Difference between revisions of "NFT Art"

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(Added a new section "Impact of NFT Art on Artists". I also edited the wording to improve readability and corrected spelling and punctuation.)
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[[File:fungible-1.png|300px|thumb|right|Examples of fungible & non-fungible objects in their physical & digital manifestation. <ref>Zachary Crockett. [https://thehustle.co/why-nfts-are-suddenly-selling-for-millions-of-dollars/ "Why NFTs are suddenly selling for millions of dollars"] (2021, March 06). ''The Hustle''. Retrieved March 12, 2021. </ref>]]
 
[[File:fungible-1.png|300px|thumb|right|Examples of fungible & non-fungible objects in their physical & digital manifestation. <ref>Zachary Crockett. [https://thehustle.co/why-nfts-are-suddenly-selling-for-millions-of-dollars/ "Why NFTs are suddenly selling for millions of dollars"] (2021, March 06). ''The Hustle''. Retrieved March 12, 2021. </ref>]]
  
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NFT Art is digital art that is unique, lives on the blockchain, and can be bought and sold in digital marketplaces. <ref>Oscar, Schwartz. [https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/mar/23/can-anyone-become-nft-collector-non-fungible-token#:~:text=This%20class%20of%20image%20is,a%20singular%20and%20unique%20ID. "Can anyone become an NFT collector? I tried it to find out"] (2021, March 23). ''The Guardian ''. Retrieved March 25, 2021. </ref> NFT stands for Non-fungible Token, a type of token built on the Ethereum blockchain in which every token is distinct from one another.<ref>Mitchell, Clark. [https://www.theverge.com/22310188/nft-explainer-what-is-blockchain-crypto-art-faq "NFTs, explained"] (2021, March 11). ''The Verge''. Retrieved March 12, 2021. </ref> Bitcoin is an example of a fungible currency. Each Bitcoin is identical to any other Bitcoin, thus one can be traded for another equally. Artists can create digital art then issue an NFT for it. A buyer can purchase the art, which is non-fungible and hence unique. <ref name="NY"
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NFT Art is digital art that is unique, lives on the blockchain, and can be bought and sold in digital marketplaces. <ref>Oscar, Schwartz. [https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/mar/23/can-anyone-become-nft-collector-non-fungible-token#:~:text=This%20class%20of%20image%20is,a%20singular%20and%20unique%20ID. "Can anyone become an NFT collector? I tried it to find out"] (2021, March 23). ''The Guardian ''. Retrieved March 25, 2021. </ref> NFT stands for Non-fungible Token, a type of token built on the Ethereum blockchain in which every token is distinct from one another.<ref>Mitchell, Clark. [https://www.theverge.com/22310188/nft-explainer-what-is-blockchain-crypto-art-faq "NFTs, explained"] (2021, March 11). ''The Verge''. Retrieved March 12, 2021. </ref> Bitcoin is an example of a fungible currency. Each Bitcoin is identical to any other Bitcoin. Thus, one can equally be traded for another. Artists can create digital art and then issue an NFT for it. A buyer can purchase the art, which is non-fungible and hence unique. <ref name="NY"
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>Josie, Thaddeus-Johns. [https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/11/arts/design/what-is-an-nft.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article "What Are NFTs, Anyway? One Just Sold for $69 Million.] (2021, March 11). ''The New York Times''. Retrieved March 11, 2021.</ref> NFTs have created a new method for artists to distribute unique digital art.<ref name="NY"/> The scope of this MediaWiki article covers the history of auctioning & NFT Art, their current state, and ethical implications of NFT art.
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>Josie, Thaddeus-Johns. [https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/11/arts/design/what-is-an-nft.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article "What Are NFTs, Anyway? One Just Sold for $69 Million.] (2021, March 11). ''The New York Times''. Retrieved March 11, 2021.</ref> NFTs have created a new method for artists to distribute unique digital art.<ref name="NY"/> The scope of this MediaWiki article covers the history of auctioning & NFT Art, their current state, the art's impact on today's artists, and the ethical implications of NFT art.
  
 
== History of Auctioning Art==
 
== History of Auctioning Art==
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Prior to the creation of the NFT and NFT marketplaces, art was and still is sold in a physical setting. Global art sales generate anywhere from 60 to 70 billion dollars per year.<ref name="CNN"
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Prior to the creation of the NFT and NFT marketplaces, art was—and still is—sold in a physical setting. Global art sales generate anywhere from 60 to 70 billion dollars per year.<ref name="CNN"
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>Steven, Murphy. [https://www.cnn.com/style/article/how-do-art-auctions-work-steven-murphy/index.html "Art explained: How do art auctions really work?"] (2018, August 30). ''CNN'' . Retrieved March 11, 2021.</ref> From this pool, 20% of the sales come from auctions.<ref name="CNN"/> The traditional way art gets into the market is when a collector or institution decides that they want to put their piece up for auction. Then auction houses can work with the seller to host events to auction their piece. The top three auction companies sorted by payout are Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips, respectively.<ref> Thierry, Ehrmann[https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-contemporary-art-market-report-2019/the-best-auction-houses "The best auction houses"]. ''Art Price''. Retrieved March 11, 2021</ref> Companies like these then have a team of specialists who determine the authenticity and price of the piece. <ref name="CNN"/>
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>Steven, Murphy. [https://www.cnn.com/style/article/how-do-art-auctions-work-steven-murphy/index.html "Art explained: How do art auctions really work?"] (2018, August 30). ''CNN'' . Retrieved March 11, 2021.</ref> From this pool, 20% of the sales come from auctions.<ref name="CNN"/> The traditional way art gets into the market is when a collector or institution decides that they want to put their piece up for auction. Then, auction houses can work with the seller to host events to auction their piece. The top three auction companies sorted by payout are Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips, respectively.<ref> Thierry, Ehrmann[https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-contemporary-art-market-report-2019/the-best-auction-houses "The best auction houses"]. ''Art Price''. Retrieved March 11, 2021</ref> Companies like these then have a team of specialists who determine the authenticity and price of the piece. <ref name="CNN"/>
  
