Proton
| Public organisation | |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Headquarters | Aðnat, Aðuna , |
Area served | Tyran |
| Services | |
Number of employees | 12.000 (2018) |
| Divisions |
|
| Website | http://www.proton.gls/ |
Proton is a Gylian public organisation providing digital distribution and streaming media. It is part of the publinet.
Proton offers ad-free online distribution and streaming of media. It is funded from taxation and subscriptions. Artists, record labels, and film, television and video game production companies can upload their works to the platform through accounts.
Users can stream content on demand and download it in several lossless formats. Access is free, and users have the option to purchase content or donate directly to the artists, using a pay what you want model.
Since its establishment, Proton has had a significant impact and role in Gylian pop culture. It has a practical monopoly on the national distribution and online streaming of music, films, TV series, and video games in Gylias. It has received praise for its high-definition content, artist control, and comprehensive catalogue.
History
Proton was founded in 1994, as part of an effort to harness the increasingly popular internet for social and public service needs. Its aim was to provide publicly-owned digital distribution, ensure universal access to culture and the arts, and protect artists' livelihoods.
The company developed open-source software for hosting and streaming. It used various file formats before coming to focus on ones that guaranteed good quality while being easy to play by any program. It was able to arrange partnerships with a majority of creators and publishers, giving it a comprehensive catalogue at launch.
The website was launched on 1 May 1995. The company's work spawned several other publinet sites, including the music-focused Freemix and Samplexicon, the online video platform NetStream, and the ArtNet project partly evolved out of it.
Proton has been one of Gylias' most popular websites since its launch. It has experienced substantial user growth and has continued to expand functionality and services for users. Updates have included support for more formats, new user features, and compatibility with mobile operating systems.
The service incentivised older artists such as The Beaties, The Watts, The Dandys, and The Tea Set, to create official remasters of their back catalogue for online distribution. It played a significant role in the renewed Gylian Invasion of the 1990s, making Gylian pop culture easily accessible to anyone with internet access.
The site had 30 million registered users as of December 2018.
Features
Users
Proton users can access music, films, TV series, and video games via their respective websites, and either stream them or download them. Listening, viewing, and downloading is free, unlimited, and ad-free.
Users can choose whether to purchase the available content at their own price, or gift money directly to the respective creators. Purchases and donations can be made in various currencies, including þalers, foreign currencies, and complementary currencies.
Albums include cover art and liner notes in PDF format. Films, series, and games include posters, artwork and screenshots, and in the latter's case, manuals and gameplay footage. Pages provide biographies for the creators or companies in question.
The Proton catalogue can be searched using multiple criteria and embedded on other websites via unique URLs. Downloaded files lack any copy protection mechanisms, and are compatible with various media players. Skipping and scrubbing during streams are available to all users.
Users with accounts can additionally create playlists, follow other accounts, share, or cache content for offline play.
In addition to personal computers, Proton-supported platforms include smartphones, tablets, portable media players, video game consoles, and television sets.
Artists
Artists and publishers with accounts can upload their works to Proton, using various file formats. Music uploads are converted to OGG Vorbis or FLAC for streaming and download. Films and TV series are available in either standard definition or high definition resolutions.
Artists can customise their pages, write their biography, or provide additional comments on their work. They can also access data regarding their web traffic, which is restricted to their accounts. A tool allows them to also access a database of music venues, cinemas, film festivals, or demoparties.
In addition to direct purchases and gifts, artists receive royalty payments for streaming, through the Creative Rights Organisation.
Video games are automatically updated through Proton, and developers can release patches and downloadable content.
Copyright
Proton functions in accordance with Gylian copyright law, and material released on it conforms to different public copyright licenses or is in the public domain. Public domain content still accords permanent moral rights to its creators.
Publinet connections
Works uploaded through Proton are automatically connected to the rest of the publinet, which forms a unified database. A program automatically scans uploads and generates links to respective entries on the other websites.
Musical works are automatically connected to Freemix and Samplexicon entries, and are linked to from use in films and NetStream videos.
Films and games receive links from trailers, clips, and footage uploaded on NetStream.
Cinematic adaptations of books and comics are automatically connected to BiblioNet and Telecomix entries.
References to artworks are automatically connected to ArtNet entries.
Funding
As a public organisation, Proton is primarily funded from the federal government's budget, with contributions from regional and municipal governments. Users with accounts can also pay a subscription to support the site.
Ownership
Proton is legally a public organisation, registered as a SP. The company is organised as a cooperative and governed by workers' self-management.
Its headquarters are in Aðnat, Aðuna, forming an area known as the Ţiksagon.
Services
Proton operates four websites for each of its services:
- Proton Music — offers music for download and streaming. Files are available as either OGG Vorbis or lossless FLAC, with higher bitrates and sample rates than CD-DA standards.
- Proton Film — offers films for download and streaming. Files are offered in both standard and high-definition resolution.
- Proton TV — offers television series for download and streaming. Files are offered in both standard and high-definition resolution.
- Proton Games — offers games for download and multiplayer.
Geographic availability
Proton is mainly available in Gylias, but can be accessed from anywhere in Tyran, as it does not use geo-blocking or regional lockout mechanisms.