NFT STARS, an Australian multi-chain non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace, is planning to host the country’s first NFT art exhibition and conference in August. Known as SIDUS, the offline event is aimed at enlightening Australians on the basics of NFT.
The NFT exhibition and conference are scheduled for August 7-13 at the contemporary gallery SpACE @ Collins in Melbourne. As part of the exhibition component, NFT STARS will also conduct an educational session on the concept of NFTs and how attendees can participate in the space.
In some cases, people become immersed in the NFT market for speculative reasons, which doesn’t resonate with the main idea of NFTs. Thus, via the SIDUS event, NFT STARS is looking to change the focus from “NFT speculation to art appreciation“.
We believe the future of art is digital. Technology is coming to every sphere of our lives and it’s natural for artists to portray the world we live in using the tools of our time. We want to break the stereotype that NFT art is only for crypto lovers. SIDUS 2021 is an entry point, perhaps the first touchpoint for many people concerning this new digital art form.
Dan Khomenko, CEO, NFT STARS
NFT is Gaining Traction in Australia
The SIDUS event comes at a time when interest in NFTs has been increasing across Australia.
In June, South Australian artist Dave Court hosted an NFT exhibition of a brick house he decorated in colours and light, which he digitised and featured as an NFT. Also last month, Crypto News Australia reported that a collection of the country’s most valuable historic photographs, worth millions of dollars, would be auctioned as NFTs.
The publishers of Rolling Stone Australia will release the magazine’s first non-fungible token (NFT) cover this week, with homegrown Australian pop superstar Tones and I as its subject.
Timed to coincide with the release of the No 1-selling artist’s debut album, Welcome To The Madhouse, the NFT cover is a limited release priced at A$230 each and available from 12 noon AEST on Friday, July 16, closing 24 hours later.
As Tones and I releases her debut album this week, her iconic 'Rolling Stone Australia' cover will make history as a brand new NFT.https://t.co/ziLjoFC0fu
The first 350 bundles sold will also include a physical copy of Rolling Stone Australia’s debut (and sold out) issue signed and numbered by Tones And I, and an exclusive cassette copy of Welcome To The Madhouse.
It’s an absolute honour to be the first artist in the world to have a Rolling Stone Australia magazine cover released as an NFT.
Tones and I (aka Toni Watson)
Tones and I’s breakout single, Dance Monkey, was released in May 2019 and reached No 1 in more than 30 countries.
On a Mission to Support Australian Artists
Luke Girgis, CEO of Rolling Stone Australia‘s publishing company, Brag Media, said the NFT release presents a groundbreaking opportunity to further the company’s mission in supporting Australian artists.
By minting an exclusive NFT of this cover to celebrate the issue and create a one-of-a-kind collectible for the NFT community, we also have an opportunity to – hopefully – help Tones And I achieve the first-ever No 1 ARIA album sold as a NFT on our new store.
Luke Girgis, CEO, Brag Media
Brag Media chose Origin, an NFT platform using Ethereum blockchain technology, to power its new store. Co-founder Matthew Liu said of the partnership:
NFTs enable creators to engage and interact with fans and collectors at a new, deeper level. This launch is another example of traditional media and music converging with the best of blockchain technology.
Matthew Liu, Origin co-founder
Australia Becoming an NFT Innovator
Last month, Binance NFT Marketplace announced its ‘100 Creators’ campaign, which aims to support and promote innovative creators from around the world and spotlight NFT collectibles from different cultural backgrounds.
In a world first, the 189-piece Asics Sunrise Red Collection consists of nine different footwear products in a limited-release edition, each of which features 20 non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and will be available via digital auction from July 15.
Auction Proceeds to be Reinvested into Digital Arts Community
The launch kicks off a landmark new venture for Asics as it dips its toe into the world of NFTs. Auction proceeds will be reinvested into the digital arts community through Asics’ new Digital Goods Artist-In-Residence Program, whereby the brand will collaborate with both established and emerging digital artists to design the next wave of NFTs.
While we are excited to drop the world’s first digital shoe release from a major sporting goods company, this is only the beginning. In coming together with some of the world’s most creative and forward-thinking digital artists through our artist-in-residence program, our long-term vision is to push the boundaries of digital goods to inspire physical activity.