 
== History and Conception of NFT's ==
 
== History and Conception of NFT's ==
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On November 28th, 2017, an application on Ethereum known as CryptoKitties allowed users to buy and sell non-fungible tokens of cats.  Some kitties were rarer than others, coming in a variety of costumes and fur types, ultimately creating a market for these non-fungible tokens and later creating a bubble with some of the original kitties selling for roughly $113,000.<ref> Tepper, Fitz[https://techcrunch.com/2017/12/03/people-have-spent-over-1m-buying-virtual-cats-on-the-ethere "People have spent over $1M buying virtual cats on the Ethereum blockchain"]. ''CryptoKitties information''. Retrieved March 18, 2021</ref>  
 
On November 28th, 2017, an application on Ethereum known as CryptoKitties allowed users to buy and sell non-fungible tokens of cats.  Some kitties were rarer than others, coming in a variety of costumes and fur types, ultimately creating a market for these non-fungible tokens and later creating a bubble with some of the original kitties selling for roughly $113,000.<ref> Tepper, Fitz[https://techcrunch.com/2017/12/03/people-have-spent-over-1m-buying-virtual-cats-on-the-ethere "People have spent over $1M buying virtual cats on the Ethereum blockchain"]. ''CryptoKitties information''. Retrieved March 18, 2021</ref>  
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Since 2018 and onwards the use of NFT art has increased as part of the decentralized ecosystem. With the recognition of that importance came about a whole host of other projects seen in the figure to the right. <ref name="eco"/>
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Since 2018 and onwards, the use of NFT art has increased as part of the decentralized ecosystem. With the recognition of that importance came about a whole host of other projects seen in the figure to the right. <ref name="eco"/>
  
 
== Market Place ==
 
== Market Place ==
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=== Selling ===
 
=== Selling ===
 
NFT art is also sold by creators on these marketplaces. The creation of the art is entirely up to the artist. Artists can sell any type of art, with the only requirement being that it is digital, whether that be a PNG, GIF, WEBP, MP4, or MP3. <ref name="rare"
 
NFT art is also sold by creators on these marketplaces. The creation of the art is entirely up to the artist. Artists can sell any type of art, with the only requirement being that it is digital, whether that be a PNG, GIF, WEBP, MP4, or MP3. <ref name="rare"
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>[https://rarible.com/create/erc721 "Create single collectible"] ''Rarible'' . Retrieved March 11, 2021.</ref>  Some websites function like traditional auction houses where there is a barrier to entry. On Nifty.com, artists must apply to have their work listed, and if accepted they will take 5% + 30 cents of every secondary sale. <ref name="nifty"
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>[https://rarible.com/create/erc721 "Create single collectible"] ''Rarible'' . Retrieved March 11, 2021.</ref>  Some websites function like traditional auction houses where there is a barrier to entry. On Nifty.com, artists must apply to have their work listed. If accepted, Nifty will take 5% + 30 cents of every secondary sale. <ref name="nifty"
 
>[https://niftygateway.com/become-creator "Work With Us to Create and Sell your Own Nifties"] ''Gemini''. Retrieved March 11, 2021.</ref> Whereas on rarible.com, anyone can instantly sell their artwork, making it more of an open market. <ref name="rare"/> The artist has to decide how many issues of their art they want to mint. Additionally, artists can set what percentage of royalties they want on secondary sales of a piece. <ref name="rare"/>
 
>[https://niftygateway.com/become-creator "Work With Us to Create and Sell your Own Nifties"] ''Gemini''. Retrieved March 11, 2021.</ref> Whereas on rarible.com, anyone can instantly sell their artwork, making it more of an open market. <ref name="rare"/> The artist has to decide how many issues of their art they want to mint. Additionally, artists can set what percentage of royalties they want on secondary sales of a piece. <ref name="rare"/>
  
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[[File:Beeple.jpg|340px|thumb|right|Beeple's digital art piece (Everydays: The First 5000 Days) just sold for over $69 million. <ref>Alexi, Horowitz-ghazi & Stacey, Smith. [https://www.npr.org/2021/03/10/975782582/market-power-to-the-beeple "Market Power To The Beeple"] (2021, March 10). ''NPR''. Retrieved March 12, 2021. </ref>]]  
 
