NFT Innovation Digest #46

Cover: Legendary Masks by Julian Brangold
Most innovative (author's pick)

British rock band Muse's upcoming album, Will of the People, will be released as a 'Digital Pressing', a form of limited-edition NFT launched on the Polygon-based platform Serenade, in partnership with Warner Music UK. This marks the first time in seven years that a new chart-eligible album format has been accepted (The previous? Streaming!).
Times are changing, Warner Records are innovating.
— Warner Records UK (@warnerrecordsuk) August 1, 2022
We're proud to be doing the first chart-eligible music NFT with global superstars Muse.
The latest format to be added to the UK Official Chart since streaming seven years ago. https://t.co/Kn6MrZcycY
More:
- NFT albums were made eligible by the UK’s Official Charts Company (OCC) several months ago, but this is the first release to meet the relevant criteria. This is also not MUSE's first NFT project, having collaborated with CrypoKitties back in 2020.
- The cost of the NFT album will be £20 and limited to 1000 copies, each digitally signed by the band. Those 1000 buyers will have their names recorded on the official roster of purchasers and the roster will not be updated upon future sales.
Most discussed

Kevin Rose, the founder of popular NFT collection Moonbirds announced this week that both Moonbirds and companion collection Oddities would move to a CC0 public license. Public opinion has been divided so far, with some collectors and commentators welcoming the move but others questioning whether it was a reasonable decision months after the launch without allowing holders to vote.
1/GM.
— KΞVIN R◎SE (🪹,🦉) (@kevinrose) August 4, 2022
Today, we’re announcing that @moonbirds and @oddities_xyz are moving to the CC0 public license.
We believe this move honors and respects the values of the internet and web3 and starts a new and important phase of the project. 🧵...
More:
- Expanding on the decision, Rose stated: "Justin Mezzell (my co-founder), Josh Cook (our president), and I have decided to set Moonbirds and Oddities free and embrace the CC0 movement that allows any and all modifications to what we’ve built... The authenticity of Moonbirds will not come from lawyers enforcing trademarks but rather from the proven provenance and single source of truth of smart contracts."
- Rose simultaneously announced the upcoming formation of a Moonbirds DAO.

Global luxury jewellery brand Tiffany & Co made waves this week after announcing the launch of NFTiff: a collection of 250 digital passes which can be redeemed by CryptoPunk holders for the creation of a custom pendant inspired by that Punk and a bonus NFT resembling the final design. As of Friday 5th August (two days since the launch), the collection has officially sold out!
We’re taking NFTs to the next level. Exclusive to CryptoPunks holders, NFTiff transforms your NFT into a bespoke pendant handcrafted by Tiffany & Co. artisans. You’ll also receive an additional NFT version of the pendant. Learn more: https://t.co/FJwCAxw8TN #NFTiff #TiffanyAndCo pic.twitter.com/pyKlWejHv4
— Tiffany & Co. (@TiffanyAndCo) July 31, 2022
More:
- The cost of the NFTTiffs was 30ETH, around $50,000.
- According to the official FAQs, "CryptoPunk colors are represented as closely as possible using the natural colors of various gemstones" and "Each pendant will be engraved with CryptoPunk series number on the reverse along with the Tiffany & Co. logo."

Pearson, an educational textbook publisher, plans to sell its books as NFTs in order to secure a percentage of revenue from secondary sales. The response from the NFT community has been mixed, with some praising the potential mainstream literary adoption and others questioning the feasibility and suitability of the project, as well as the additional burden on students.
The largest book publisher in the world is now looking to incorporate #NFT textbooks 👀
— Crypto-Gucci.eth ᵍᵐ🦇🔊 (@CryptoGucci) August 1, 2022
“We have a whole team working on the implications of the metaverse”https://t.co/DtUZwxFzqu
More:
- CEO Andy Bird explained in a Bloomberg interview that “In the analogue world, a Pearson textbook was resold up to seven times, and we would only participate in the first sale. Technology like blockchain and NFTs allows us to participate in every sale of that particular item as it goes through its life”.
- The Verge, however, responded that “NFTs don’t bring an obvious technical innovation to this question" and suggested NFTs would become "a fig leaf on top of an old-fashioned digital rights management or DRM framework."
- Others have questioned how the IP would work, whether Pearson would even benefit financially given the lack of a digital resale market currently, and if this was merely an attempt to appear tech-savvy to their stakeholders.
Mainstream adoption

Ticketmaster, the largest ticketing company in the US, is recruiting for a "Senior Product Manager, NFT Ticketing Integrations", demonstrating their intention to expand their offerings. According to the advert, they are also looking to add NFT-based products beyond tickets.
Ticketmaster put a job ad out for Senior Product Manager for NFT Integrations.
— 🍞 Matty (@DCLBlogger) August 1, 2022
Reselling, collecting, leasing, so much can be done with NFT ticketing.
Top 5 NFT use case long term imo. pic.twitter.com/mNAaqRklvF
More:
- The role is seeking someone to develop NFT-based products “across all content categories including sports and music.”
- NFT ticketing is a hot topic, with multiple projects and collaborations recently announced - including a collaboration between Binance and football club S.S. Lazio.