Joe Pace, head of business development, Asics Running Apps
Nike Slow Off the Blocks in NFT Race
In December 2019, American brand Nike secured a patent for CryptoKicks, a concept pairing an NFT with a physical shoe release. Though Nike has yet to bring the concept to market, two months ago an Indonesian entrepreneur released a range of limited-edition hand-painted Nike sneakers for crypto enthusiasts.
With its Sunrise Red Collection, however, Asics has stolen a march on Nike, one of its fiercest competitors in the sports footwear space.
The Asics auction takes place on OpenSea.io from July 15-19. Visit nft.asics.com for more information.
Giorgio Chiellini, professional footballer and captain of newly crowned Euro 2020 champions Italy, has launched his non-fungible token (NFT) on Blockasset. Chiellini released his digital collection just days before the Euro 2020 final.
Chiellini Jumps Aboard the NFT Bandwagon
According to reports, Chiellini’s digital collections went live exclusively on the Solana-based NFT marketplace Blockasset on July 9. The series is dubbed “The Gladiator“, as it reflects the “gladiatorial spirit“ of the Italian captain, who also plays for Turin-based superclub Juventus.
At the time of writing, only one bid – worth US$965.70 – had been placed for The Gladiator on Blockasset.
Besides “owning” Chiellini’s iconic moments from his football career, the highest bidder for the NFT reportedly stands a chance of receiving one of his signed match shirts and also meeting Chiellini in person. Additionally, the bidder will get free tickets to watch him play for the national team or Juventus.
Athletes Embrace NFT
The concept of NFT has become very popular among athletes, especially football and basketball players who see NFTs as a way to connect with fans while also sharing key moments with them. Former English striker Michael Owen is one of several football players to have partnered with Binance Marketplace to exclusively release their digital collections on the platform.
Last week, Crypto News Australia reported rapidly growing interest in sports trading cards among Australians. As a result, Aussie companies like Four Points Collectables and Sport Moments are planning to develop an NFT platform targeting Australian sports fans.
The NFT market has boomed in popularity over the past few months, with some content trading for millions of dollars. Amid the traction, many VC companies are betting big on the space. Recently, Ordre closed a funding round led by an Australian VC company to expand its fashion technology and NFT project.
Progressive Minerals, an Australian mining company based in Queensland, is implementing a new infrastructure powered by the Bitcoin SV (BSV) blockchain to enhance its operations through the use of NFTs and tokenisation.
In a press release issued by Bitcoin Association, “MetaStreme scalable Bitcoin transaction engine has today announced it will partner with Predict Ecology, an environmental and ecological consulting firm”.
We are thrilled to be able to help build what we see as the future of mining.
Daniel Keane, managing director, Predict Ecology
These two companies were contracted by Progressive Minerals to develop new blockchain-based mining infrastructure that will be used across various mining operations.
Nice team work @MetaStreme + @PredictEcology + Progressive Minerals. Using #BSV to build proprietary #blockchain-based infrastructure & system for the mining exploration & mining business.
The mining sector has many clear and present use cases for distributed data that stand to transform the industry at all levels – including monetising mining data and assisting in progressing and achieving environmental sustainability goals.
Paul Chiari, CEO, Prime Technology Services
Progressive Minerals’ business data streams will be stored on the blockchain (on-chain), including “environmental, operational, production and licensing data, demonstrating a commitment to data accuracy, integrity and transparency”. This will help the company stay abreast with compliance and streamline the analysis of mining data.
The company will also be implementing smart contract functionality to “offer a new level of surety and reliability for investors and business partners”. Smart contracts can be used to automatically execute orders after they have been filled to exact specifications, further automating some processes in the mining industry.
Mining and exploration leases, which act as rights or contracts to explore or prospect in a certain area, will be tokenised as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). These will be stored on-chain, and will allow for the assignment of rights and prospecting data, also allowing leases to have a clear line of ownership and to document changes through their life cycle.
Bitcoin SV Used for its High Throughput
The system will be powered by the enterprise-grade BSV blockchain, facilitating the processing of high volumes of mining data. In a public test, the BSV network has shown it could reach 50,000 transactions per second throughput, at the cost of two percent of a US cent, making it enticing for companies needing large amounts of data processed.
From an environmental perspective, the ability to record and audit resource sector data on the BSV blockchain will create new efficiencies and help to ease the regulatory burden that mining companies can often struggle to manage.
Daniel Keane, Predict Ecology
The data for a mine doesn’t need massively decentralised blockchains or public ledgers to be verified. It is for the exclusive use of the mine and its partners, thus using a more centralised high-throughput blockchain is ideal.