[[File:Beeple.jpg|340px|thumb|right|Beeple's digital art piece (Everydays: The First 5000 Days) just sold for over $69 million. <ref>Alexi, Horowitz-ghazi & Stacey, Smith. [https://www.npr.org/2021/03/10/975782582/market-power-to-the-beeple "Market Power To The Beeple"] (2021, March 10). ''NPR''. Retrieved March 12, 2021. </ref>]]  
 
===Everydays: The First 5000 Days===
 
===Everydays: The First 5000 Days===
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As NFT art continues to become more popular, some of the major auction houses known for their sales of physical art are starting to sell digital art. Christie’s recently listed a piece of NFT art called ''Everydays: The First 5000 Days'' from the popular digital artist Mike Winkelmann, commonly known as Beeple <ref name="Christies">“Beeple's Masterwork: the First Purely Digital Artwork Offered at Christie's” Beeple: A Visionary Digital Artist at the Forefront of NFTs | ''Christie's'', Christies, 11 Mar. 2021, www.christies.com/features/Monumental-collage-by-Beeple-is-first-purely-digital-artwork-NFT-to-come-to-auction-11510-7.aspx. </ref>. The piece was the first NFT they had ever offered for sale and the first piece ever sold at a major auction house. A digital collage, the piece was a collection of 5000 pieces of digital art that Beeple posted online day-after-day for over thirteen years starting in 2007. <ref name="Christies"></ref> ''Everydays: The First 5000 Days'' sold for over $69.3 million to Metakovan, a crypo-asset investor and the founder of Metapurse, a fund that collects NFTs. <ref>Palumbo, Jacqui, and Amy Woodyatt. “Buyer behind $69m Record-Breaking Art Sale Revealed.” ''CNN'', Cable News Network, 13 Mar. 2021, www.cnn.com/style/article/beeple-first-nft-artwork-at-auction-sale-buyer-intl-scli/index.html. </ref> The piece and Christie’s fees were all paid for entirely in Ether, the cryptocurrency that lives on the Ethereum blockchain.
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As NFT art continues to become more popular, some of the major auction houses known for their sales of physical art are starting to sell digital art. Christie’s recently listed a piece of NFT art called ''Everydays: The First 5000 Days'' from the popular digital artist Mike Winkelmann, commonly known as Beeple <ref name="Christies">“Beeple's Masterwork: the First Purely Digital Artwork Offered at Christie's” Beeple: A Visionary Digital Artist at the Forefront of NFTs | ''Christie's'', Christies, 11 Mar. 2021, www.christies.com/features/Monumental-collage-by-Beeple-is-first-purely-digital-artwork-NFT-to-come-to-auction-11510-7.aspx. </ref>. The piece was the first NFT they had ever offered for sale and the first piece ever sold at a major auction house. A digital collage, the piece was a collection of 5000 pieces of digital art that Beeple posted online day-after-day for over thirteen years starting in 2007. <ref name="Christies"></ref> ''Everydays: The First 5000 Days'' sold for over $69.3 million to Metakovan, a crypo-asset investor and the founder of Metapurse, a fund that collects NFTs. <ref>Palumbo, Jacqui, and Amy Woodyatt. “Buyer behind $69m Record-Breaking Art Sale Revealed.” ''CNN'', Cable News Network, 13 Mar. 2021, www.cnn.com/style/article/beeple-first-nft-artwork-at-auction-sale-buyer-intl-scli/index.html. </ref> The piece and Christie’s fees were all paid for entirely in Ether.
  
 
===The First Tweet===
 
===The First Tweet===
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Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey is auctioning off his first tweet, also the first ever tweet on the platform, as an NFT. The tweet which reads “just setting up my twttr” and was published on March 21, 2006 is being sold on the digital platform Valuables which allows people to buy and sell tweets autographed by their original creators. <ref>Goodwin, Jazmin. “You Can Buy the First-Ever Tweet. The Current Bid: $2.5 Million.” ''CNN'', Cable News Network, 7 Mar. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/03/07/tech/jack-dorsey-nft-twitter/index.html. </ref>  
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Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey is auctioning off his first tweet, also the first ever tweet on the platform, as an NFT. The tweet, which reads “just setting up my twttr,” was published on March 21, 2006, and is being sold on the digital platform Valuables. The platform allows people to buy and sell tweets autographed by their original creators. <ref>Goodwin, Jazmin. “You Can Buy the First-Ever Tweet. The Current Bid: $2.5 Million.” ''CNN'', Cable News Network, 7 Mar. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/03/07/tech/jack-dorsey-nft-twitter/index.html. </ref>  
  
 
The current highest bid is $2.5 million by Sina Estavi, CEO of Bridge Oracle. The auction closes on March 21, 2021, the fifteenth anniversary of the tweet. Dorsey has pledged that he will immediately convert all proceeds into the cryptocurrency bitcoin and donate it to Give Directly’s Africa Covid Response program. The final auction winner will receive a digital certificate of the tweet, and the tweet will remain on the Twitter platform for everyone to view. <ref>Peters, Jay. “Jack Dorsey's First Tweet May Fetch $2.5 Million, and He'll Donate the NFTy Proceeds to Charity.” ''The Verge'', The Verge, 9 Mar. 2021, www.theverge.com/2021/3/9/22321464/jack-dorsey-nft-tweet-auction-bitcoin-donate-charity. </ref>
 