Gucci announced this week that consumers will be able to pay with Yuga Labs' ApeCoin (APE) currency in selected US stores. The payments are facilitated by a partnership with BitPay.
Excited to announce that @Gucci will become the first major brand to allow customers to pay for purchases in-store with ApeCoin, via @BitPay. 🎉🎉🎉 https://t.co/ipoeW6lXLl
— ApeCoin (@apecoin) August 2, 2022
More:
- Other brands are now following suit, with Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer making a similar announcement this week.
- Gucci has made several forays into NFTs this year, from a collaboration with vinyl toy creator Superplastic, to the 10KTF Gucci Grail - digital clothing for PFPs.
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New products and ideas

Magic Eden, the NFT marketplace built on Solana, begins its multi-chain expansion project and will add support for Ethereum NFTs this month. Cross-currency trading tests are currently being conducted to enable users to purchase both Solana and Ethereum NFTs with $ETH, $SOL or a credit card. A cross-chain analytics dashboard is also in the works.
.@opensea moved into #Solana back in April. Now, @MagicEden is responding in kind, expanding to #Ethereum starting this month https://t.co/3G80QWYcG1
— Decrypt (@decryptmedia) August 2, 2022
More:
- This move heightens the rivalry between Magic Eden and OpenSea, who have openly and repeatedly critiqued each other's platforms. In particular, OpenSea has criticised ME's escrow system, meaning it has custody of listed NFTs.
- Magic Eden was valued at $1.6B in its latest funding round in June 2022.

Instagram announces support for NFTs in over 100 countries across 4 regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and the Americas (with no word on when Europe may be included). Instagram users can share any NFTs they own by connecting their wallets, with support for Ethereum, Polygon and Flow NFTs enabled initially.
🚨 Dapper x Instagram 🚨
— Dapper (@hellodapper) August 4, 2022
We’ve partnered with @instagram to let you show off your NFT collection directly on your profile!
This feature is now live and will be rolled out gradually over the next month.
More information here: https://t.co/zPg9sgM1mP pic.twitter.com/mRe52ZROfA
More:
- At present, the feature will have no fees and a range of wallets will be accepted: MetaMask, Trust Wallet, Coinbase Wallet, Dapper Wallet and Rainbow.
- This announcement took place days after Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin publicly criticised corporate attempts at Metaverse-building, stating that 'anything Facebook creates now will misfire'.

As NFT collections continue to look for exciting and innovative mechanisms to reward holders, the Solana NFT project Okay Bears announced its first community airdrop will be Founders Coins that are redeemable for physical gold. Each will equate to a weight between 0.25 and 10 grams, with the current value for a gram of gold being $56.50.
Introducing Bear Drops:
— Okay Bears (@okaybears) August 1, 2022
Digital collectibles, worth their weight in gold. 👌🐻✨
Dropping soon. pic.twitter.com/FVOyUb6uCF
More:
- Alternatively, the coins can be exchanged for the equivalent gold value in $SOL or $USDC. Coins that are redeemed will then be burned.
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Recommended reading
- The Ultimate Guide to NFT Airdrops: In this new guide from NFT Plazas, Maruf breaks down the definition, use cases, and different types of Airdrop;
- CC0 and NFTs: Understanding Ownership: Eric James Beyer revisits his deep dive for into what a CC0 license is and the pros and cons for NFTs, in light of recent developments such as Moonbirds' licensing update.
New podcasts and shows
- Podcast 1: This episode of the NFT NOW Podcast broadcasts a panel discussion from the State of NFTs IRL event in New York and we hear form Nifty Gateway's Co-Founder Duncan Cock Foster, Mec, and Gossamer Rozen on the future of the space;
- Podcast 2: In this episode of the Defiant Podcast, Camila Russo and Will Warren (founder and CEO of Ox labs) discuss the evolution of the DEX sector and his vision for a tokenized world.
Save the date
- 17 - 18 September 2022: NFT Show Europe takes place in Valencia, Spain
NFT space in numbers
The values below are from 30 July - 5 August. Source: DappRadar.
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