Community Events and Challenges:

o Weekly Themes: Host challenges like "90s Pop Hits" or "Rock Legends," with top players earning special badges, exclusive album covers, or leaderboard recognition.

o Achievement Badges and Collectibles: Introduce collectibles for album completions, perfect scores, or consecutive wins, motivating long-term play and engagement.

Unique Selling Points:

• First-to-Market Music Trivia Game Fusion: ScratchPop! stands out by combining music knowledge with gamified trivia and discovery in a way that appeals across generations and regions.

• Cross-Generational Appeal: The game targets music fans of any age and background, from nostalgia-driven Baby Boomers to Gen Z listeners, creating a socially diverse community around shared musical knowledge and fun.

With its blend of music discovery, social gaming, and monetization, ScratchPop! has the potential to become the go-to app for music fans and casual gamers alike, offering an experience that’s as fun as it is rewarding.

Monetization:

In-App Purchases (IAPs), such as:

• Specialist Subjects: Fans can unlock album covers/trivia categories centered around specific artists (e.g., Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift, The Beatles, Lady Gaga). Each specialist subject would have its own leaderboard, creating niche communities within the game.

• Subscriber Only - Best of/Greatest Hits and Live Album covers offering double points allow players to test their knowledge on a wider, curated set of album covers.

• Turn Off Ads: For players who prefer uninterrupted gameplay, offer an affordable ad bypass.

Watch ads for extra points, new scratching tools, etc. This is now a thing although in 2000 I came up with a game idea called ´Klick Lotto´ that rewarded watching videos for points that were entered into a daily lotto draw. I never did anything with it. Ho hum.

Curation Strategy:

The carefully curated album content in ScratchPop! is central to its appeal, especially as players seek to connect with the music they know and explore albums across genres and eras. Here’s how the curation strategy could unfold, aligning content with the player’s profile while allowing for dynamic expansion as the game progresses:

Best Sellers, Highest-Rated Albums, and Iconic Covers:

• Best-Selling Albums: Each artist’s most commercially successful albums will be prioritized, allowing players to engage with well-known albums they are likely familiar with, fostering initial success and recognition.

• Critically Acclaimed and Highest-Rated Albums: These albums, often defining an artist’s career, appeal to more serious fans and ensure that even lesser-known artists are represented by their strongest work.

• Iconic Album Covers: Recognizable album covers, like The Beatles’ Abbey Road or Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, are included to add a visual element that resonates with fans and appeals to casual players. Iconic covers provide an easy entry point while deepening the player’s aesthetic experience.

Balanced Representation Across Eras:

• With approximately 750 albums ready for beta launch, spread across 150 artists, ScratchPop! ensures each era will be equally represented. This creates a multi-generational appeal, encouraging players of different ages to find their own musical roots while exploring new sounds.

Artist-Specific Depth:

• Initially (beta version), the album selection for each artist will be limited to the essentials—typically 4 albums per artist. This simplifies the experience for new players and lays the foundation for adding more niche albums as the game progresses, allowing for deeper knowledge challenges in future levels.

Phase 2: Expanding Content with Genres and Advanced Curation. Genre-Specific Options:

• Players can opt for Latino, Pop, Classic Rock, Folk, Prog, Heavy Metal, Hip-Hop, Rap, Country, K-pop, and Contemporary when genres are introduced later. Each genre will have a selection of flagship albums curated based on its defining sounds and evolution through the decades. Latino may need a dedicated Spanish app if we decide to strike the Central, Latin American, and the 67M US Hispanic populations.

• For instance, classic rock could feature foundational albums from bands like Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. At the same time, K-Pop might spotlight seminal albums by BTS and BLACKPINK to engage international music fans.

Progressive Difficulty through Album Depth:

• As players become more experienced, albums from deeper into artists' discographies will be introduced, requiring players to distinguish between similar album artwork and expanding the knowledge needed for success.

• This phase could also integrate “deep cuts” or lesser-known albums for bonus rounds, challenging even the most seasoned fans.

