My writing debut for
@nftnow
!!
Based on data and analysis from other collectibles industries, I lay out my case for why the NFT space would be better off if we stopped focused on building for speculators
Read it and let me know what you think!
In this exclusive op-ed,
@dccockfoster
, co-founder of Nifty Gateway, explains how the NFT industry could be much larger if it focused on selling luxury goods instead of speculative assets.
🚨 Art Emergency!! 🚨
There is a debate happening rn on
@Wikipedia
that has the potential to * officially categorize NFTs as ‘not art’ on all of Wikipedia. *
Wikipedia is a global source of truth. Having NFTs categorized as ‘not art’ would be a disaster!
🧵:
I got depressed about crypto, NFTs & how full of scams ponzis etc everything has become. Then my girlfriend reminded me of how many artists have had their lives changed by
@niftygateway
& web3 & it cheered me up
So many artists can support themselves doing what they love
Some news — after almost 4 years,
@gcockfoster
and I are departing
@gemini
and are passing the baton at
@niftygateway
.
This journey has been an incredible ride, but Griffin and I are founders at heart and we want to start another company.
🧵 w/ some thoughts below:
For Valentine’s Day this year, my girlfriend Ashley got me custom M&Ms with my
@doodles
printed on them, all the same color as my Doodle
I am so lucky to have someone who understands my love of NFTs!
During the
@niftygateway
w2w madness event, I'm planning to scoop up some
@poetslost
by
@muratpak
.
I sincerely believe that
@muratpak
is one of the most influential & consequential artists of our era. When the history of crypto art is written, they will feature prominently in it
Feels to me like the NFT market is starting to shift back towards art and away from PFP projects.
The nice thing about art having no roadmap is that you can’t overpromise and underdeliver. What you see is what you get
I refused to believe
@antoniogm
tweet about San Francisco Goodwill not accepting donations because of Marie Kondo because it was too far fetched.
So I went to drop off some stuff - got rejected and told that Marie Kondo had overwhelmed them
Can confirm this is happening 🤷♂️🤷♂️
@awilkinson
I got my punk for $200 and it’s worth $80,000 today. NFTs are down a lot, but still worth way, way more then they were 4 years ago!
And NFTs are still a transformative technology for artists. The company I founded paid out> $500 million to digital artists - more then Substack
Almost 9 months ago, we set out to transform
@niftygateway
from a platform that only offered a custody experience into a platform for everyone.
Yesterday we finally achieved that vision.
You want custody? ✅
Want to trade from your wallet? ✅
Next up: total payment flexibility
NFTs have taken the world by storm these past few years.
For the first time, digital artists are getting the recognition they deserve. Galleries and the legacy art world never recognized that digital art was a true artistic medium, but the NFT world did!
Big announcement/update coming out next Monday about our
@niftygateway
wallet to wallet product
Prepare for a marketplace that is cheaper, safer and easier to use than any other option!
The
@niftygateway
Publisher tool has been an incredible way for me to discover art.
I don't have time to find many new artists - so I simply follow Publishers on Nifty Gateway and learn about artists from what they publish!
🧵 w/ great Publishers I think you should follow:
One year ago today,
@niftygateway
had just 7 full time employees, and I was the only solidity dev. Now, we have a group of experts who are capable of pulling off an absolutely historic NFT drop.
So amazingly proud of the team ♥️ and I am totally amazed by the vision of
@muratpak
Congratulations to
@muratpak
, who just achieved the largest ever art sale by a living creator with 'The Merge.'
The entire team at NG is honored to have worked with you on this and incredibly proud of what you achieved!
Crypto Twitter has become basically unusable due to the spam reply bots. We can’t tweet anymore
@niftygateway
. How is a $50 billion company tolerating this massive product regression?
@jack
@elonmusk
@TwitterSupport
20 years ago teenage hackers were hacking around on web2 stuff like Napster.
Today teenage hackers are launching DAOs, investing in DeFi and becoming famous NFT artists.
