“NFT.NYC 2023” was quiet, but there were various dramas around | coindesk JAPAN

“NFT.NYC 2023” literally brought “heat” to Manhattan. NFT.NYC 2023 was held for three days from April 12th to 14th, in mid-April heat of 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit (27-32 degrees Celsius).

The main program was held at the Javits Center, New York’s largest convention center in western Manhattan, with over 6,000 participants.

Sponsors include Layer 2 blockchain Immutable, NFT marketplace OpenSea, Amazon Web Services, and other event partners, including galleries, Metaverse exhibits, networking lounges, and more. was held.

lonely main hall

Unlike the decentralized approach of NFT.NYC 2022, which was held at seven venues in Times Square last year, this year it was held at one venue, but with a total of 1,300 people on eight stages over three days, Regardless, it seemed like there weren’t many people at the venue.

Topics such as NFT regulations, intellectual property (IP)-based games, fashion, health, and metaverse were covered, and the content of the event itself felt mature.

Leaving the air-conditioned room on the roof overlooking the Hudson River, the sun was dazzling, but the heat didn’t seem to reach the events taking place inside the building.

Cam Thompson/CoinDesk

But the heat was real. The heat of NFT.NYC 2023 was born from side events.

A drama born from a side event

Animoca Brands co-founder Yat Siu said NFT.NYC itself may have had fewer attendees, but the side event was full of energy after the event the company hosted. told CoinDesk in an interview with

“All these events bring people together,” Siu said.

“In restaurants and bars and other places, it’s really happening and it’s creating a connection with other people. I think it’s really magic.”

Perhaps the real value of the conference, as it has in the past, lies in the events that take place across New York City. NFT.NYC was also characterized by the drama that was born from side events such as real parties in the city, online activities, and Twitter.

A person is deleted from “NFT100”

NFT Media’s NFT Now announced the “NFT100” on April 11th, a list that recognizes leading figures in the NFT field and is a welcome addition to the creators, collectors, builders and influencers featured.

The list and guests attended the “NFT100 Celebration” held in the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center. CoinDesk was also invited.

Cam Thompson/CoinDesk

Drinks were brought in, artists and executives gathered, and the crowd cheered as NFT Now CEO and Editor-in-Chief Matt Medved praised the attendees for their tenacity through a tough year for Web3. went up

But then, less than a day later, NFT Now announced it was removing one person from the list for violating editorial guidelines.

In light of recent events, and per nft now’s editorial ethics policy and the standards established by the NFT100 selection committee, one individual has been redacted from the NFT100 list.

We have updated the “Community” list on the NFT100 website accordingly.

1/2

— nft now (@nftnow) April 13, 2023

“We aim to be a positive force in the field and are committed to not encouraging harassment, so per our editorial guidelines, we have not named this person here. Interested parties are welcome.” , visit the site to find out who was removed and why,” NFT Now continued.

The site reveals that person is Nicole Benham, founder and CEO of media company Beyond the Interview. She said her photo has been deleted, with the word “redacted” after her name.

A day after the celebration, on Wednesday, Mr. Benham posted a tweet describing his involvement in what he believed to be a “pump and dump.”

In retrospect, on the afternoon of the 11th, Benham featured a free mint of Blocky Doge 3, an NFT collection created by Dogecoin (DOGE) co-founder Billy Markus.

He sold 220 of his 250 Blocky Doge 3 NFTs while touting the collection on Twitter. The average price of a collection fell by half in 24 hours, according to data from OpenSea.

Thank you to everyone who supported the Blocky Doge 3 free mint yesterday.

There were mistakes made in a wallet that I controlled.

This morning that same wallet swept the Blocky Doge 3 floor.

— Nicole Behnam (@NicoleBehnam) April 12, 2023

“There was a mistake in the wallet I was managing,” he later tweeted.

But he was criticized by his followers not only for his actions, but also for not using the word “sorry”, specifically the word “sorry”.

Are you actually sorry? Or just sorry you got caught for dumping on followers with an address tied to your public address? pic.twitter.com/bwyq4CgqrJ

—ZachXBT (@zachxbt) April 12, 2023

Meanwhile, Betty, creator of the popular NFT collection “Deadfellaz,” said it was “discriminatory” that NFT Now only removed Benham, and many on the list have done the same. tweeted.

Singling out someone to have an award redacted publicly for behavior that many many others who have also received that same award have shown feels very much discriminatory no matter where you stand on the issue. If you’re going to apply a standard, apply it to all. @nftnow

— BETTY (@betty_nft) April 13, 2023

“I’m not saying that the behavior is right or justified,” he said. “If it applies, I want everyone to apply it.”