Player-Specific and Community-Based Curation. Player Preferences and Play History:

• Based on previous gameplay, ScratchPop! would begin recommending albums or genres tailored to the player’s preferences. This keeps engagement high and lets players expand their knowledge of their favorite music styles.

With over 2500 already curated albums and an adaptable ongoing curation plan, ScratchPop! will provide a well-rounded, continually refreshed experience that grows with its player base. This structured yet flexible approach supports the game’s long-term appeal and unique cross-generational relevance.

Risks

Given ScratchPop!'s innovative concept, we’ve identified a few critical risks, notably marketing funding challenges, potential competition, player engagement, and copyright considerations regarding album covers. Here’s an in-depth look at each area, along with risk mitigation strategies:

1. Marketing Funds

Risk: Completing the Beta release (MVP) by June 2025 but then facing difficulties securing subsequent marketing funds, which could slow down ongoing development and audience scaling.

Mitigation Strategy: To address this, ensure the MVP developed for Kickstarter demonstrates high quality and repeat play ´stickiness´. Another approach is to plan a smaller-scale beta with phased rollouts, allowing us to gather initial user data, traction, and testimonials. Alternatively, a second funding round (much easier with a live game) or securing partnerships with music or gaming companies could further support the project.

2. Potential Competition

Risk: While ScratchPop! currently has no direct competitors, similar concepts may emerge, especially if the idea gains popularity.

Mitigation Strategy: Establish ScratchPop!’s unique value early by emphasizing genre diversity, user-generated content, leaderboards, and tailored experiences. Building a strong community through social channels and early engagement could create brand loyalty. Additionally, securing exclusive partnerships (e.g., Spotify playlists, and artist tie-ins) could differentiate ScratchPop! from future entrants.

3. Player Engagement

Risk: Although the music/album-focused nature of ScratchPop! aligns well with popular trends (as seen on YouTube and music forums), there is always a risk the game might not catch on.

Mitigation Strategy: Maximize engagement by implementing features shown to retain users in music-based platforms, such as daily challenges, genre-specific events, or collaborations with music influencers. Target marketing efforts at both casual music listeners and hardcore fans, using targeted ad campaigns on platforms like YouTube, where music nostalgia and discussions are prevalent. Early player feedback can be invaluable, so consider a phased launch in smaller markets to refine the game before a broader release.

4. Copyright and Album Cover Usage

Risk: Licensing and copyright could be a gray area when it comes to using album covers, especially since the fair use defense can be challenging to rely on for commercial projects.

Mitigation Strategy: While 00´s of commercial (i.e. monetizing through sponsorship, views, super thanks, etc.) YouTube channels use album covers under fair use and show these covers for many minutes as opposed to the 5-10 seconds we will, ScratchPop! is a monetized game, so it’s wise to consult with legal experts in intellectual property to assess the risks. If licensing fees are required, the estimated rate of $0.003 per click could be manageable, especially if offset by ad revenue or paid features. Alternatively, ScratchPop! could consider using low-resolution or partial images to minimize potential copyright claims, as these may fall under trans-formative use, reducing licensing costs. But we don´t expect to go there.

5. Image Use for Trivia Questions

Risk: Using photos beyond album covers in trivia may expose ScratchPop! to complex copyright issues related to artist or album imagery.

Mitigation Strategy: To stay within safe usage guidelines, consider sticking with the album cover alone or creating custom artwork inspired by the artist's aesthetic without infringing on exact likenesses or trademarked images. This could also provide opportunities for engaging backers or players in generating game-related content (e.g., submitting fan art for consideration).

Marketing $

Although we will deploy extensive and unabated guerilla marketing via YouTube, Facebook, Discord, and others, it is naive to presume that actual marketing expenditure is unnecessary. It will be and we may not raise enough funding to launch effective paid-for marketing campaigns.

Each of these strategies helps protect ScratchPop!'s unique brand while providing flexibility to adapt to market and legal considerations as the project evolves. With a well-defined revenue model, a dedicated community, and a clear approach to licensing, ScratchPop! can strengthen its position for both initial funding rounds and long-term growth.