The mining industry, like many others, is one where the integrity of data is everything. This has historically been an issue within the sector, and the aim of Progressive Minerals is to change the way mining companies operate and provide a level of integrity and transparency of data for all stakeholders not previously realised.
Pandemic picture Zero Contact (formerly called 92) will premiere on new NFT platform Vuele later this year, with Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins in the lead role.
Academy Award®-Winning Actor @AnthonyHopkins’ Newest Thriller ZERO CONTACT to Premiere Exclusively on the VUELE Platform as an NFT!
Produced in 17 different territories entirely virtually during the pandemic, Zero Contact follows five characters around the world connected only by their devotion to tech titan Finley Hart (Hopkins). They are forced to work together to shut down Hart’s secret invention, a machine that could be either the solution to mankind’s problems or the end of life on Earth.
What Users Get from NFTs
This may be the first time a feature film is offered for sale as a non-fungible token (NFT). Vuele, a direct-to-consumer NFT viewing and distribution platform, was formed last month amid the crypto-NFT craze. It aims to allow users to buy exclusive, limited-edition films and collector content to watch, sell and trade on the platform. People can pay for the film with either cryptocurrency or credit cards.
Everything about this film is unconventional, from the way we shot it using Zoom and remote production, to its distribution.
Zero Contact producer/director Rick Dugdale
Potential New Revenue Streams for Blockbuster Movies
According to producer/director Rick Dugdale, Zero Contact will include extras that vary from token to token to create different price points. The idea is to develop a marketplace for NFTs, basically digital assets placed on an encrypted blockchain with unique serial numbers.
“It creates scarcity in copies of the film, and protects against piracy,” Dugdale says.
NFTs Are ‘Flavour of the Month’
Last month, CNN joined in the crypto space by sharing “moments” from its news archives as buyable NFTs. Also in June, Australian artists led the charge in creating physical NFT art exhibitions, while crypto exchange Binance announced its own NFT Marketplace to support the NFTs of Australian creators.
Woman in red waving beautiful dress with flying fabric over artistic sky background
Ordre, a global online wholesale fashion technology company operating out of Australia’s Byron Bay, has raised US$9 million to expand its fashion services. The funding will also accelerate the development of its blockchain-based authentication platform and non-fungible token (NFT) technology.
Morgans Leads Funding Round
The Series B funding round was led by an Australian financial consulting services firm, Morgans Financial Ltd, according to the report. This marks Ordre’s third fundraise since its inception in 2015. So far, it has reportedly raised up to US$30 million.
Using the new fund, Ordre intends to relaunch Ordre.com, which is the company’s multibrand virtual showroom platform that grew by 325 percent over the past year. It also plans to use the fund in expanding “Ordre Virtual“, a new custom/white label virtual showroom platform.
Authentication and NFT Technology for the Fashion Industry
More interestingly, the new funds will help speed up the development of Ordre’s authentication platform and NFT technology for the fashion industry. Dubbed “Authentique”, the blockchain-based authentication platform will help create a “digital fingerprint“ for fashion products to help combat counterfeit.
The platform will also enable the digitisation of product ownership, which can be transferred or transacted in the form of NFTs.
Authentique is perhaps our most exciting venture to date: visual recognition technology, which creates digital fingerprints of products. You can scan a product with your phone and instantly verify if it’s the real thing and once you own it, you can transfer digital ownership of that product through an NFT to your [crypto] wallet.
Ordre founder Simon Lock
Fashion NFTs Are So Hot Right Now
NFTs are becoming very popular in the fashion industry. During Crypto Fashion Week in February, lots of digital artworks were issued as NFTs, which play out as glimpses of future ideas in the fashion space. Fashion NFTs are continually rising in popularity, as reported earlier this year by Crypto News Australia .
The Republic of San Marino will issue NFT-based digital certificates to enable its citizens to prove their vaccination history and travel more freely across Europe, in partnership with the public blockchain platform VeChain.
The ‘vaccination passport’ will be provided, by request, to anyone vaccinated in the small, landlocked enclave – located in central Italy – to enable verification of green passes outside the European Union.
