#23: Get Paid, but Don’t Have to Turn Up

Happy Thursday! Welcome to Ownable, a weekly newsletter on the ownership economy and onchain creators of the new internet. Human-curated & opinionated.

Today's write-up is 699 words, a 2½-minute read.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here. 

Celebrities Use AI to Take Control of Their Own Images (WSJ)

The rise of generative AI has enabled digital replicas of famous faces to appear online more frequently. Now celebrities are making deals with brands to put AI-created duplicates of themselves into campaigns, giving them more control over their likeness and more business opportunities. Apparently, they love it because they “get paid, but don’t have to turn up”. Top use cases: sports, cinema, fashion. Risks? A dozen of ‘Black Mirror’ episodes.

Threads, Instagram’s ‘Twitter Killer,’ Has Arrived (New York Times)

After months of speculation and Twitter’s recent mismanagement, Mark Zuckerberg ordered to speed up Threads launch by a month. The new app is a companion to Instagram, enabling users to import the handle, bio & link, and auto-follow all existing IG connections. Notably, it intends to become part of the decentralized social web by supporting the ActivityPub protocol.

How to Succeed in Business Like Taylor Swift (WSJ)

The 33-year-old singer is becoming one of the world’s most influential business leaders. Her pioneering moves are all rooted in the premise of ownership: 1) regaining ownership & control her song rights; 2) speaking directly to fans before it became a marketing strategy; 3) launching the first concert tour to gross over $1B.

Roblox Wants to Shed Its ‘Metaverse’ Label (The Drum)

The crazy-popular online gaming platform doesn’t want to just be known for the ‘metaverse’ anymore. Roblox is pursuing long-term partnerships with high-profile brands as it wants to shift its perception from a ‘one-off activations’ venue to a ‘permanent presence’ platform (like Instagram). The end game? Ads revenue.

How Sotheby’s Sold $17 Million of NFTs in a Bear Market (YouTube/ nft now)

Selected as the entity to liquidate the digital assets of a failed crypto hedge fund, Sotheby’s managed to exceed market expectations with the sales it achieved in the depths of the bear market. The key to success was a global, multi-channel sale process, the ability to talk to collectors the same way as with proper fine artwork, and the traditional live art auction experience.

• Lacoste revealed a gamified, tokenized ecosystem for NFT holders.

• Ubisoft revealed its' first blockchain-based game.

• Logan Paul failed to refund $1.8M to his NFT game project backers.

• Pugdgy Penguins NFT won Toy Insider’s Top Summer Toy of 2023 award.

• European Games athletes will receive NFT medals.

• Beeple’s NFTs entered a permanent collection of an Italian museum.

• Tesla ride-sharing in Vienna lets token holders profit from its operations.

• Honda partnered with Animoca for web3 motorsport fan engagement.

• Etihad Airlines is releasing an NFT collection to co-market MI7 premiere.

• Melania Trump launched a $50 ‘1776’ NFT collection.

• Twitter alternative: Spill app is gaining traction among celebs.

• Real-time monetizing: TikTok introduced subscriptions for LIVE creators.

• Music: Sound introduced artist pages and new $1/item pricing model.

• Membership mints: PartyDAO offers a fast way to form a group onchain.

• Pre-sales: Magic Eden introduced ‘pay links’ to pre-order artwork.

• Multichain: fxhash generative art platform added Ethereum as network.

• Digital resume: CoSoul tracks NFT holder’s history within an onchain org.

• How to start a digital art collection.

• Photography: A guide to photography NFTs and the future of imagery.

• Digital ads: an onchain model.

* floor price = lowest-priced item in a collection

Question, feedback, or collab? Send me a note.