This more then anything makes me bullish on web3 and crypto 🚀
@niftygateway
@poetslost
@muratpak
Expecting everything to always be 'up only' is just crazy. Nothing is every up only. In the long term, quality and innovation wins, and no one does it better then Pak
.
@niftygateway
has always been focused on bringing new collectors into the NFT space.
Tomorrow we're unveiling a new initiative that will help bridge the gap even further between regular people and NFTs. Stay tuned!
As a part of this, we had some BIG art sales through NFTs - Merge by
@muratpak
for $91.8 million and Everydays: The First 5000 Days by
@beeple
for $69.3 million
Naturally, these art sales got added to the list of Largest Every Art Sales by a Living Artist on Wikipedia
You can see the discussion takin place on this page:
So far, there are 6 votes opposing the inclusion of NFT sales as art and 0 votes in favor of including NFT sales as art!
In order to prevent this from happening, the NFT community has to rally and let the Wikipedia editors know that NFTs are, in fact, art!
Digital artists have been fighting for legitimacy their whole lives. We can't let the Wikipedia editors set them back!
Wikipedia works off of precedent. If NFTs are classified as 'not art' on this page, then they will be classified as 'not art' on the rest of Wikipedia.
Wikipedia is the global source of truth for many around the world. The stakes couldn't be higher!
.
@niftygateway
is the ONLY marketplace where you can place a global offer for the specific collection traits!
For example, I can place an offer to buy any
@AwkwardAstros
with a TV set head. Not possible anywhere else!
Shop your favorite traits here! 👉
In honor of the
@grimemonday
anniversary drop on
@niftygateway
today, I’ve updated my Twitter cover photo to Last Stand.
Such an iconic piece that will live in crypto art history forever
#lsotns
Extremely proud that today's
@sixnfive
drop on
@niftygateway
includes a 1/1 that was pre-sold to a museum.
2 years ago, I would not have believed that museums would be acquiring NFTs straight from
@niftygateway
!
Everything is crazy rn but we're steadily pushing things forward
Extremely pumped to announce what
@niftygateway
has been building for the past many months
Wallet to wallet NFT purchasing
Directly in ETH
With up to 75% lower gas fees then other marketplaces!
We’re proud to announce that starting Jan. 2022 you will be able to buy and sell NFTs directly from your Ethereum wallet, in ETH, on Nifty Gateway!
This will make it easier for anyone to become a nifty collector and save on gas fees 🤝
Learn more here 👇
However, this created a debate on Wikipedia.
Many Wikipedia editors entered the debate, and argued that these NFT sales should not be included on the list.
The reason: they 'do not think NFTs count as art' and so shouldn't be included on the list of highest art sales!
The best way to do this is too educate an experienced Wikipedia editor about this topic.
You can edit the page yourself, but Wikipedia works off of reputation, so we need editors with a history of editing to enter the debate
Man, this is such an amazing secondary marketplace UI on
@niftygateway
. This is the exact opposite of the Blur UI being designed to encourage flipping and treating NFTs like stocks
Art Basel this year feels like an NFT/crypto event that also just happens to feature some physical art.
I predict this will be the norm going forward, and in 10 years people will be shocked to learn that this week started off as a event dedicated to physical art
Security is incredibly hard for every company.
If you don’t invest in building secure products, you can flourish for a while, but it always comes back to bite you in the end.
I’m extremely happy that we have invested heavily in security from Day 1 at
@niftygateway
As a
#GeminiEmployee
, I got early access to the Gemini Credit Card, and I have started using it as my main credit card for most of my purchases
Earning rewards in *any crypto currency traded on the
@Gemini
exchange* is an unbelievably cool feature
Waitlist rollout has begun! 🚀
I’ve made 3 small life changes that have radically increased my daily energy levels
1. Always look at sunlight before my phone after I wake up
2. Submerging my neck/head in cold water in the morning
3. Waiting 1 hour to drink coffee after waking up
Couldn’t recommend more
We really don't know what will come next for us! But we are excited for what the future will bring and excited to cheer on Nifty Gatewa’s growth.