Together with @DNV_Assurance, we hereby announce the world's first national level #eNFT adoption:
The Republic of San Marino @sanmarinoinnova has just approved the Digital COVID Certificate, issued using #NFTs through the VeChainThor public blockchain! https://t.co/SyWrU0Bpl9
— VeChain Foundation (@vechainofficial) July 1, 2021
The passport will hold data about vaccination against SARS-CoV2 (the precursor of COVID-19), past infection or a negative test result.
VeChain’s passport, which it describes as a ‘Digital Covid Certificate’, contains two QR codes. The first code gives access to a certificate that meets EU standards so member states can instantly verify a person’s vaccination status, while scanning the second code opens a certificate that’s verifiable by anyone.
The solution is enabled by linking to a Non-Fungible Token (NFT): a unique and non-repeatable certificate of digital authenticity guaranteeing immutability and accessibility by being registered on VeChainThor public blockchain.
Blockchain Could Be Key to COVID-19 Recovery
Immutable records of vaccination history, enabled by blockchain solutions, could be key to pandemic recovery efforts.
If countries want to validate uptake or tie the vaccination to incentive payments, which has been flagged in Australia, medical records stored on a blockchain could streamline the process.
Interest in Australian sports trading cards has surged and several businesses are hoping to cash in by offering famous sporting moments as NFTs.
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have been taking the crypto world by storm over the past 12 months, and it’s a trend that most exchanges are exploiting. Binance recently ran the ‘100 Creators’ campaign, which featured Australian artists, sports stars and musicians contributing work sold as NFTs. Crypto.com also recently launched its own NFT marketplace, featuring contributions from music and sports celebrities.
Lebron James’s slam dunk NFT sold for US$200,000
👑ALL HAIL THE KING👑@YoDough scooped up this Legendary LeBron James Moment from our Cosmic Series 1 set for $208,000‼️ This Moment is from our first Legendary set ever minted 💯
The top acquisition for any NBA Top Shot Moment … so far.
The 10 Biggest NBA Top Shot Sales to Date – Data from Cryptoslam.
Booming Market in Sport NFTs
The sports industry is the latest to join the NFT party. The NBA, English Premier League, Major League Baseball and the UFC are among some of the big associations to have taken up the NFT craze. Grand Slam tennis champion Andy Murray has also made his entry into the NFT world, auctioning off a number of his memorable Wimbledon moments, one of which sold for US$177,777 when he won Wimbledon in 2013.
Collectibles Craze In Australia
Australian companies such as Four Points Collectables and Sport Moments are aiming to bring the sports NFT market to Australia for sports such as NRL, AFL and Basketball.
We’re creating a platform specifically built for Australian sporting codes that creates NFTs and brings a new layer of engagement to Australian sporting fans.
Jacob Osborne, Sport Moments CEO
NRL Trading Cards by fourpointcollectables.com
Collectibles in general are experiencing a resurgence. David Miller, the man behind AFL Footy Cards, says the entire 2021 collection had sold out in June. Miller believes NFTs are “where the future will be”. He will be working with Sport Moments to offer AFL fans a new way to engage with their favourite sport.
Popular NRL players such as Ryan Papenhuyzen and Sandor Earl are getting involved in the trading cards action, as they collect and share them on their social media accounts.
Ryan Papenhuyzen Sharing NRL Trading Cards on Instagram
The Dark Side of NFTs
Everyone wants a slice of the NFT pie at the moment. The ability to prove ownership is a game changer and no doubt we’re only just scratching the surface of possible applications. However, despite all of the hype about NFTs, they have also received a lot of criticism, primarily around their environmental impact.
ArtStation going into NFT and saying “but don’t worry! We’ll pay for carbon offsets” is the equivalent of setting a house on fire then placing a single potted plant on the burned property as “compensation”
— BleachedRainbows (On hiatus) (@Bleeeach) March 9, 2021
NFTs have also been criticised for perpetuating art theft rather than preventing it, which is ironic because the latter was one of the primary arguments promoted by early campaigners of NFT art.
Coooooooool, apparently NFT art is *facilitating* art theft rather than preventing it because anyone can steal art and turn it into an NFT. I hate this so much https://t.co/1ZqTJAUsxB
No one knows what the future holds for NFTs. They may prove to be a pivotal part of the next digital revolution or they may prove to be just another fad that fizzles out after a couple of years.
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are digital tokens that verify ownership of digital collectibles via the blockchain.
You might be wondering: What is the best site to buy NFTs? or What is the best NFT to buy? Well, you should check out the greatest collections of NFTs on the platforms we have reviewed.