The current highest bid is $2.5 million by Sina Estavi, CEO of Bridge Oracle. The auction closes on March 21, 2021, the fifteenth anniversary of the tweet. Dorsey has pledged that he will immediately convert all proceeds into the cryptocurrency bitcoin and donate it to Give Directly’s Africa Covid Response program. The final auction winner will receive a digital certificate of the tweet, and the tweet will remain on the Twitter platform for everyone to view. <ref>Peters, Jay. “Jack Dorsey's First Tweet May Fetch $2.5 Million, and He'll Donate the NFTy Proceeds to Charity.” ''The Verge'', The Verge, 9 Mar. 2021, www.theverge.com/2021/3/9/22321464/jack-dorsey-nft-tweet-auction-bitcoin-donate-charity. </ref>
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One reason NFT art has been so successful is because of how potentially lucrative it is to (digital) artists. While many digital artists have created art garnering plenty of likes, comments, and shares, generating significant income from their work is much more difficult to do. NFT art has helped provide digital artists with a rare opportunity to earn thousands upon thousands of dollars selling their pieces on the market. <ref>Chow, A. R. (2021, March 22). What Are NFTs and Why They Are Shaking Up the Art World? Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://time.com/5947720/nft-art/</ref> Aside from the monetary benefits of selling digital art, NFT art has also helped validate and empower artists, many of whom were previously struggling to to make ends meet. In particular, NFT art has helped reduce the importance of a middleman between artists and those buying their digital pieces. <ref>Vansynghel, M. (2021, March 29). WTF are NFTs? The Seattle arts scene is finding out. Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://crosscut.com/culture/2021/03/seattle-artists-are-making-mint-nfts-and-crypto-art</ref> Artists no longer have to deal with auction houses, galleries, etc. Furthermore, the introduction of NFTs in the art world has the potential to promote inclusivity. Museum collections have always been predominantly male. With NFT art, the biased channels of distributing art are removed and replaced with a digital marketplace providing a direct connection between the creator and buyer. <ref>Wilser, J., Nelson, D., & Schiller, B. (2021, March 08). How NFTs Became Art, and Everything Became an NFT. Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://www.coindesk.com/nfts-became-art-everything-nft</ref>
 
One reason NFT art has been so successful is because of how potentially lucrative it is to (digital) artists. While many digital artists have created art garnering plenty of likes, comments, and shares, generating significant income from their work is much more difficult to do. NFT art has helped provide digital artists with a rare opportunity to earn thousands upon thousands of dollars selling their pieces on the market. <ref>Chow, A. R. (2021, March 22). What Are NFTs and Why They Are Shaking Up the Art World? Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://time.com/5947720/nft-art/</ref> Aside from the monetary benefits of selling digital art, NFT art has also helped validate and empower artists, many of whom were previously struggling to to make ends meet. In particular, NFT art has helped reduce the importance of a middleman between artists and those buying their digital pieces. <ref>Vansynghel, M. (2021, March 29). WTF are NFTs? The Seattle arts scene is finding out. Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://crosscut.com/culture/2021/03/seattle-artists-are-making-mint-nfts-and-crypto-art</ref> Artists no longer have to deal with auction houses, galleries, etc. Furthermore, the introduction of NFTs in the art world has the potential to promote inclusivity. Museum collections have always been predominantly male. With NFT art, the biased channels of distributing art are removed and replaced with a digital marketplace providing a direct connection between the creator and buyer. <ref>Wilser, J., Nelson, D., & Schiller, B. (2021, March 08). How NFTs Became Art, and Everything Became an NFT. Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://www.coindesk.com/nfts-became-art-everything-nft</ref>
  
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Although NFT art evidently can be a very profitable opportunity for artists, there are still risks involved with creating and selling such art. In order to profit off of creating NFT art pieces, artists must first invest in cryptocurrency.  
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Although NFT art evidently can be a very profitable opportunity for artists, there are still risks and downsides involved with creating and selling such art. In order to profit off of creating NFT art pieces, artists must first invest in cryptocurrency. <ref name="bust">Munster, B. (2021, March 31). NFT art bubble? 2017 crypto bust could spell out the future of current boom. Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/ghosts-of-crypto-past</ref> This serves as a barrier of entry, as one must have the initial funds to participate. Adding on, artists must have basic knowledge of the cryptocurrency world, which can be a burden. Furthermore, as is the case with any investment, there is no guarantee that profit will be made. Stories of success often overshadow the plethora of failed investments, which overly glorifies creating NFT art. In fact, the primary profiteers of the business are the hyper capitalists holding the most cryptocurrency. <ref name="bust">Munster, B. (2021, March 31). NFT art bubble? 2017 crypto bust could spell out the future of current boom. Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/ghosts-of-crypto-past</ref> Finally, as more artists decide to partake in creating NFT art, competition will only increase, making an already risky investment even riskier.
  