Sotheby’s reopens auction after criticism

On April 13th, the Sotheby’s NFT auction “Glitch: Beyond Binary”, which was suspended due to criticism, finally resumed the exhibition during NFT.NYC.

Initially, the work was released at the end of March, but soon after it was criticized for the lack of diversity in the work and the lack of works by female artists, and the release was suspended.

I am pulling my work from the Sothebys sale. While I believe it was a genuine oversight and the team means well, the lack of representation is a serious issue and we need to address this in our space. Female-identifying artists have played a major role in the glitch movement.

—Patrick Amadon (@patrickamadon) March 25, 2023

“Expression matters. Inclusiveness matters,” NFT artist Patrick Amadon, who withdrew his work in protest, tweeted at the time.

“Building this movement right is extremely important. Influencing future artists

Join us in welcoming the curators of “Glitch: Beyond Binary”, @letsglitchit and @thedinachangas they highlight the diverse artist communities that make up Glitch Art.

Sale opens 19 April at Sotheby’s. @_menkmanDiscover more: https://t.co/PXybAoBKHd pic.twitter.com/SYgMkPdlyk

— Sotheby’s Metaverse (@Sothebysverse) April 12, 2023

The auction will start on April 19th.

BACY Falls as Massive Sale of Whales

Yuga Labs, which handles the popular NFT collection, did not hold the limited event “Ape Fest” for owners of the company’s representative “Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC)” this year in line with NFT.NYC. may have been good.

On April 13, the BAYC floor price dropped to a five-month low of 55.59 Ethereum (ETH), about $116,000.

The drop came after Franklinisbored, known as BAYC’s whale, tweeted that he had sold most of his collection. He has sold at least 37 BACYs, according to OpenSea.

Gm. Due to an unfortunate IRL issue, I have had to sell off a lot of BAYC apes to pay off BendDAO loans while the liquidity was available. I won’t get involved in NFT trading/twitter for a while, and will just focus on my private life for the time being with my remaining apes.

—Franklin (@franklinisbored) April 13, 2023

“Had to sell a lot of BAYC to pay off BendDAO loan while liquidity was available,” he tweeted.

In another tweet, he revealed that he had fallen victim to a ragpull with an investment of approximately 2,000 ETH (approximately $4.2 million, approximately ¥560 million).

I got rug pulled on an investment I put almost 2000 ETH into, thinking it was credible due to who else invested (not naming anyone for privacy reasons). Someone used our $$ as a casino gambling Ponzi and flushed it down the drain. learn any lessons possible from this.

—Franklin (@franklinisbored) April 13, 2023

“Let us take as many lessons as possible from this,” wrote franklinisbored.

Adam Clegg, design director at Web3 game company Liithos and BAYC holder, said the NFT market wasn’t quite used to whales making deals this big, so one whale could He told CoinDesk that selling (in large numbers) would cause the value of the collection to drop sharply.

“Traditional finance, or large-scale crypto assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, cannot allow a small number of individual investors to shake the entire market like this. I think they need to understand that they have a personal responsibility to keep them safe.”

At the time of writing, the floor price of BACY has fallen to 54.91 ETH.

“Crypto Winter”, But NFTs Still Warm

The ten months after “NFT.NYC 2022” could not have been tougher for crypto.

It’s like the Japanese soldiers who never heard that WW2 was over pic.twitter.com/ULmLPrJtHB

—bedouin (@bedouincap) April 13, 2023

The collapse of cryptocurrency lenders Celsius Network and Voyager Digital, the collapse of major exchange FTX, and the recent banking crisis: Signature Bank, Silvergate Bank), Silicon Valley Bank, and other events that slowed down trading.

Added to the increased regulatory scrutiny and general economic uncertainty, the atmosphere was decidedly different from 2022.

Last year was just after ETH plummeted, but the energy of the participants was still high. Owners of the NFT collections “Pudgy Penguin” and “Cool Cats” attended exclusive parties, marketplace Magic Eden held a yacht party, and Yugalabo held its first-ever “Ape Fest.” Madonna appeared at the event organized by the World of Women NFT project.

This year’s side events weren’t as spectacular as last year’s, but they were still well-attended at events across New York City.

DJ Steve Aoki appeared at parties at Animoca Brands and Sandbox, including events hosted by well-known NFT artists.

At NFT.NYC 2023, there were many parties to announce their enthusiasm and plans for Web3, but as usual, the notable drama and fun seemed to take place mainly away from the main venue. is.

｜Translation: coindesk JAPAN
｜Editing: Takayuki Masuda
｜Image: New York seen from the NFT Now “NFT100 Celebration” venue (Cam Thompson/CoinDesk)
｜Original: NFT.NYC Was Calm, but Side Events Stirred Drama