As K-pop fans like me know, buying a physical album is not just about the music. Otherwise, they could just stream the songs on Spotify or download them from iTunes. While, yes, they also purchase the digital songs, buying the physical album is more important because it’s a way to show their support for their favorite artists while also collecting the bundled photo books, photo cards, posters, and other merchandise.

The success of this K-pop strategy, fueled by the devotion of K-pop fans, can be seen in the huge revenues generated by South Korea’s K-pop merchandise sales, which, based on 2019 figures released by the Korea Creative Content Agency, reached US$132 million. 

From K-pop to other forms of entertainment, I believe fandom culture will become one of the main drivers behind mainstream acceptance of Web3. 

Turning superfans into NFT collectors

After all, imagine what would happen if celebrities and content creators could mint non-fungible tokens (NFTs) just as easily as they upload photos and videos to their social networks?

Also Read: How NFTs are surviving and prospering in the bear market

This is exactly what Philippine Web3 startup Stanible allows them to do through its app. Taking its name from the term stan, which is used as both a noun and a verb for a “superfan”, Stanible greatly simplifies the NFT process. 

All celebrities and content creators have to do is upload their photos and videos on the app. Stanible then automatically mints these into NFTs – or, as they are more popularly called these days, digital collectibles.

Moreover, the fans of these celebrities and content creators don’t even need to own cryptocurrency because Stanible offers common modes of payment, including credit cards and e-wallets.

“We’re also stans, so we know how thrilling it is for superfans to gain unique, closer-than-ever access to their faves,” said Stanible Co-Founder and CEO Mel Lozano-Alcaraz.

Among the celebrities that attended the Stanible launch event were Miss Universe Philippines Celeste Cortesi, content creator Macoy Dubs, comedy and podcast group TheKoolPals, and “Drag Race Philippines” alumna Turing. Not only did they attend, but also they minted their own digital collectibles, joining celebrities such as Gabbi Garcia, Khalil Ramos, Bianca Umali, Arci Muñoz, and Basti Artadi on the platform.

Making Web3 as easy as 123

As I’ve said previously, the key to making Web3 mainstream is to make it disappear. Stanible is an example of this. Celebrities, content creators, and their fans don’t need to become NFT experts, or understand blockchain technology. Web3 just disappears into the background and becomes part of their normal interaction while enabling new fan experiences.

“We’re getting rid of the steep learning curve so that celebrities, content creators, and their fans can take advantage of NFT technology without the complexity and high costs,” said Stanible Co-Founder and CMO Harry Santos. 

Also Read: What caused the NFT market to plummet in 2022?

This is similar to how Starbucks is leveraging its highly successful Starbucks Rewards loyalty program to embrace Web3 with Starbucks Odyssey. Again, Web3 is invisible to Starbucks customers, who are enjoying the gamified experience and happily collecting digital stamps, which they can even sell to other Starbucks Odyssey users for a profit.

What’s great about Web3 projects like Stanible is that they not only empower established celebrities, but can also help lesser-known content creators connect with their fans and reach out to a bigger audience.

“Content creators can have more control and ownership over the work they produce. Imagine, even the secondary market sales will still give them royalties that can further support their craft,” Santos said.

In fact, Web3 is expected to revolutionise the creator economy, dramatically transforming the way we produce and consume content.

“The creator economy represents a secular shift. In a creator economy, creators do not require a parent company to act as an employer; they are able to work when they want, produce whatever content they please, and have full autonomy over how they monetise their content. This new ownership structure is symbolic of a greater power shift in the employer-employee dynamic.”

At the end of the day, just like the original Web, Web3 will dramatically change the way we work and play.

Now that’s a future I really stan.

–

Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community, or like the e27 Facebook page

Image credit: Canva Pro

The post Stanible lets celebrities, superfans embrace Web3 via digital collectibles appeared first on e27.