by
Unique Network
NFTs have gained popularity for revolutionizing digital ownership and transforming industries. Artists monetize their digital creations, while collectors and investors view NFTs as a new asset class. The desire for verifiable scarcity and the unique characteristics of NFTs, such as ownership proof and programmability, drive their appeal beyond art, expanding into gaming and virtual assets. As the demand for digital content grows, NFTs reshape how we value and perceive digital assets, offering opportunities for creators, collectors, and the wider ecosystem.
And just like each Picasso artwork has a chronicle of its creation, the same holds for NFTs. But rather than putting pen to paper, NFT creators produce unique digital assets as art through NFT minting.
NFT minting comprises creating separate digital assets stored on a blockchain network with specific data. Through recording metadata on the blockchain, ownership, and authenticity are verified, creating an exclusive and non-fungible asset. Upon completion, creators can monetize their digital assets, and collectors can purchase, own, and exchange these exclusive items as verified assets.
As the era of succeeding solely through speculation, hype, and possible virality within the NFT marketplace nears its end, creators need to shift their focus toward providing sustainable value with their NFTs. This means incorporating utility-driven features that go beyond mere ownership. In this article, we will explore the need for utility in NFTs, the benefits of utility-driven NFTs, and provide a guide on how to create your utility NFTs.
Understanding NFT Utility
Exploring the concept of utility in NFTs
Utility-driven NFTs are a category of non-fungible tokens that offer functional value and purpose beyond their inherent uniqueness. Unlike traditional NFTs primarily representing digital art or collectibles, utility-driven NFTs provide their owners with additional features, benefits, or capabilities. These features include access to exclusive content, membership privileges, in-platform functionalities, virtual experiences, or real-world utility integration.
These NFTs aim to enhance user engagement, offer tangible benefits to holders, and create a deeper connection between creators and their audiences. By incorporating utility into NFTs, creators can increase their digital assets' practicality, usefulness, and long-term value. This utility-driven approach expands the potential applications of NFTs across various industries such as gaming, entertainment, virtual worlds, decentralized finance, and more.
With the potential to revolutionize interactions between brands, creators, and collectors, utility-driven NFTs have emerged as an exciting concept. These NFTs go beyond ownership of a unique digital asset by incorporating utility features that provide added value to buyers. By exploring and embracing the world of utility-driven NFTs, creators can tap into new avenues of enhancing user experiences - nurturing deeper engagement with audiences.
Benefits of minting NFTs with utility features
1. For Creators
NFTs give creators a unique advantage by enabling them to retain copyrights and ownership of their digital art or creations even after selling them, which is uncommon in traditional license agreements. This allows creators to profit while maintaining full control and rights. With NFTs, creators can enjoy financial gain and retain complete ownership, protecting their intellectual property rights.
2. For Fans
NFTs give fans and enthusiasts a thrilling chance to own exclusive memorabilia that symbolizes their loyalty to celebrities or influencers. These unique records on the blockchain hold significant sentimental value and are highly authentic. Additionally, NFTs' rarity and authenticity make them highly valuable collectibles, impossible to forge. By owning NFTs, fans can elevate their support, securing a cherished piece of history to treasure indefinitely.
3. For Speculators
With limited capital access, retail speculators can explore NFTs as a promising opportunity, which provides an alternative to assets with high price levels and limited liquidity. Because of fractionalization technology facilitated by blockchain technology, digital assets can be fragmented into smaller NFT pieces, which in turn, lowers the barrier to entry for financialization. Fractional NFTs allow speculators to diversify their portfolios and invest in one-of-a-kind or high-potential assets previously out of their reach.
4. For Institutions
The tokenization of real-world assets into Utility NFTs also transforms collateralization for financial institutions, providing greater lending options and liquidity. Furthermore, the transparency and programmability of blockchain-based utility NFTs advances collateral management, allowing for secure asset tokenization and trading — creating an opportunity for financial institutions to capitalize on the NFT movement. Leveraging fractionalization for shared investments in areas such as Green Financing unlocks new possibilities for growth and innovation.
How to Mint NFTs
Before diving into a guide on how to mint NFTs, it is crucial to understand the fundamentals of NFT minting and how the process works. This section provides a foundation for successfully navigating and creating your non-fungible tokens.
How Does NFT Minting Work?
By definition, NFT minting describes creating unique and indivisible digital assets, i.e., NFTs, on a blockchain network, usually by generating a cryptographic token that represents ownership and authenticity of a specific digital item.
Infrastructure providers like Unique have embraced modern integrations to speed up the NFT creation and minting process. The Unique Wallet is a prime example of a user-friendly solution enabling individuals to mint advanced NFTs without needing smart contracts. Another popular technique for on-demand minting is lazy minting, which empowers creators to generate NFTs without the usual upfront costs and technical expertise associated with traditional NFT creation methods.
Also, read our blog ‘Choosing the Right NFT Marketplace: A Step-by-Step Guide’.
Step-by-Step Guide: Minting NFTs on Unique Network
Unique Network offers solutions catering to users and developers interested in minting NFTs. Among our selection of options, we provide three distinct and convenient products. The Substrate SDK is a valuable tool designed specifically for Substrate-based projects and developers proficient in Web2 and Web3 technologies. Alternatively, our Ethereum API offers a seamless experience tailored for EVM-based projects and Web3 developers.
