@feld I haven't yet seen a convincing argument that NFTs are the best way, or even a suitable way, for artists to be compensated for their work.
Not only is there a lot of garbage out there, the *vast majority* of it is garbage. That should give people pause. Web3 tech is, at this point, way too inefficient, immature, unstable and hazardous to be regarded as anything more than a research subject or gambling. If there is legitimate use for such tech it will have to be carefully implemented and limited in scope.
@Amikke that is not an argument at all that is merely a reason or motivation.
How are the current gatekeepers of web3...the Openseas and exchanges and such...better middlemen than the brokers dealers and publishers? Apart from no walled garden what is there?
Is the price of gas reasonable and stable relative to traditional commissions and fees?
What sort of safeguards are in place to protect creators against theft and fraud? Current sentiment suggests the attitude is "YOYO do your research or too bad so sad". Is that reasonable to expect of an artist?
How is the web3 approach better than, say, an artists co-operative or self publishing or other alternatives? Seems the main argument is "make bigger money faster...maybe"
@msh I can literally find an NFT tutorial and mint one without resorting to the Openseas, they just make it easier to find clients and simplify the process. I won't even bother with exchanges, what do you think happens when someone wants to buy art sold in different currency?
The price of gas varies depending on the chain used, which is a great opportunity to remind you that NFTs are a concept not unique to or defined by mainnet Ethereum.
What sort of safeguards are in place to protect creators against theft and fraud elsewhere? Do you suggest there is something magical about NFTs that prevents services based on them from offering the same level of quality as traditional ones? What you call "current sentiment" is bullshit spewed by a loud minority and I'm not even sure what it has to do with artists wanting to get into NFTs since your typical NFT fraud is people selling others' work, which doesn't have the artist involved at any point in the process. I think it's reasonable to expect of an artist to say "here is the legit contract of the art I'm selling, if you see another it's obviously not mine", which is pretty much all that's required.
The "web3 approach" allows someone to self-publish immediately, worldwide, for a one-time payment for the token to be written to a global ledger. I'm not intimately familiar with the traditional alternatives you mention, but I doubt they offer the same reach and stability.
@Amikke @feld this is obviously an exercise in futility. I am not a "crypto baby" that needs what *can* be done explained to me--I need convincing arguments as to *why it is better than the status quo* (the status quo being pretty crap notwithstanding). It has been awhile since I've tried to engage in some sort of meaningful debate so I thought I'd bite and sadly the same tired pattern persists. To your credit you've been fairly civil in your engagement so thanks, but I remain unconvinced.
I have formed my opinions of what has become known as "web3 tech" based on actual experience. I have held Bitcoin, Etherium and Litecoin in the past. I still have a LBRY wallet with some pocket change in it. I mined ETH in 2015 in the frontier days. I wrote a contract once as an academic exercise, minted an NFT once following just the sort of tutorial you speak of. I sat with my popcorn through the whole DAO debacle and ensuing debate and fork. I watched QuadrigaCX go up in a puff of digital smoke and so on.
So, yeah.
@msh @feld hah, sorry for immediately assuming crypto illiteracy then, I've gotten too used to people whose knowledge of crypto comes from bloggers jumping on the hate train who don't understand it either. I think the aforementioned ability to self-publish worldwide and sell directly to customers is a great advantage, and if that's not enough for you I'm afraid I don't have more arguments to offer, besides maybe the classic "decentralisation good".