Below is a list of what we think are the Best 10 Websites to Buy NFTs.
You can find a curated collection of items that are suitable to be converted into NFTs. Crypto.com works with some of the most popular and well-regarded creators and brands to bring you highly sought after collectibles.
All transactions relating to sales items on Crypto.com NFT will be recorded on the Crypto.org Chain. We are exploring compatibility with other blockchains, such as Ethereum.
OpenSea – Discover, collect and sell extraordinary NFTs on the world’s first and largest NFT marketplace.
Choose between auctions, fixed-price listings and declining-price listings. You choose how you want to sell your NFTs, and we help you sell them!
Benefits include: OpenSea fees are 2.5 percent of sales, fixed-price listings, ERC721 NFTs and ERC1155, support for ETH, DAI, USDC, MEM, WHALE, REVV, SAND, MANA and wBTC, Gas-free transactions, and NFT bundles.
The ultimate goal of Rarible is to evolve into a fully Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO), where all governance and decision rights belong to the platform users.
You can view the collectibles you have created on rarible.com on OpenSea and manage them there as well. Additionally, it is possible to list your collectibles on OpenSea not only in $ETH but also in $RARI.
Benefits include: Whenever you create a collectible you can set a certain percentage as royalty for secondary sales, Verified badges are granted to creators and collectors who show enough proof of authenticity, and 10 percent of the total RARI supply is distributed among NFT holders.
Collect digital art and buy and sell NFTs from the world’s top artists on SuperRare, where you can browse and build your collection of the world’s most cutting-edge digital art.
Benefits include: artists receive continuous royalties for all secondary sales on their artworks – forever; all transactions happen on-chain, creating a tamper-proof record of each artwork’s history
Launching in February 2021, Foundation is a platform that aims to build a new creative economy – a world where creators can use the Ethereum blockchain to value their online expression in entirely new ways, and build stronger connections with their supporters.
Foundation bridges crypto and culture to foster a network of mutual support between artists, creators and collectors. We’re forging a community-driven path, providing culturally pioneering curation, and sharing our tools with the rapidly evolving group of developers who are excited to define this future with us. We want anyone and everyone who cares about the future of digital expression to be a part of it. Let’s explore these new possibilities collectively.
Launched in September 2020, BakerySwap, the first DeFi exchange platform that provides both AMM and NFT Marketplace on Binance Smart Chain, remains the top platform championing global NFT awareness and adoption by rendering services to artists ranging from providing a marketplace where digital artists can showcase their great artworks to a weekly interview session that serves as a platform to promote legendary and upcoming artists.
It also has a gallery called BakeryGallery, which is the platform leader on Binance Smart Chain for top-quality artists and celeb drops. It also has launched events such as the 3D artist’s event and Environmental day charity event.
Benefits include an exchange, staking, liquidity provider, launchpad, gamification, ETH 2.0 support, and a large community.
KnownOrigin NFT Marketplace is where you can showcase and sell your digital artworks. You can digitally sign your artwork by creating a tokenised certificate. You can also buy from some of the world’s most respected artists, illustrators and designers.
The Origin team consists of artists and collectors for platform updates, announcements and more, where you can collaborate with them on their discord channel.
Enjin Coin launched in 2017 and today powers more than two billion non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Enjin Coin has real-life value, meaning that all NFTs created with it have real-life value, too. Use the Enjin Wallet to easily list and purchase gaming items and collectibles.
Your entire gaming inventory can be in your phone, featuring a sword you can use in multiple games, which you can easily sell to anyone, anytime.
The Enjin team is a fully distributed team spread across five continents and a dozen countries – unified by a mission to build futuristic, world-class products.
AtomicMarket is a shared liquidity NFT market smart contract used by multiple websites to provide users with the best possible experience. Shared liquidity means that everything listed on one market also shows on all other markets.
AtomicAssets is a standard for NFTs on the eosio blockchain technology. Anyone can utilise the AtomicAsset standard to tokenise and create digital assets and buy, sell and auction assets utilising the AtomicMarket marketplace.
Buy, sell and collect NBA Officially Licensed NFTs on the marketplace that includes packs, collections, moments and rewards for basketball fans.
Only a scarce number of Top Shot Moments are released, so building the best collection requires a scout’s eye and a superstar’s dedication. Become a top collector by snagging in-demand packs when they drop and refine your roster by finding diamond-in-the-rough Moments on the marketplace.