 
== Ethical Implications ==
 
== Ethical Implications ==
 
=== Energy use ===
 
=== Energy use ===
  
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NFTs live on the Ethereum blockchain, and minting NFTs on the network requires servers, which consumes energy and produces carbon emissions. French Artist, Joanie Lemercier previously sold some of his work on Nifty Gateway and later found out that the sale of his work used 8.7 megawatt-hours of energy, equivalent to two years of energy use in his apartment. <ref name="wired"> Gregory, Barber. [https://www.wired.com/story/nfts-hot-effect-earth-climate/. "NFTs Are Hot. So Is Their Effect on the Earth’s Climate"] (2021, March 06). . ''Wired''. Retrieved March 12, 2021.</ref> From smart-energy.com “Renewables powers almost 40% of proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining”. <ref name="smartenergy"> Johnathan, Jones. [https://www.smart-energy.com/renewable-energy/renewables-powers-almost-40-of-proof-of-work-cryptocurrency-mining/. "Renewables powers almost 40% of proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining"] (2020, September 29). . ''smart-energy''. Retrieved March 12, 2021.</ref>  A large portion of crypto mining still relies on non-renewable energy. Yet, even if crypto was all renewable, cities like Missoula, Montana are stopping crypto mining as it is creating more competition for renewable energy and thus pushing away other big energy users to rely on non-renewable sources.<ref name="wired"/>
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One of the main ethical implications of NFT art is the amount of energy consumed in the creation process. NFTs live on the Ethereum blockchain, and minting NFTs on the network requires servers, which consumes energy and produces carbon emissions. French artist Joanie Lemercier previously sold some of his work on Nifty Gateway and later found out that the sale of his work used 8.7 megawatt-hours of energy, equivalent to two years of energy use in his apartment. <ref name="wired"> Gregory, Barber. [https://www.wired.com/story/nfts-hot-effect-earth-climate/. "NFTs Are Hot. So Is Their Effect on the Earth’s Climate"] (2021, March 06). . ''Wired''. Retrieved March 12, 2021.</ref> From smart-energy.com, “Renewables powers almost 40% of proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining”. <ref name="smartenergy"> Johnathan, Jones. [https://www.smart-energy.com/renewable-energy/renewables-powers-almost-40-of-proof-of-work-cryptocurrency-mining/. "Renewables powers almost 40% of proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining"] (2020, September 29). . ''smart-energy''. Retrieved March 12, 2021.</ref>  A large portion of crypto mining still relies on non-renewable energy. Yet, even if crypto was all renewable, cities like Missoula, Montana are stopping crypto mining, as it is creating more competition for renewable energy and thus pushing big energy users to rely on "dirtier," non-renewable sources.<ref name="wired"/>
  
 
=== Security ===
 
=== Security ===
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As NFTs are digital art anyone can copy art and sell it as their own. Recently artist RJ Palmer had his artwork copied and sold as an NFT, as someone just downloaded pictures of his artwork and sold them as their own.<ref name="esquire"> Anna, Lee. [https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/a35742083/what-are-nfts-explained/. "Everything You Need to Know About NFTs—the Crypto Art Selling For Millions"] (2021, March 11). ''esquire''. Retrieved March 12, 2021.</ref> So if the artist puts out art on the internet for free then anyone can claim it as their own. The artist needs to be the first to issue an NFT, producing more overhead for the creator. Supporters say that NFT art is safer than purchasing traditional art.
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As NFTs are digital art, anyone can copy art and sell it as their own. Recently, artist RJ Palmer had his artwork copied and sold as an NFT, as someone just downloaded pictures of his artwork and sold them as their own.<ref name="esquire"> Anna, Lee. [https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/a35742083/what-are-nfts-explained/. "Everything You Need to Know About NFTs—the Crypto Art Selling For Millions"] (2021, March 11). ''esquire''. Retrieved March 12, 2021.</ref> So if the artist puts out art on the internet for free, then anyone can claim it as their own. The artist needs to be the first to issue an NFT, producing more overhead for the creator. Supporters say that NFT art is safer than purchasing traditional art.
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Gregory Barber from a blockchain specialist from the University of Columbia and Wired said “with an NFT, the owner buys a verified token providing digital evidence that the art is theirs—a bit like an artist’s signature”. <ref name="wired"/> So now you can verify all the past owners of a piece of art on the blockchain’s public domain. However, reports show that the blockchain is not entirely secure yet. A report from the MIT Technology Review said that nearly $2 billion dollars worth of cryptocurrencies has been hacked. <ref name="mit"> Mike, Orcutt. [https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/19/239592/once-hailed-as-unhackable-blockchains-are-now-getting-hacked/. "Once hailed as unhackable, blockchains are now getting hacked"] (2019, February 19). ''MIT Technology Review''. Retrieved March 12, 2021.</ref>  This poses a concern for collectors who fear that their ownership of their art may be hacked. Additionally, accounts containing art can be compromised in traditional ways, such as a password being stolen. Recent account breaches have occurred in which the marketplace Nifty Gateway was accessed by credential-stealing thieves. <ref name="businessinsider"> Grace, Kay. [https://www.businessinsider.com/stolen-nfts-on-nifty-gateway-reports-nft-art-marketplace-2021-3/</ref>
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Gregory Barber, a blockchain specialist from the University of Columbia, has said “with an NFT, the owner buys a verified token providing digital evidence that the art is theirs—a bit like an artist’s signature”. <ref name="wired"/> So now you can verify all the past owners of a piece of art on the blockchain’s public domain. However, reports show that the blockchain is not entirely secure yet. A report from the MIT Technology Review said that nearly $2 billion dollars worth of cryptocurrencies have been hacked. <ref name="mit"> Mike, Orcutt. [https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/19/239592/once-hailed-as-unhackable-blockchains-are-now-getting-hacked/. "Once hailed as unhackable, blockchains are now getting hacked"] (2019, February 19). ''MIT Technology Review''. Retrieved March 12, 2021.</ref>  This poses a concern for collectors who fear that their ownership of their art may be at risk. Additionally, accounts containing art can be compromised in traditional ways, such as a password being stolen. Recent account breaches have occurred in which the marketplace Nifty Gateway was accessed by credential-stealing thieves. <ref name="businessinsider"> Grace, Kay. [https://www.businessinsider.com/stolen-nfts-on-nifty-gateway-reports-nft-art-marketplace-2021-3/</ref>
  
