Autograph launches NFT-connected fan club with access to co-founder Tom Brady
As the price of even the best NFT collections crater during the “crypto winter,” some potential buyers are looking for digital tokens that can serve as more than just collectibles. In response, athlete-centric NFT site Autograph is launching a new product called Signature Experiences that will give customers access to personal watch parties, free NFTs, merch, and of course, a chance to meet the co-founder and seven-time Super Bowl champion. Tom Brady.
“We believe that fans have longed to get one step closer to the game itself or the actual person who is their hero on the field, and Signature Experiences is our answer,” said Autograph CEO Dillon Rosenblatt Fortune.
On Tuesday, Autograph announced the new Signature Experiences NFT line, touting it as a way for customers to participate in a kind of Web3-enabled fan club. The company is selling 2,500 “season tickets” for its first experience, a collaboration with Brady, through its website on September 8 for those who want to join the club. But the season ticket isn’t just a toss-up to get the benefits, it will also adjust as Brady’s season progresses, reflecting his playing stats.
The first experience will be a Brady-centric community called Huddle. The aptly named NFT-affiliated group of Brady football fans will receive a number of perks for purchasing their “season ticket” as well as an invitation to a personal meet-and-greet with the recently unretired Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback at the end of the game. NFL season.
Specifically, some of the benefits include invitation-only access to digital events such as live streams and other content with special guests that could include Brady himself, or some of his famous former teammates, Rosenblatt said. Each buyer will also receive exclusive items made with community input, as well as special NFTs to mark some of the events they attend.
Autograph’s Signature Experience is part of a growing trend of NFT companies offering more to their customers than just a static digital collectible. One of the most famous examples of this phenomenon is the community behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club. The collection of 10,000 disinterested NFT Simians gives owners access to an exclusive Discord where they can interact with each other and the celebrities who also own monkeys. If you own a Bored Ape, you also have the chance to receive free NFTs, such as those from the spin-off collections Mutant Ape Yacht Club or Bored Ape Kennel Club, which themselves can also skyrocket in value.
Expanding Autograph’s in-person event offering with Signature Experiences is a major milestone for the company, which just a year ago launched its own NFTs (distinguishable because they’re signed by the athlete or celebrity they’re associated with) through the marketplace powered by sports betting company DraftKings.
Signature Experience’s season ticket sale will be the first time the company has sold NFTs on its own website, which Rosenblatt said will give the company more control over the subsequent experience.
For example, in order to reach a wider audience, the company enables credit card payments, which means that they do not need to use cryptocurrency to buy an NFT, as is required with other large NFT exchanges such as OpenSea.
“I don’t think the world is ready to just buy in a decentralized and completely open way yet,” Rosenblatt said. “So in the meantime, we want to build the solutions we can to be the bridge and make things more accessible to our customers.”
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