GM

Now that banks are breaking we can go back to bartering Pudgy Penguins and Cryptodickbutts for food and water – just like our grandparents did!

Today we have a special edition of Mint or Skip.

Here’s the TLDR:

NFT curation is about to get WAY bigger.

We’re launching our Season 1 NFT soon.

You can get WL by sharing the newsletter with friends.

(Plus, all the latest NFT rankings)

More info on the Mint/Watch lists here. 

THE RISE OF THE CURATOR

Take a step back. Look at the two main technological trends happening on the internet right now. What are they?

1. AI

2. Permissionless blockchains

One makes it easier than ever to create high-quality content, and the other makes it easier to turn that content into digital assets that people can own and trade.

What happens when you combine the two?

ON ONE HAND: it lets anyone productize their creative ideas with minimal friction and cost.

In the next 24 months it’ll become trivial for anyone with an internet connection to:

• Create new IP (with AI)

• Create high quality no-code websites (with AI)

• Create tokens based on that IP (with web3 tools)

• Create stories supporting those tokens (with social media)

This is objectively awesome. You’re basically giving millions of people the creative tools that were only available to a tiny sliver of the population even just a few years ago.

Think about how many hidden Mozarts, Picassos and Walt Disneys we have in this world that are now being given an opportunity to scale their talents.

ON THE OTHER HAND: this could easily lead to a nightmare scenario for consumers.

This new ability to easily release IP and tokens will lead to a flood of productized content.

Some estimate 99% of content online will soon be AI generated. Not because people will stop creating other forms of content, but simply because it’ll be outweighed by this unprecedented tsunami that we all see coming.

The world is not ready. The most ironic part is that we’re going to have more new masterpieces and innovative ideas than ever before, but they’ll be harder to find amidst all the endless junk being piped into reality.

This is why demand for curators will skyrocket.

You may not notice, but curators are already all around us.

Whenever you pass by the cereal aisle at your local supermarket, or browse through HBO Max’s selection of movies, or read the front page of the New York Times, you’re dealing with curation.

If I go to the movie theaters, I know that I won’t accidentally buy a ticket to some third rate home movie filmed by the theater owner’s brother-in-law.

We can assume they’ve taken efforts to ensure a certain level of quality in anything they show, and their business depends on it.

And yet we have very few curators for digital assets. Here’s how the current system works:

1. Someone makes an NFT

2. They announce it on twitter

3. People share it if they like it (or think they can get WL)

4. The team sets up a minting website and goes direct

On any given day, this could lead to dozens or hundreds of new projects minting, many of which use bots and paid promotions to trick casual collectors into believing they have organic traction.

Trying to do manual NFT discovery is time consuming, and frankly many people aren’t good at it.

That’s why this system has led to so many scams and rugpulls on one end, and impractical (or delusional) growth stories on the other end. In both cases people lose money and trust in NFTs.

Now take that system and grow it by 1,000x.

1,000x more creators

1,000x more scammers

1,000x more buyers

1,000x more “stories” being told

This is the future we’re driving towards at 90 mph. The internet will turn into one giant unfiltered marketplace of digital goods being bought, sold and pitched.

And as usual, the vast majority of these NFTs will be worthless.

As a result, people will need to rely on curators to make sense of this new world.

We envision a world with a huge curator class. Expect many brands to filter things in their own way and drill down into many different niches. Some might provide “investment” advice, focusing on short-term prices and trading. While others might filter based on aesthetics and ignore prices, similar to art critics.

These can be full-fledged media companies, or just solo twitter accounts (and everything in between).

Consumers will also become curators themselves. But instead of curating from the raw sea of content directly, they’ll be aggregating a list of trusted voices that they lean on – their own assortment of curator brands.

Now, what makes a good curator? Two things:

1. Taste

2. Trust

Trust is a huge challenge when it comes to NFTs. People can earn kickbacks through hidden wallets in exchange for recommendations. See ZachXBTs crusade against crypto YouTubers over the last couple of years as a great example.

It takes time to earn people’s trust, but those that do can create something truly valuable.

This is our North Star.

We get there by doing what we’ve already been doing: previewing upcoming NFTs that we find exciting.

We’ll do this every single week, bear or bull, and we hope to give you enough reasons to keep coming back.

This…leads us to our announcement.

SEASON 1 IS COMING

Today we’re excited to announce that Season 1 of Mint or Skip will be starting soon.

This will be an annual pass for people who:

1. Want faster insights into the latest NFTs we’re finding

2. Want to go deeper through weekly calls and community briefings

There will also be opportunities to get rewarded for curation. I’m personally really excited about this and think we’re pioneering a brand-new form of NFT discovery.

More info to come in the next few weeks.

HOW WL?

Starting today we’re launching a new referral program for the newsletter.

It’s super simple - get friends to subscribe and earn rewards in the process.

• 1 Referral – Understanding NFT Value (PDF)

• 5 Referrals – WL for Season 1 Drop

• 20 Referrals – FREE CLAIM for Season 1 drop (limited to 100)

THE MINT LIST

Coming Soon: deep dives on www.mintorskip.com.

1. Project Animus. RTFKT's biggest launch since Clone-x.

2. FewoWorld. New PFP by Fewocious, a rising star in the art world.

3. Ether. Anime PFP collection by viii, an artist with a cult following.

4. Moonbirds Mythics. The fourth collection in the Proof ecosystem.

5. Symbiogenesis. Square Enix's upcoming gaming NFT.

6. Iron Paw Gang. The latest drop from Random Character Collective.

7. Fellowship Show 1. Curated collection from Rope Rainisto.

8. Garbage Friends. New PFP from the creator of Invisible Friends.

9. Shrapnel SCU. Free gaming NFT from an experienced team.

10. Spirit Key Avatars. Customizable PFP collection from Toei Animation.