 
=== Artist control ===
 
=== Artist control ===

Revision as of 15:43, 2 April 2021

Examples of fungible & non-fungible objects in their physical & digital manifestation. [1]

NFT Art is digital art that is unique, lives on the blockchain, and can be bought and sold in digital marketplaces. [2] NFT stands for Non-fungible Token, a type of token built on the Ethereum blockchain in which every token is distinct from one another.[3] Bitcoin is an example of a fungible currency. Each Bitcoin is identical to any other Bitcoin. Thus, one can equally be traded for another. Artists can create digital art and then issue an NFT for it. A buyer can purchase the art, which is non-fungible and hence unique. [4] NFTs have created a new method for artists to distribute unique digital art.[4] The scope of this MediaWiki article covers the history of auctioning & NFT Art, their current state, the art's impact on today's artists, and the ethical implications of NFT art.

History of Auctioning Art

Prior to the creation of the NFT and NFT marketplaces, art was—and still is—sold in a physical setting. Global art sales generate anywhere from 60 to 70 billion dollars per year.[5] From this pool, 20% of the sales come from auctions.[5] The traditional way art gets into the market is when a collector or institution decides that they want to put their piece up for auction. Then, auction houses can work with the seller to host events to auction their piece. The top three auction companies sorted by payout are Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips, respectively.[6] Companies like these then have a team of specialists who determine the authenticity and price of the piece. [5]

History and Conception of NFT's

Graphic of the present NFT ecosystem. [7]

Beginning in 2012, the issuance of “colored” Bitcoins on the Bitcoin blockchain can be argued as the first[8] real use of NFTs in the world of blockchain. While colored Bitcoin was not cryptographically secured as unique and therefore non-fungible, colored Bitcoin is instead a set of meta-data instructions and rules which groups of users could manipulate to enforce representation[9] of some non-bitcoin asset using an arbitrary store of Bitcoin. However, the weakness of Bitcoin’s scripting language led to these groups being very niche, as the price of these tokens had to be agreed upon by the members of the group. [9] Colored coins gave people an idea of the power of issuing assets on the blockchain, and with this recognition, Counterparty was born. Counterparty allowed users to buy and sell assets on the Counterparty decentralized exchange, all running atop a blockchain. [10]

On November 28th, 2017, an application on Ethereum known as CryptoKitties allowed users to buy and sell non-fungible tokens of cats. Some kitties were rarer than others, coming in a variety of costumes and fur types, ultimately creating a market for these non-fungible tokens and later creating a bubble with some of the original kitties selling for roughly $113,000.[11] Since 2018 and onwards, the use of NFT art has increased as part of the decentralized ecosystem. With the recognition of that importance came about a whole host of other projects seen in the figure to the right. [7]

Market Place

NFT of LeBron dunking sold for over $200,000. [12]

Buying

There are many different websites one can use to buy NFT art. Some of the most used websites are Nifty Gateway, SuperRare, and OpenSea. [13] Art on these websites must be purchased with Ether, the native currency of the Ethereum blockchain. Since NFTs are created on the Ethereum blockchain, ownership of each piece is now public information and is verifiable on the public ledger. [13]

Selling

NFT art is also sold by creators on these marketplaces. The creation of the art is entirely up to the artist. Artists can sell any type of art, with the only requirement being that it is digital, whether that be a PNG, GIF, WEBP, MP4, or MP3. [14] Some websites function like traditional auction houses where there is a barrier to entry. On Nifty.com, artists must apply to have their work listed. If accepted, Nifty will take 5% + 30 cents of every secondary sale. [15] Whereas on rarible.com, anyone can instantly sell their artwork, making it more of an open market. [14] The artist has to decide how many issues of their art they want to mint. Additionally, artists can set what percentage of royalties they want on secondary sales of a piece. [14]

Notable Examples

Beeple's digital art piece (Everydays: The First 5000 Days) just sold for over $69 million. [16]

Everydays: The First 5000 Days

As NFT art continues to become more popular, some of the major auction houses known for their sales of physical art are starting to sell digital art. Christie’s recently listed a piece of NFT art called Everydays: The First 5000 Days from the popular digital artist Mike Winkelmann, commonly known as Beeple [17]. The piece was the first NFT they had ever offered for sale and the first piece ever sold at a major auction house. A digital collage, the piece was a collection of 5000 pieces of digital art that Beeple posted online day-after-day for over thirteen years starting in 2007. [17] Everydays: The First 5000 Days sold for over $69.3 million to Metakovan, a crypo-asset investor and the founder of Metapurse, a fund that collects NFTs. [18] The piece and Christie’s fees were all paid for entirely in Ether.