We're also not leaving immediately — we don't know when our last day at Gemini will be right now.
Onwards and Upwards!
The new profile we just shipped on
@niftygateway
allows you to:
-Connect as many wallets as you want, then use * any connected wallet * to log in
-Navigate between NFTs held in all of your wallets in one simple to use interface
Managing > 1 wallet used to be a pain. No more!
It's impossible to understand the rise of crypto without understanding the rise of the individual.
The world is run by large institutions, but more and more each day it is starting to be run by networks of individuals.
Crypto is the tool that allows this to happen
@bryanbrinkman
Slow and steady wins the race my friend, your work has consistently gone up in value over time and each new release is more skillful and beautiful than the last. Many artists would kill to be in your situation!
.
@niftygateway
is no longer a ‘custodial’ NFT platform.
We now view ourselves as a web3 native platform that has a custody *option* in order to more easily onboard new users
The game has changed!
Your keys, your
#NFTs
.
Now on Nifty Gateway.
You can now connect
#ETH
wallets to your profile - show off your NFTs and use them as entry criteria in drops on Nifty Gateway!
Learn more 👉
At current gas prices, purchasing a
@niftygateway
wallet to wallet listing will save you 0.0270 ETH (~$90.62) compared to purchasing a listing from another marketplace.
Some of the things we're most proud of from our time at NG are:
-Paying out >$500 million to artists
-Onboarding artists and collectors through our accessible tech
-Pioneering new ways to sell NFTs (OE's, RA's & more)
-Partnering with big co's like Starbucks to power NFT apps
NFT drops are becoming movies - laborious and expensive to develop events that aim to capture the attention of everyone and use the NFT medium to create something can’t be created in any other artistic medium
And of course, killer trailers!
Sam is a pioneer
LUCI: Chapter 5
The Monument Game
-One 1/1
-Edition of 256
-A game of art and observation
-And for those few who play to win, a reward
August 21-24
Sound on 🔊
What work of crypto art is likely to be remembered in 100 years as the piece that embodies the crypto movement?
Imo, the answer is Last Stand of the Nation State by
@slimesunday
Crypto isn't just a technology, it's a revolution. This artwork captures the revolution
.
@gcockfoster
and I don't have a plan for what's next. Our first step will be to take a sabbatical, digest what has happened over the 5 years since we started
@niftygateway
, and start brainstorming new startup ideas.
I'm also going to learn how to surf if anyone has tips.
The
@robotosNFT
community is incredibly positive & welcoming. Thank you so much for hosting us today!
Thank you
@pablostanley
!! We can't wait to launch the marketplace and give Robotos owners a place to trade with 70% lower gas fees !!
Gm gm gm!
Join us for GM Botos in less than 2 hours! We'll be talking about all things beep boop with our special guests
@gcockfoster
&
@DCCockFoster
from
@niftygateway
.
See you there, botos. 🤖
If you own NFTs that have held up well during the bear market, just imagine what will happen once market sentiment turns positive again
An artist that survived 2022 can literally survive anything
If you are looking for an example of a team executing well during the bear market, look no further then
@nftnow
They intuitively understand NFTs in a way that no other media outlet does, and they continuously produce the type of high quality content that the NFT space deserves
Whenever someone reaches out and says they are trying to start an NFT project, the first thing I ask is ‘how many NFTs do you own?’
If the answer is 0, I immediately become skeptical
The best way to understand NFTs is to just start collecting!
Today is a big day - we've taken our first step towards becoming the worlds first hybrid custodial/non custodial NFT platform.
The perfect platform for onboarding people to NFTs and then turning them into web3 native degens!
Your keys, your
#NFTs
.
Now on Nifty Gateway.
You can now connect
#ETH
wallets to your profile - show off your NFTs and use them as entry criteria in drops on Nifty Gateway!
Learn more 👉
Tonight I am bidding on this drop. I am not expecting it to increase in value, I am not expecting any utility.
