NFT.NYC was one of the most celebrated tech events of the year, featuring hundreds of speakers and panelists from many of today’s leading blockchain projects and companies. Over the course of 3 days (April 12 to 14), participants heard from representatives of top NFT platforms OpenSea and Rarible, traditional companies, such as Macy’s and American Express, and notable artists and project founders, who are fostering the creative and practical development of NFTs.
This year’s conference highlighted various use cases for NFTs, from membership passes and fine art pieces to metaverse properties, e-commerce tools, and digital content crowdfunding. No longer limited to the realm of blockchain developers and crypto enthusiasts, NFTs are finally set to enter the mainstream.
Royalty: Web3 and content creation
One of the event’s standout projects was Royalty, a Web3 platform that uses tokenized assets to enable content creators and fans to share channel ad revenue. Fans purchase “Royalty tokens” through the platform, providing upfront funds for their favorite creators. Creators use that capital to level up their channels – expanding their teams, increasing production value, exploring new, creative directions, propelling channel growth, and raising channel value.
Fans receive monthly payments from their creator’s ad revenue if they hold the tokens. (They can also buy or sell Royalty tokens on the marketplace platform) Royalty provides a new way for fans to connect with content creators they love by supporting them and sharing their success. Web3 is set to transform the content creator economy.
Royalty represents a growing trend of established Web2 companies branching out to Web3. Royalty’s parent company, Air Media-Tech, is a digital creator marketing agency (Youtube, Instagram, TikTok) with over 1,900 clients and a decade of experience in the industry.
Air Media-Tech recognizes that blockchain technology will play a significant role in the content creator economy, a market that is also steadily growing in popularity and value. Web3 technology promises to bring decentralization, transparency, and new opportunities to all social media platform creators and users. It’s exciting to anticipate what lies ahead for both industries.
NFT.NYC has shown that blockchain technology will alter and transform countless areas of our lives, from content creation to finance and fine art. Royalty is among several new projects discovering remarkable applications for Web3 technology.
Solana NFTs shine
The Solana community had a prominent presence at NFT.NYC. Founders, investors, and collectors gathered to share their visions for the future of the high-performing layer-1 network. While Ethereum remains the primary network for NFTs, Solana NFTs have recently experienced rapid growth, gaining ground on Ethereum. The Solana network benefits from high speeds and low transaction costs, making it an attractive option for NFT creators and collectors. The Solana network has proven to be a fertile ground for innovation and experimentation, supporting NFTs across several diverse sectors, including e-commerce, VC crowdfunding, and DeFi.
Multichain Advisors is a Web3 consulting firm that has played a key role in the rise of several prominent Solana NFT projects. The Multichain team made an appearance at NFT.NYC recounted their work with some of Solana’s most innovative NFT enterprises, including SharkyFi, a lending and borrowing protocol, and Helio, a Web3 payments platform. Multichain guides and advises NFT projects from inception to release and beyond and embodies the communal spirit of the Solana NFT ecosystem.
Multichain’s chief of staff reflected on the company’s approach to the space:-
“Building a business in Web3 is like planting a seed. Many projects are able to raise money quickly but lack the vision and discipline to grow and follow through on their promises. The projects that really succeed are those that have the patience to allow their businesses flourish, giving them enough time to bear fruit.”
Stijn Paumen, CEO of Helio, had this to say about Helio’s ambitions for blockchain technology:-
“Payments is the ultimate blockchain killer app, promising lower fees, instant settlement for merchants, increased privacy, and friction-free checkouts for users. Our goal is to bring these benefits to 100s of millions of users over time by lowering the barriers to using Web3 technology and offering a familiar payment UX.”
Other Solana NFT projects present included Droid Capital, a VC DAO that gives NFT holders exposure to pre-public rounds of Web3 investments while growing a community of forward-thinking Web3 investors.
NFTs: Art reimagined
NFTs have come a long way since the release of the first NFT collection, the pixelated Crypto Punks. Today, artists of all kinds – from animators to photographers and abstract painters – are producing creative, original NFT art pieces.
Bryan Brinkman’s art was featured on several digital displays at NFT.NYC. Drawing from a background in animation, Brinkman’s light-hearted digital art pieces have entertained and delighted a whole new generation of art lovers and collectors.
Another NFT artist, Puerto Rico-based poet and photographer, Fernando Samalot expresses the sacred through art. His images use evocative symbolism and striking, colorful designs to captivate the viewer, stimulating their imagination. Samalot’s work demonstrates the power of photography, which is gaining momentum as a popular art form for NFTs.
Also, at NFT.NYC was the up-and-coming NFT photography marketplace, Savage. Savage recently announced a significant partnership with Samsung. The Savage app will come pre-installed on Samsung smart TVs, potentially reaching 25 million households.
Creators revenue shares: The next web3 trend
NFTs are gaining in popularity in the art world while also expanding in use cases and practical applications among the new blockchain developments that appeared at NFT.NYC, I was most excited to hear about Royalty’s content creator revenue share platform.
The inspiration for Royalty came from three prominent trends: content creation, crowdfunding, and decentralization. With its capacity to unite people, Web3 is set to revolutionize the creator economy, empowering individuals and fostering vibrant, innovative communities. Decentralized digital ownership will become an important part of content creation.
NFT.NYC: The future is here
With Starbucks, Amazon, and other major companies preparing to enter the space, NFTs are ready to go mainstream. NFT.NYC will showcase the cutting edge of the industry as NFTs continue to evolve and innovate. I look forward to continuing to learn and participate in the space.