We highly recommend our compatible crypto wallet for those seeking a user-friendly solution without technical expertise. This ready-to-use GUI tool empowers non-technical creators to effortlessly create collections and NFTs, making it an ideal choice.
Here’s how to mint an NFT using the Unique Wallet:
- Navigate to the website, where you will discover a range of essential functionalities available.
- If you are already familiar with the platform, create a new NFT. However, you must establish a new collection if this is your first time.
- (Provide key details such as the collection's name, description, symbol, and image.)
- Next, personalize your tokens by incorporating various NFT attributes. Choose a name, select accessories, determine the gender, customize the background, and include any other defining traits you desire.
- Once you have defined these unique traits, proceed to create your collection.
- Decide whether to set a fixed price for your NFT, enable bidding by potential buyers, or showcase your NFT in a marketplace or auction.
- To finalize the process, sign the transaction, ensuring all necessary details are in place.
It is important to note that the process of minting and creating an NFT, will vary depending on the platform you select and the specific marketplace you utilize.
What You Need to Add Utility to Your NFTs
To add utility to your NFTs, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of your target audience and their needs. This understanding will enable you to design utility-driven features that align with their preferences and enhance their experience. Additionally, you will need access to a reliable NFT development platform or tools that allow you to incorporate functionality and interactivity into your tokens. Lastly, embracing creativity and innovation will help you brainstorm unique ways to provide practical value and elevate the user experience through your utility-driven NFTs.
There are multiple ways to add utility to your NFTs. However, the crux of it comes down to two things: making the NFT redeemable and connecting the NFT to the real world. The advanced features provided by the Unique platform allow developers to push the boundaries of what NFTs can do and build intricate ecosystems of interconnected digital assets.
Some of these advanced features include:
- Native NFTs and RFTs:
- Nested NFTs and Bundled NFTs
- Customizable NFTs
- Multi-resource NFTs
- Layered access management for
- EVM, Polkadot, and other chains' interoperability
- And more
Real-World Use Cases: Exploring Examples of NFTs with Utility
In this section, we briefly examine some fascinating examples of the potential and versatility of digital assets, specifically their ability to create immersive and value-driven experiences.
In the Film Industry
NFTs are gaining popularity as a means for producers to monetize their assets and generate profits. Notable examples of successful first NFT collection sales include Julie Pacino, daughter of Al Pacino, who raised $80,000 for her upcoming film "I Live Here Now" by selling minted photographs from her collection.
Director Victoria Bousis is another example, partnering with Unique Network, a key Polkadot parachain, to bring her award-winning film to life at the XR/Film Festival using limited edition PoAPs at SXSW.
These examples showcase how utility-driven NFTs can bring value and profitability to artists, filmmakers, and creatives, benefiting platforms like SAMs and other clients utilizing our integration. Builders can leverage Unique Network's robust NFT development platform to create customizable and utility-rich NFTs, empowering users to personalize their assets.
In the Music Industry
Musicians have also entered the space with NFT drops, using NFTs to sell unique experiences like concert tickets and backstage passes. For example, DEADMAU5, the renowned electronic music producer and DJ, has joined a roster of other big-name music producers and artists, such as Kings of Leon, DJ 3LAU, and Steve Aoki, in making millions of dollars through their successful NFT sales.
Corporations, too, are diving with Universal Music Group, already investing in dozens of NFT deals and partnerships. Even Spotify has announced its plans to collaborate with select music NFT creators and allow the owners of their NFTs to connect their wallets and access exclusive curated playlists. Although this feature is currently in a pilot phase for a select group of artists, it showcases the potential for tokenization.
Best Practices and Considerations for NFT Utility Implementation
LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY AND ADAPTABILITY:
Building utility-driven NFTs with long-term sustainability involves considering factors like evolving user preferences, technological advancements, and changing market dynamics. Flexibility and adaptability in utility features allow NFTs to remain relevant and valuable over time, enhancing their long-term viability in the ever-changing landscape of the NFT ecosystem.
BALANCING UTILITY AND SCARCITY:
When creating utility-driven NFTs, it is essential to find the right equilibrium between providing meaningful functionality and maintaining a level of exclusivity that drives value and desirability for collectors.
ENSURING TRANSPARENT AND SECURE UTILITY MECHANISMS:
Implementing transparent and secure utility mechanisms is crucial for maintaining trust and confidence among NFT holders. Clear documentation and auditable processes help deliver the promised utility reliably and securely.
A Call to Action for Exploring Utility-Driven NFTs
In conclusion, the importance of NFT utility cannot be overstated, as it offers creators and collectors a new dimension of value and functionality beyond mere ownership of digital artwork. We strongly encourage individuals to explore and experiment with utility-driven NFTs, as they present exciting opportunities for innovation, engagement, and unique experiences in various industries.
By embracing the power of utility-driven NFTs, we can reshape how we create, interact with, and derive value from digital assets, unlocking a future of limitless possibilities and enriching the NFT ecosystem.
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