I just think this is beautiful art and want to put it up on my display device for all to see once I have bought it
Imo, this is product market fit for art NFTs
Bear market, bull market, doesn't matter. The NFT medium moves forward because of visionary artists like Sam pushing the boundaries
So many in crypto can only think about price, but what is most exciting is the compounding effect of people figuring out how to create magic
What is Sam Spratt's The Monument Game?
The largest artist collaboration we have ever undertaken.
We visited Sam in his NYC Studio for an in-depth look at the creation of The Monument Game, and what it means to win this communal game of art & observation.
Among other things, royalties were an undeniable point for web3 to the outside world, a clear demonstration of how web3 tech concretely made the world better for creators
Removing them was a victory for greed and a manifestation of how speculators rule crypto (for now)
Removing royalties has been one of the biggest mistakes in the NFT ecosystem and is extremely shortsighted by newcomers/tourists.
I feel pretty confident the way back to a thriving digital art market is through enforced royalties and it’ll end up happening one way or another.
Extremely sad to hear that
@money_alotta
has passed away. I always loved his whimsical, absurd style and I am honored that we had the privilege to release some of his work.
He was an incredible crypto art pioneer and will be remembered as such 🙏
Music industry pioneer
@DistroKid
has created an incredible collection of 9,999 NFTs each featuring a different musician. The drop goes live tomorrow and is a 24 hour drawing. Very excited for this!
@niftygateway
for me, thats what its all about at the end of the day.
Is this technology actually helping people?
If you look at digital artists, the answer is an unequivocal yes - digital artists have had their lives transformed
Art is a slower compounding process then other things in crypto.
You can grow quickly with high yields, etc, but it won’t last over the long term.
Meanwhile the quality & # of artists creating in the NFT medium is growing slowly and steadily YoY. Art will win in the long term
Extremely proud to be a part of
@gemini
. I’ve witnessed the exceptional company
@cameron
&
@tyler
have built up close and I have been impressed at every step of the way. Here is to the next big milestone!
Even though we know that when we sold Nifty Gateway, we would want to start another company at some point, I am still very sad that this time has come.
Griffin and I want to extend the sincerest thank you to the NFT community and everyone reading this.
First up is
@exlawyernft
. Known for his incredibly threads on all topics (most often, topics related to art and the law), he has curated some incredible drops by
@kingxerox5
&
@A_Mashiro_nft
. Next up is
@mindzeye
this week!
Follow him here:
When
@Gemini
acquired NG in 2019, Griffin and I said if everything went amazing and we loved it, we would stay for 4 years before starting another company.
We ended up staying the max amount of time we originally thought possible, which shows how great this experience was!
I have yet to hear a single criticism of NFTs from folks online that made me rethink anything about NFTs.
The critiques are all uniformed, irrational and almost always factually incorrect.
With critics like these, it’s impossible to not be bullish on NFTs 🚀
I don’t know how others feel, but personally I would rather have NFTs grow at a slower but more sustainable pace, rather then experience the crazy boom and bust cycles we’ve seen in the past 2 years.
This level of volatility is rough!
The liquidity for pfp/10k projects on
@niftygateway
is growing daily. A good example - right now the lowest ask for a
@doodles
is a listing on NG. Very exciting to see the progress we are making 🚀🚀🚀
The reputation of crypto art has taken a beating bc NFTs are seen by so many as speculative and pump & dumpy
But fundamentally crypto art is a new medium that enables beauty and expression not possible anywhere else
We have work to do to get the wider world to understand this!
We know that transitions can create uncertainty around the future. To that end, in the coming weeks, we will publicly outline a roadmap and a plan for the future of Nifty.
After we depart we will stay connected to the mission in an advisory role to ensure continuity.
Tough call for
@niftygateway
, but imo the right one. Nifty always thrived bc of curation, and many artists we picked to work with early on ended up becoming huge. I'm convinced that web3 won't work without curation
Glad to see an emphasis on quality front and center at Nifty!
