In 2017, while taking a “build a blockchain” course in Brazil, I bought one of the first NFTs ever minted.

It’s silly. It’s useless. It’s just like the vast majority of the NFTs on the market.

I didn’t expect anything to come from this old and dusty NFT.

(I still don’t.)

And I haven’t bought an NFT since, despite the recent craze. But even back then, I saw the potential for NFTs -- and where it could lead.

Fast-forward to today:

Like them or not, the “digital collectible” space has become impossible to ignore.

And as you’ll see in a moment, NFTs in many forms are here to stay. In fact, I believe that in five years or less, they’ll become a part of everyday life. That means right now is a great time to figure out where the puck is headed.

But, if you’re like me, you don’t want to buy “cryptokitties”... or digital penguins… and hold onto them hoping the price will go up.

That’s why we’ve uncovered one solid play that encapsulates the potential future value of the NFT market without having to touch a single “cryptopunk” jpeg.

Some are calling this under-the-radar tech company “The Netflix of NFTs” -- and it’s a way to get into an NFT leader in the entertainment industry without having to buy a single NFT.

First things first.

What in the **** is an NFT?

Before we get to that, consider this…

There’s a surprisingly large market on eBay for used collectible ticket stubs. (Yes, that’s right, used collectible stubs.)

You can find original Woodstock tickets, World Series stubs, Grand Prix… whatever. People sell them and other people buy them. Sometimes for big bucks.

For example, the stub from the Muhammad Ali Olympics fight in 1960 is currently going for $100,000.

Authentication services go to great lengths to authenticate these things. Some of them use special ink that contains a patented strain of synthetic DNA. Still, there’s a certain amount of trust involved in the authentication service -- no matter how sophisticated the process.

Now, consider what NFTs represent for the digital age -- and how they automate this authentication process in a “trustless” way.

NFTs represent verifiable, programmable, proof-of-ownership of a unique asset, stored on a blockchain. (And blockchains are reliable, tamper-proof data verification systems. Nobody “owns” the ledger, or can edit the data... and anyone can verify the information on it for themselves.)

These days, when you buy a ticket for an event, 99% of the time it’s digital. That’s why it’s all but inevitable that, in five years, every ticket you buy will be an NFT. Count on it. (And a market -- however small -- will inevitably arise for these ticket stubs, some of which will be sold in the form of digital art. Maybe even on eBay.)

Similarly, NFTs can (and will) be tied to everything from music, movies, books, metaverse items, user-generated content in games, real-world products, certification, and much more.

Some projects, like Vechain, are actively using NFTs to verify the authenticity of products on the supply chain -- whether it’s luxury items, fine wine, car parts, or food. In this way, NFTs can be used to help combat fraud, identity theft, copyright claims, and counterfeiting. (One of the co-founders of Vechain is a former CIO at Louis Vuitton. Vechain was created to solve one of the biggest problems he saw in the luxury items industry; counterfeiting.)

What makes NFTs valuable for entrepreneurs and artists is they can be pre-programmed. For example, using smart contracts, creators can collect a percentage of each future sale -- or even perpetual royalties from each listen of a song or view of a video. Gamers can make money in perpetuity on customized items they make for their favorite video games. (User-generated content is a driver for many popular games like Fortnite. Those who create this content, however, are almost always doing it for free, enriching the game developers. NFTs can change that dynamic.) Visual artists can “tokenize” their paintings and sell them alongside their physical work. The possibilities are endless.

Assuming the current digital trends continue, NFTs will become embedded into every aspect of our online lives. And the first place NFTs will show up in a big way is in the entertainment industry.

There’s one simple way to get ahead of the curve.

The Netflix of NFTs

Its name is Veve.

Veve is a digital collectible platform that sells NFTs from over 100 of the entertainment industry’s top brands.

This includes…

Marvel, D.C., Stark Trek, Sony, Cartoon Network, WB, Capcom, and many more.

Though, chances are, you’ve never heard of it (unless, of course, you’re a long-time follower of my daily screeds), it’s currently in the top 3 entertainment apps, right behind Disney and Twitch.

The company’s “secret sauce” is a man named Al Kahn, a licensing powerhouse whose biggest claim to fame is bringing Pokemon to the world.

The company’s latest release (among many others) reveals another use-case for NFTs: digital books. The Veve app sells digitized Marvel comics as NFTs that you can read on the app.

The app also has Augmented Reality (AR) features. For example, you can buy a Delorean NFT (Back to the Future is also a partner) and drive it around your house using the app. Although I don’t really care for this feature, it’s a sign of what’s to come -- the Metaverse.

The metaverse, in short, is the next generation of the Internet, into which trillions of dollars are already being invested.

Veve is anticipating this next wave. Their plan is to allow users to integrate their favorite characters into video games and the Metaverse. Users will be able to play games and interact with other players using assets they own -- in both AR and VR. (Consider that the demand for something like this in the gaming world has existed for decades.)

How to invest in Veve?

The Veve app uses a native cryptocurrency called Ecomi.

Without getting too technical, the currency has a massive supply. But the good news is that tokens are “burned” (taken out of circulation) with each NFT sale on the app, never to return. Meaning, given its inherently deflationary “tokenomics,” the token is likely to see a steady rise in price in the long term.

More good news: currently, you can buy Ecomi only on a few small exchanges. Meaning, it’s still fairly “under the radar” despite the app’s popularity. As the app grows more popular, however, I expect that to change.

Action: Check out Ecomi, the native token for “The Netflix of NFTs.”

Until tomorrow,

Chris Campbell
Managing editor, Laissez Faire Today