My trip to Israel has been postponed, so I’m back in the other motherland for NFT.NYC.
It’s crazy to think that the first NFT.NYC was three years ago and I’m already feeling nostalgic for an event that once was. I’m seeing a lot of the same people – almost like a traveling circus of the early innovators on the adoption graph – but the energy isn’t quite the same. Some people got lucky and hit it big on the bull run, but most people are hanging by a thread, hoping that history will repeat itself.
The budgets for these conferences are different now. The open bars are shorter and the flashy installations are smaller in scale. The big brands are missing and the most prolific marketers are at closed-door gatherings honing their talking points and platform propositions.
Still, the feeling of hope remains. Brands continue launching platforms in the space (GQ’s is going live tonight) and Amazon’s rumored marketplace is poised to appear this summer. I keep hearing whispers of great ideas that are coming! I’m hoping it will be less focused on tokenomics and more on practical use cases. Many of them will be “Web 2.5” and not necessarily on chain, but that’s fine by me. The tech is getting easier, the nomenclature is getting more digestible, and wiser people are entering the chat. It no longer feels like a band of misfits that just rolled off the playa selling a hallucinogenic dream of a utopian world.
The Web3 music scene, which continues to lead on trends such as fan clubs, ticketing, royalties and live experiences, still needs an anth3m to solidify its standing. But this weekend it’s all about Coachella, which sets the tone for festival season all Summer and Fall. It’s always innovative and this year they’ll be livestreaming every stage.
The most exciting part of Coachella is that it’s a cottage industry that supports an entire ecosystem of events: the house parties, Neon Carnivals, brand activations, art activations, and health and wellness hubs are unmatched. Coachella is inarguably the most epic music event of the year, every year. The show sells out before the lineup is even announced and spills over to a second weekend. The activation also leverages influencers at its core. Diplo dubbed it “influencers survivor” last year and I’m still crying laughing!
Even though Goldenvoice’s prize festival is not the new, young, hip thing anymore, the bill is on the pulse and access is at a premium. It’s still where stars and fans alike come to flaunt their style and make an impact. It’s a tentpole moment through and through, and the hot weather is here just in time!
No Fields Found.Also published on Medium.