GM. We’d like to share some changes that we’ve made to our Publisher program. NG Publishers was launched to empower creators with simple and accessible tools to curate and release NFT collections.
While we are committed to the power of this tool and its future evolution 👀 it
This was a difficult decision for us and we feel incredibly attached to the
@niftygateway
team, community, and mission.
We're very proud of the lives Nifty Gateway has changed - the artists, the collectors, the curators, and everyone else who is involved in our mission.
The master digital sculptor
@rafagrassetti
returns to
@niftygateway
tonight with another stunning collection. Really pumped to own a piece from an earlier collection of his 👏
Tonight's drop: Core by
@rafagrassetti
"The central and most important part of something is always not what it seems, we all look for a sense of purpose, and if you can find that within you, you will find meaning the meaning in everything"
View Core 👉
Another is
@rocketgirlNFT
. She has done two drops so far , featuring a collection of OE's from a wide variety of artists. Every time I see a new collection from her I must take a look!
We have been preparing for this transition for months and we are extremely confident that NG is in good hands.
@cameron
and
@tyler
are visionaries who saw the potential in NFTs well before almost anyone else. Under their leadership, Nifty Gateway will continue to thrive.
Eddie Ma (
@xlma1508
) will take over as technical leader for Nifty, and Tara Harris (
@tara_harris__
) will be the leader for non-tech.
When we got acquired, NG was just Griffin and I, and it is a great feeling to be leaving a large robust team in place to continue our efforts.
@cl7official
.
@bryanbrinkman
has epitomized what an artist/curator can do. I'm constantly amazed at how prolific he is - between publishing and releasing his own great artwork I don't know how he has time to sleep!
Next,
@saucebook
. He has claimed a day of the week with Saucebook Sundays, offering new and exciting artists. He loves to experiment with different styles and add themes to his drops!
Follow him here:
The fact that brands have co-opted 'wagmi' and 'gm' in order to look cool is the surest sign yet that web3 & crypto have become key drivers of mainstream culture
.
@cl7official
, one of the largest collectors on NG, has brought some amazing talent to the drops he released. I couldn't resist buying something from the Legacy Collection drop he released in August
Introducing the
@niftygateway
wallet
This is without a doubt the most important thing we've put out since we started Nifty Gateway, and we think its a critical step forward in driving mainstream adoption of NFTs
It is impossible to talk about Publishers without talking about
@33NFT
, another incredible curator who has been publishing on NG before we even had the Publishers tool. His most recent drop with
@Overfiend_
was gorgeous
After 6 months of building, phase 1 of our w2w product will launch tomorrow 🚀🚀🚀
Stay tuned for when we announce all of the details today. But the tl;dr is that you will be able to participate 100% for free, and earn incredibly valuable NFT prizes 👀👀👀
🚨FREE ALPHA - W2W Madness begins April 5th and is a multi-day event where you can earn points by listing, selling, and buying
#NFTs
with a MetaMask wallet.
2 Phases (listing followed by selling) with some BIG prizes (ooo baby) - More info soon 👀
Since we launched in September, the
@niftygateway
Publishers product has been growing 60% MoM on average
It’s been incredible to see a new group of talented curators and artists find their home on the NG platform!
Register here:
We are extremely close to the launch of our wallet to wallet NFT marketplace product (remember - 70% lower gas fees then other marketplaces!)
We have signed up an awesome group of launch partners!
Partner projects will have 0 platform fee for the first month post launch !!
Announcing our Wallet to Wallet Launch Partner program!
We have reached out to some of the most beloved
#NFT
projects within the space to help share the news about our upcoming Wallet to Wallet product 👀
Learn more about the program here👉
Decentralization is the attribute of the blockchain trilema that is most difficult to see the value of in the short term, but most valuable in the long term.
Just like autocracy. Autocracy works great if you get lucky and have a talented autocrat, but fails in the long term
🔊 Tonight at 11:37 PM EST, The Internship sale goes live.
⚪️ Priced at .1337 ETH each, the drop is a community based DAO formed around Merge by
@muratpak
Details 👇