978-zao-numbers-framing

topic	business
type	guide
status	research-complete
last-validated	2026-07-24
superseded-by
related-docs	974, 975, 977, 443, 050, 836
original-query	ZAO Numbers - set up framing - a single honest way to present ZAO's ecosystem numbers so decks, the site, and casts stop citing conflicting figures
tier	STANDARD

978 - ZAO Numbers: the framing guide

Goal: ZAO's own docs cite conflicting figures for the same thing (188 vs 156 members; 795 vs ~1,125 battles; 435 vs ~491 SOL). This guide sets ONE honest framing - which number to use, for which audience, with which caveat - so every surface tells the same true story. It is a presentation standard, not new research; every number traces to a cited doc.

The core principle

Never round up, never conflate, always caveat the self-reported ones. ZAO's real edge is longevity and receipts - "we are still here after 100 weeks" is a stronger claim than any inflated headline. Overstating a number to look bigger trades the one asset (credibility) that the whole positioning rests on. When two sources disagree, cite the MEASURED one and drop the modeled one.

The canonical number set (use these)

Community size - two different numbers, both true, do not conflate

Number	What it actually is	Use for	Source
188 members	The gated Farcaster allowlist on Base (community size)	"how big is the community"	CLAUDE.md
156 holders	Unique on-chain Respect holders (governance participants)	"how many hold governance weight"	Doc 975 (on-chain)

These are not the same population and must never be merged into one "~200" figure (the old inflated number that conflated Discord reach with holders). If a deck needs one line: "188-member community; 156 hold on-chain governance Respect."

Governance - the receipts

Claim	Number	Caveat	Source
Unbroken weekly Fractals	100+ (102 by date-calc; 63 on-chain)	Two-layer: date-calc 102 weeks (start 2024-07-30) + 63 weeks verified on-chain (doc 1202). Cite: "100+ weekly Respect Games, 63 weeks with on-chain Respect settlement."	Doc 1201 / 1202
OG Respect supply	38,484 (frozen)	measured	Doc 975
Distribution Gini	0.73 (OG-only, concentrated)	Do NOT claim "egalitarian / 0.23" - that was modeled and wrong (Doc 977)	Doc 975
OREC proposal concentration	94% from one relayer	State it - it is the honest limitation	Doc 975

The distribution number is the discipline test: the honest 0.73 (concentrated) beats the flattering-but-false 0.23. Own the concentration; it is what makes the rest credible.

Build-in-public - strong, clean numbers

Claim	Number	Source
Daily newsletter editions	400+ (across Year of the ZAO / ZABAL / ZTalent)	Doc 050
Paid newsletter supporters	78	Doc 050
ZAOOS codebase	302 API routes, 295 components	CLAUDE.md / Doc 836

Festivals - dated receipts

Event	Where	When	Artists	Source
ZAO-PALOOZA	NFT NYC	Apr 2024	12 (6 new to web3)	Doc 050
ZAO-CHELLA	Art Basel, Miami	Dec 2024	10, AR art, WaveWarZ LIVE	Doc 050
ETH Denver	Denver	-	(referenced, confirm count)	Doc 443

WaveWarZ - the one to caveat hardest

Live API data is now authoritative. Use wavewarz.info/api/public/stats (public, no auth, 60s cache) as the canonical source. The "directional / self-reported" caveat is retired as of 2026-07-24.

• Volume: 878.30 SOL (~$64.8K at ~$73.8/SOL) — live API 2026-07-24T17:15Z. NOT "522 SOL", "491 SOL" or "435 SOL" (older figures).
• Battles: 1,289 (1,047 Quick + 162 Main Battles + 50 Main Events + 36 Community) — live API 2026-07-24. NOT "~1,125" or "795" (older figures).
• Artist payouts: 13.40 SOL — live API. Platform revenue: 17.44 SOL (exceeds artist payouts — still the honest load-bearing point, state it).
• Trader claims: 381.20 SOL — live API.

The "which number when" cheat sheet

• Sponsor deck -> lead with dated festival receipts + 100+ weeks + 400+ newsletter editions. Concrete, verifiable, no crypto jargon.
• Governance / DAO audience -> 157 unique holders (doc 1200), 100+ weeks (two-layer, doc 1201/1202), Gini 0.73 stated honestly, 94% proposer concentration named as the limitation.
• Farcaster / community cast -> 188-member community, build-in-public, 400+ editions.
• Never in any context -> "~200 members", "Gini 0.23 / egalitarian", precise WaveWarZ dollar figures without the "directional" flag.

Also See

• Doc 975 - the measured Respect numbers behind the governance row.
• Doc 977 - the correction catalogue (why 0.23 and 48h are banned).
• Doc 974 - the reconciled WaveWarZ figures + the directional caveat.
• Sibling tasks: "ZAO Numbers - people in spaces" (attendance metrics) and "ZAO Numbers - website analytics" (needs a live analytics account - not yet groundable).

Next Actions

Action	Owner	Type	By When
Adopt this canonical set in the next sponsor deck + thezao.xyz copy; purge "~200 / Gini 0.23 / precise WaveWarZ $"	@Zaal	Edit	2026-07-20
Confirm the ETH Denver artist count so the festivals row is complete	@Zaal	Research	2026-07-20
After Doc 974's live WaveWarZ pull, update the WaveWarZ figures here and drop "directional"	DONE 2026-07-24 (live API confirmed, directional caveat retired)

Sources

• [FULL] CLAUDE.md (188 members, repo census), Doc 975 (on-chain Respect), Doc 977 (corrections), Doc 974 (WaveWarZ reconciled), Doc 050 (newsletter, festivals, 78 supporters), Doc 443 (sponsor-pitch figures, incl. the OLD 795/435 numbers this guide supersedes). All read 2026-07-06 from the ZAOOS working tree.
• [PARTIAL] ETH Denver artist count - referenced in Doc 443 but not stated; flagged as an open confirm above.