Meeting Summary: Foundation Collaboration & Vinyl Library Project

Overview

Gary, Ian, and Noah discussed potential collaboration opportunities within Noah's Schwartz Foundation framework, focusing primarily on two major projects: a vinyl record library/cultural center in the Bay Area and a reformed DAO model addressing previous governance issues. The conversation explored operational roles, project philosophies, and Gary's potential involvement as an operator to help execute these initiatives.

Key Topics Discussed

The Vinyl Library Project

Concept & Vision:

• A physical library and cultural center for vinyl records, initially focused on dance music
• Located in Oakland or Berkeley, with a physical space for housing records
• Combines preservation with active use - records can be borrowed for performances and production
• Noah: "The idea of it is to make, like, try to, like, handle or think about access in a maybe different way from, like, a little bit different from a museum or archive that's on lockdown"

Unique Elements:

• Curator-driven model: Members who curate the collection also get access to use it
• NFT integration: Mint one-of-one NFTs for each record that track usage history and develop "lore" as records are played globally
• Value transfer concept: As physical records decay from use, their NFTs could gain value through accumulated history
• Noah: "The NFT could gain value, the more likely the more it's played...you can, like, transfer the value from the analog to the digital version of it"

Market Opportunity (via Gary's vinyl expert friend Ari Crane):

• "The vinyl record market hasn't been consolidated the way the comic book and other markets have"
• No centralized collecting area exists despite being the biggest follower base
• Existing archives (UMKC's Marr Sound archives, Nashville's country music archives) are institution-specific
• UMKC has a "$13 million vault with two robots in pretty much a fireproof bomb proof library"

Philosophy on Decay and Use:

• Ian: Recognition that vinyl degrades with use creates sacred, ephemeral quality
• Balance between preservation and living use of the medium
• Gary: "I can see this being a really breath of fresh air type of environment in an age where everything is so mass produced and annoying and fake"

Reformed DAO Model ("New Nouns")

Core Improvements:

• Designed to accommodate charitable funds with fiduciary requirements
• Eliminates adversarial incentives found in traditional DAOs
• Focus on minimizing friction for capital to flow in and out
• Noah: "What does it take for charitable funds to flow into the DAO... you think a lot more carefully from, like, from a fiduciary point of view"

Implementation Status:

• "On the verge of having, like, the entities put together"
• In conversation with Ray Guild to handle smart contracts
• Protocol design mostly complete with "very significant changes" from original Nouns model

Philosophical Approach:

• Exit to community model - horizontal distribution of agency
• Democratic coordination for local IRL projects
• Test case: Can permissionless structures accommodate institutional capital?

Foundation Structure & Operations

Current Status:

• Schwartz Foundation fully established after resolving legal disputes
• Multiple years of runway available
• Some assets still tied up in real estate pending liquidation
• Noah: "There's still plenty to, like, do. There's, you know, good, good amount of, like, working funds"

Working Dynamic:

• Ian serves as project manager for the Foundation
• High agency, peer-to-peer collaboration model
• Afternoon sessions at Noah's after trading hours for generative discussions
• Ian: "I'm not looking to be your boss...my hope is to have a peer. We can push and challenge one another and pull excellence from one another"

Operator Role Discussion

Role Characteristics:

• Very high agency with significant independence
• Setting deliverables and deadlines collaboratively
• Mix of strategic thinking and execution
• Regular in-person collaboration preferred but not required

Ian's Description:

• "A lot of checking in, a lot of coming over in the afternoon when Noah's done trading"
• "Getting it done and coordinating the conversations and bringing in the connections"
• "What it takes to get them done and the actual act of getting it done...that's a lot of you and me being like, what do we need to get done? And then getting it done"

Additional Projects

Other Initiatives Being Explored:

• Indonesian grant organization opportunity
• East Oakland church farmers market project
• Art gallery collaboration (501c3)
• General grant-making and sourcing opportunities

Key Quotes

On the Vinyl Library Philosophy:

• Noah: "In order to preserve that medium, you have to, like, you can't preserve. The records can't be preserved. Like, it's a sort of an interesting irony"
• Ian: "Who I am is the possibility of the miraculous" (referencing his Landmark personal development work)
• Gary: "The sacredness, the decay-ness, the quality of the fact that it decays...you would get in touch with reality again"

On DAO Philosophy:

• Noah: "What are the mechanisms that you'd need for, like, a charity to be able to, like, put money into the DAO...you just can't have blow ups or rug poles"
• Gary: "There's almost like a brand allergy to the word [DAO]...But collective cooperation over missions is still important"

On Collaboration:

• Ian: "Gary is [missing] the six, seven months of really deep conversations about, like, what are the principles and values underpinning, like, these projects"
• Ian: "You're in a space of exploration. You need a lot of agency right now"

Action Items / Next Steps

1. Gary to connect Ian with Ari Crane (vinyl expert/collector) for input on library project
2. Continue discussions about Gary potentially joining as an operator
3. Explore Bay Area relocation possibilities for Gary
4. Further develop vinyl library NFT concept and implementation
5. Progress on entity formation for new DAO structure
6. Ian to send Gary information about Muslim expansion in Texas (mentioned in separate conversation)

Strategic Considerations

For the Vinyl Library:

• Need to solve networking/community building challenge
• Balance local vs. global participation
• Determine optimal location between Oakland and Berkeley
• Develop curator onboarding and governance structure

For Reformed DAO:

• Complete smart contract development with Ray Guild
• Test charitable fund accommodation requirements
• Consider branding beyond "DAO" terminology
• Focus on concrete local problems as pilot projects

For Potential Collaboration:

• Gary brings Dream DAO experience and civic tech background
• Alignment on values of agency, decentralization, and mission-driven work
• Potential for Gary to help execute while maintaining exploration mindset
• Bay Area presence would enhance collaboration effectiveness

Personal Context

Gary's Current Situation:

• Recently completed AI coding bootcamp (first 3 months of 2025)
• Finished 4-month consulting gig at school system (described as "inside look at the next FTX")
• Currently on "spiritual sabbatical" to ground values and direction
• Exploring move to Bay Area
• Seeking high-agency, mission-driven work

Ian's Perspective:

• Sees strong alignment between Gary's values and Foundation projects
• Appreciates Gary's Dream DAO civic focus as model for Nouns improvements
• Values peer collaboration over hierarchical management
• Recently reconnected with God and exploring faith dimensions

Noah's Approach:

• Trading during mornings, Foundation work in afternoons
• Seeking to build generative, democratic structures
• Interest in crypto-charity intersection
• Focus on creating sustainable, fraud-resistant governance models