After last year’s crypto-exchange Super Bowl ad splurge and subsequent market implosion, you’d think 2023’s Web3 promotion at the NFL’s biggest stage of the year would be non-existent, right? Mostly, but not quite.

During the preggers-Rihanna-and-commercial-packed extravaganza that was the Super Bowl half-time show, an unwieldily named, Ethereum-based NFT-game project called DigiDaigaku spruiked its wares to a likely mostly bemused telly audience.

As reported by Decrypt, the US$6.5m ad, paid for by Web3 gaming startup Limit Break, featured a QR code designed for viewers to scan and mint one of 10,000 free “digital collectibles”. (Shhh, don’t call them NFTs or non-fungible tokens.)

Thing is, though, things didn’t go particularly smoothly due to the fact that by the time the commercial actually aired, the mint link had already been tweeted out by Gabriel Leydon, the co-founder and CEO of Limit Break.

This meant that telly watchers trying to scan for a free NFT were largely front-run by thousands of Twitter-sweating, NFT-savvy degens.

Any intrigued Super Bowl watchers looking to participate were instead sent, via the QR link, to Leydon’s Twitter page for a “last-chance” mint that involved the usual annoying “engagement-farming” re-tweeting and liking process (see below).

Confusion and annoyance ensued…

Still, those who were fast enough off the blocks to grab one, might have done quite well from the free mint. 

According to Decrypt, and data from NFT marketplace OpenSea, the DigiDaigaku Dragon Eggs NFTs were trading for more than 0.5 ETH (over US$750) not long after the mint. 

At the time of writing, the NFTs’ floor price is 0.37 ETH, which is still not too shabby at about US$562. Close to US$1.5 million worth of sales volume has taken place since the commercial ran earlier today.

Leydon has also been tweeting about another chance for 5,000 of the DigiDaigaku NFTs, which again, involves retweeting and whatnot. It’s not super clear if that mint is actually part of the original 10,000 collection however, or an add on. 

Whether this lone crypto commercial is regarded as a success or flop or not, it’s no bad thing that the cash-flashing and show-boating arms race seen from some of the largest players in the crypto world this time last year has now been shelved.

Maybe actual, real, organic and steady crypto-industry growth without resorting to the fast-burning fuel of celebrity and sports endorsements can be this year’s vibe. If regulators and not-dead-yet inflation/recession concerns don’t kill the mood too much, that is. 

 

Rihanna song NFTs allow holders to earn when track is played

Speaking of Rihanna, who, as mentioned further above, performed at this year’s NFL Super Bowl between the victorious Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles… she’s also in the NFT-related news.

Crypto startup AnotherBlock quickly sold 300 Rihanna-related NFTs for US$210 each last week. The digital assets are particularly unique as they offer owners a chance to gain and hold a fraction of the singer’s B**ch Better Have My Money song’s streaming royalties.

The platform works with rights holders – including artists, producers and writers – to divest a percentage of their streaming royalty rights, which are then able to be sold as fractionalised NFTs.

In this case, the music producer Deputy, who collaborated with Kanye West and others to produce Rihanna’s aforementioned hit 2015 single, granted a small amount of his streaming royalties for the song through the unique Web3 music platform.

 

The track has garnered almost a billion streams across various music-sharing platforms, according to a press release.

Each holder will receive “a portion of 0.0033 % of the streaming royalties” for the song, stated AnotherBlock. And holders are set to receive their first royalty payout on Feb 16, with further payouts coming every six months.

The NFTs have some further value-adding artistic sensibilities and utility for fans besides the “real-world legal contract” for royalties. And these include digital artwork, access to a gated Discord community as well as “real-world events” and priority access to further NFT releases.

All in all, this could be one of the most utility-rich NFT collections we’ve seen thus far.

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