The First Tweet

Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey is auctioning off his first tweet, also the first ever tweet on the platform, as an NFT. The tweet, which reads “just setting up my twttr,” was published on March 21, 2006, and is being sold on the digital platform Valuables. The platform allows people to buy and sell tweets autographed by their original creators. [19]

The current highest bid is $2.5 million by Sina Estavi, CEO of Bridge Oracle. The auction closes on March 21, 2021, the fifteenth anniversary of the tweet. Dorsey has pledged that he will immediately convert all proceeds into the cryptocurrency bitcoin and donate it to Give Directly’s Africa Covid Response program. The final auction winner will receive a digital certificate of the tweet, and the tweet will remain on the Twitter platform for everyone to view. [20]

Impact of NFT Art on Artists

One reason NFT art has been so successful is because of how potentially lucrative it is to (digital) artists. While many digital artists have created art garnering plenty of likes, comments, and shares, generating significant income from their work is much more difficult to do. NFT art has helped provide digital artists with a rare opportunity to earn thousands upon thousands of dollars selling their pieces on the market. [21] Aside from the monetary benefits of selling digital art, NFT art has also helped validate and empower artists, many of whom were previously struggling to to make ends meet. In particular, NFT art has helped reduce the importance of a middleman between artists and those buying their digital pieces. [22] Artists no longer have to deal with auction houses, galleries, etc. Furthermore, the introduction of NFTs in the art world has the potential to promote inclusivity. Museum collections have always been predominantly male. With NFT art, the biased channels of distributing art are removed and replaced with a digital marketplace providing a direct connection between the creator and buyer. [23]

Although NFT art evidently can be a very profitable opportunity for artists, there are still risks and downsides involved with creating and selling such art. In order to profit off of creating NFT art pieces, artists must first invest in cryptocurrency. [24] This serves as a barrier of entry, as one must have the initial funds to participate. Adding on, artists must have basic knowledge of the cryptocurrency world, which can be a burden. Furthermore, as is the case with any investment, there is no guarantee that profit will be made. Stories of success often overshadow the plethora of failed investments, which overly glorifies creating NFT art. In fact, the primary profiteers of the business are the hyper capitalists holding the most cryptocurrency. [24] Finally, as more artists decide to partake in creating NFT art, competition will only increase, making an already risky investment even riskier.

Ethical Implications

Energy use

One of the main ethical implications of NFT art is the amount of energy consumed in the creation process. NFTs live on the Ethereum blockchain, and minting NFTs on the network requires servers, which consumes energy and produces carbon emissions. French artist Joanie Lemercier previously sold some of his work on Nifty Gateway and later found out that the sale of his work used 8.7 megawatt-hours of energy, equivalent to two years of energy use in his apartment. [25] From smart-energy.com, “Renewables powers almost 40% of proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining”. [26] A large portion of crypto mining still relies on non-renewable energy. Yet, even if crypto was all renewable, cities like Missoula, Montana are stopping crypto mining, as it is creating more competition for renewable energy and thus pushing big energy users to rely on "dirtier," non-renewable sources.[25]

Security

As NFTs are digital art, anyone can copy art and sell it as their own. Recently, artist RJ Palmer had his artwork copied and sold as an NFT, as someone just downloaded pictures of his artwork and sold them as their own.[27] So if the artist puts out art on the internet for free, then anyone can claim it as their own. The artist needs to be the first to issue an NFT, producing more overhead for the creator. Supporters say that NFT art is safer than purchasing traditional art. Gregory Barber, a blockchain specialist from the University of Columbia, has said “with an NFT, the owner buys a verified token providing digital evidence that the art is theirs—a bit like an artist’s signature”. [25] So now you can verify all the past owners of a piece of art on the blockchain’s public domain. However, reports show that the blockchain is not entirely secure yet. A report from the MIT Technology Review said that nearly $2 billion dollars worth of cryptocurrencies have been hacked. [28] This poses a concern for collectors who fear that their ownership of their art may be at risk. Additionally, accounts containing art can be compromised in traditional ways, such as a password being stolen. Recent account breaches have occurred in which the marketplace Nifty Gateway was accessed by credential-stealing thieves. [29]

Artist control

Artists producing NFT art can set royalties for secondary sales of their original work. In the past, once ownership transferred, the artists no longer had rights over their art. Even after the artist dies, their family can receive commissions on their work. Vincent Van Gogh sold his first painting for 400 francs, and it was not until after he died that his paintings were worth millions.[30] Artists do not have to go through auction houses anymore to sell their artwork. This eliminates the chance of rejection before a piece is even available to the public, as auction houses like Christie’s do not have to accept the artist's art.[31] Additionally, artists can have the power to set the price of their art and not have it set by auction houses.

