🪩 NFT NYC Too long; didn't go

If you're like me and can't hop on a plane to party with Madonna—in NYC on a yacht—and attend keynote events half drunk, here's everything important that happened at NFT NYC. Note: Most keynote speakers have absolutely no clue what they're talking about, so I'll largely be ignoring those. Why It Matters: In the fog of alcohol, yachts, parties, and a bear market that threatens to send it all falling down, NFT NYC has bright spots in merchandise and community development Other than that, it was a massive and expensive party. . What Actually Mattered: 

• Doodles - Pharrell Williams joins Doodles as Chief Brand Officer.

• Shopify - Powered merchandise stores for LinksDao, CoolCats, and Doodles. Also unveiled token-gated stores.

• Apefest - Eminem, The Roots, Future, Haim, Lil Baby, and Snoop Dogg performed. Amy Schumer also delivered some very poorly delivered and stolen jokes. Bearish signal?

• Coinbase - Unveiled the first movie in an apparent three part NFT movie series.

• Token-gating - Almost all parties were token gated which signals the adoption of NFTs as literal and digital keys.

Context: These past few months the NFT community has been enduring some very hard times with the market jumping off a cliff. In hard times like these, you will find what really matters in markets. Zoom Out: Zoom Out: NFT NYC is emphasizing community more - albeit with expensive merchandise - but it's a sign that the industry is maturing towards becoming the internet's tribes. The Bottom Line: NFTs are maturing and it is just getting started.