NFTs Give Digital Artists and Musicians Superpowers

What a week! The NFT scene is seemingly garnering more mainstream attention with each passing day. As an OG in the NFT and overall crypto space, it’s been quite amazing to watch the adoption of the technology happen in real-time. I’ve never seen this much NFT conversation happening on Twitter, let alone national television.

Currently, much of the conversation has been around NFT trading cards like NBA Top Shot, original collectibles like CryptoPunks, generative art projects like Art Blocks, and digital art drops from established artists like Beeple. While big NFT sale numbers from these projects capture the headlines, the underground NFT Art and Music scene continues to innovate. Many of us have been on the NFT grind for years with the knowledge that this technology has the power to liberate creators both big and small, and it’s happening!

In this brave new world of tokenization, NFTs should matter to every creative. Why? Because tokenizing (the process of making an NFT) your work effectively gives you superpowers!

It’s true. Blockchains like Ethereum and Flow enable us to have true digital ownership over our creations in the form of scarce, cryptographic tokens—NFTs. But not only does tokenizing provide a permanent record of provenance and ownership, but the NFT itself is also an asset that is easily tradable around the world 24/7/365.

Basically, the tokenization of media is forever changing the way we distribute content, monetize content, and connect with a global audience.

It’s a digital renaissance. The programmability and collectibility of NFT Art and Music provide us the ability to make a living on our own terms, without middlemen. Blockchain technology empowers us to experiment and try things with art and music that were never possible before.

In my personal exploration of NFT Art and Music, I’ve tokenized 3D and animated artworks, MP4 song visualizers, a lyric video, and more. Because I decided to turn my work into NFTs, I was able to digitally monetize beyond advertisements and streaming services. Additionally, my tokenized work has the benefit of compatibility within the Metaverse.

What the hell does compatibility within the Metaverse mean?

Good question. All it means is that my NFTs can be used inside blockchain-based virtual worlds like Cryptovoxels, Decentraland, or Somnium Space. The term “Metaverse'' simply refers to this collection of open, persistent, and shared virtual space and economy.

It’s truly amazing how early we are. The NFT economy has seen a boom from Q4 2020 into Q1 2021. The eyes and ears coming into the scene now will undoubtedly bring lots more innovation. That said, expect more excitement. Expect tons more experimentation; expect more legacy institutions to take notice; expect artists to lead the way.