References

  1. ↑ Zachary Crockett. "Why NFTs are suddenly selling for millions of dollars" (2021, March 06). The Hustle. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  2. ↑ Oscar, Schwartz. "Can anyone become an NFT collector? I tried it to find out" (2021, March 23). The Guardian . Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  3. ↑ Mitchell, Clark. "NFTs, explained" (2021, March 11). The Verge. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Josie, Thaddeus-Johns. "What Are NFTs, Anyway? One Just Sold for $69 Million. (2021, March 11). The New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Steven, Murphy. "Art explained: How do art auctions really work?" (2018, August 30). CNN . Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  6. ↑ Thierry, Ehrmann"The best auction houses". Art Price. Retrieved March 11, 2021
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Tepper, Fitz"NFT Ecosystem Overview". The Nifty Crypto Nomad. Retrieved March 18, 2021
  8. ↑ Steinwold, Andrew"The History of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT's)". Colored Bitcoins. Retrieved March 18, 2021
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Bradburry, Danny"Colored coins paint sophisticated future for Bitcoin". Colored Bitcoins Metadata Scheme. Retrieved March 18, 2021
  10. ↑ Cathy, Hackl"Five Things Brands Need To Know About NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens)". Forbes. Retrieved March 18, 2021
  11. ↑ Tepper, Fitz"People have spent over $1M buying virtual cats on the Ethereum blockchain". CryptoKitties information. Retrieved March 18, 2021
  12. ↑ Cardiff, Garcia & Stacey, Smith"The $200k NBA NFT". NPR. Retrieved March 18, 2021
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Stan, Horaczek "NFTs are blowing up the digital art and collectibles worlds. Here’s how they work."(2021, March 10) Popular Science . Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Create single collectible" Rarible . Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Work With Us to Create and Sell your Own Nifties" Gemini. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  16. ↑ Alexi, Horowitz-ghazi & Stacey, Smith. "Market Power To The Beeple" (2021, March 10). NPR. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 “Beeple's Masterwork: the First Purely Digital Artwork Offered at Christie's” Beeple: A Visionary Digital Artist at the Forefront of NFTs | Christie's, Christies, 11 Mar. 2021, www.christies.com/features/Monumental-collage-by-Beeple-is-first-purely-digital-artwork-NFT-to-come-to-auction-11510-7.aspx.
  18. ↑ Palumbo, Jacqui, and Amy Woodyatt. “Buyer behind $69m Record-Breaking Art Sale Revealed.” CNN, Cable News Network, 13 Mar. 2021, www.cnn.com/style/article/beeple-first-nft-artwork-at-auction-sale-buyer-intl-scli/index.html.
  19. ↑ Goodwin, Jazmin. “You Can Buy the First-Ever Tweet. The Current Bid: $2.5 Million.” CNN, Cable News Network, 7 Mar. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/03/07/tech/jack-dorsey-nft-twitter/index.html.
  20. ↑ Peters, Jay. “Jack Dorsey's First Tweet May Fetch $2.5 Million, and He'll Donate the NFTy Proceeds to Charity.” The Verge, The Verge, 9 Mar. 2021, www.theverge.com/2021/3/9/22321464/jack-dorsey-nft-tweet-auction-bitcoin-donate-charity.
  21. ↑ Chow, A. R. (2021, March 22). What Are NFTs and Why They Are Shaking Up the Art World? Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://time.com/5947720/nft-art/
  22. ↑ Vansynghel, M. (2021, March 29). WTF are NFTs? The Seattle arts scene is finding out. Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://crosscut.com/culture/2021/03/seattle-artists-are-making-mint-nfts-and-crypto-art
  23. ↑ Wilser, J., Nelson, D., & Schiller, B. (2021, March 08). How NFTs Became Art, and Everything Became an NFT. Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://www.coindesk.com/nfts-became-art-everything-nft
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Munster, B. (2021, March 31). NFT art bubble? 2017 crypto bust could spell out the future of current boom. Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/ghosts-of-crypto-past
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Gregory, Barber. "NFTs Are Hot. So Is Their Effect on the Earth’s Climate" (2021, March 06). . Wired. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  26. ↑ Johnathan, Jones. "Renewables powers almost 40% of proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining" (2020, September 29). . smart-energy. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  27. ↑ Anna, Lee. "Everything You Need to Know About NFTs—the Crypto Art Selling For Millions" (2021, March 11). esquire. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  28. ↑ Mike, Orcutt. "Once hailed as unhackable, blockchains are now getting hacked" (2019, February 19). MIT Technology Review. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  29. ↑ Grace, Kay. [https://www.businessinsider.com/stolen-nfts-on-nifty-gateway-reports-nft-art-marketplace-2021-3/
  30. ↑ Erik, Velde. "WAS 'THE RED VINEYARD’ REALLY THE ONLY PAINTING VAN GOGH EVER SOLD?" (2020, February 13). . Van Gogh Studio. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Selling at Christie's" . Christies. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
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