DC Tells Artist to Stay Out of NFT Business. 1 1

[Mephisto]

Around that same time we also got a virus on our computer. We had to download a new virus scan program. Some porn sounding thing was found. My mom goes I wonder how that got on there...I immediately blamed my dad...I knew better than looking at porn on the family PC given all the viruses in those wild Wild West days.

My mom goes sarcastically and clearly bot believing me “Oh I’m sure it was your father.”

A short time later she told me. You were right it was your father. Someone from work sent him a link to something dirty.

[Bird]

1 minute ago, Mephisto said:

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I used Napster a lot my senior year of high school so that was 2000-2001 and I would always move stuff after I downloaded it as at the time I had heard you were more likely to have a legal issue if you were allowing others to download vs downloading stuff yourself. I’m pretty sure that girl said she got hit for having X numbers of songs available for others to download. I can’t remember how many but as you mentioned they originally tried suing for a much higher dollar amount...something like $800 per song and I believe she said it was hundreds of different songs.

I edited as my memory didn't match the facts.

yes, I recall $750 a "file" . I had to delete all files as part of the agreement, but guess what RIAA! I copied them onto a disc first. So yeah, eff the man!

many of mine were live performances, covers and the like that were never for sale anywhere and their was no way to compensate the artist at the time

I listen to a lot of music off youtube and listen to Fiona Apple that way more often than not. But when her new one came out we bought a physical copy as well as it is the right thing to do and she deserves my $ as I love her work and want to support her,

 

[Bird]

1 minute ago, Mephisto said:

Around that same time we also got a virus on our computer. We had to download a new virus scan program. Some porn sounding thing was found. My mom goes I wonder how that got on there...I immediately blamed my dad...I knew better than looking at porn on the family PC given all the viruses in those wild Wild West days.

My mom goes sarcastically and clearly bot believing me “Oh I’m sure it was your father.”

A short time later she told me. You were right it was your father. Someone from work sent him a link to something dirty.

waaaay back in the day Jimmy Palmiotti had a website with explicit content on it. I recall opening a file when a foot disappeared into someone's bottom. Up to the ankle.

My wife came home, and when you opened the video player the prior video watched would load. She asked me if my friend sent me that! I told her no, why would she think it was him? (It really could have been him though, he was a voyeur for sure.)

I asked Jimmy about it once and he laughed and said something like "yeah we had to get that taken down pretty quickly" and he meant the site, not the video only. Amanda gave me some side-eye too as we talked. 

[Bird]

11 minutes ago, Mephisto said:

Around that same time we also got a virus on our computer. We had to download a new virus scan program. Some porn sounding thing was found. My mom goes I wonder how that got on there...I immediately blamed my dad...I knew better than looking at porn on the family PC given all the viruses in those wild Wild West days.

My mom goes sarcastically and clearly bot believing me “Oh I’m sure it was your father.”

A short time later she told me. You were right it was your father. Someone from work sent him a link to something dirty.

okay, wifey swears it was 2004 when we were sued. I take her word for it. So maybe it wasn't too far off from your friend as well.

I remember showing her the files and saying the Indigo Girls weren't worth that much!

[gumbydarnit]

IDK the I Girls had some good tunes! They’re no Beatles but “Galileo head was on the block” gots a good beat I can dance to... let’s bring back Lilith Fair.

 

Yes I had to google how to spell Galileo. Some folks read comics as kids, I just looked at the purdy pictures.... still paying the price!

[GreatEscape]

Really fascinating discussion. Even as I learn more about NFTs, I constantly feel naive as new issues and possibilities emerge.

I can't help but think AT&T (and DC Comics) are driven by IP lawyers that are (1) unsure how the future of digital art and NFTs will evolve and (2) protecting the unknown upside aka "fear of missing out" of lucrative future earnings.  They only have to look at Marvel signing away Spider-man and X-Men movie rights to Sony for a song, before the huge revenue potential for MCU films could be imagined, much less realized.  Granted, Marvel was in financial distress at the time but the advent of enabling technologies (Digital and sound FX, streaming, etc) had not been fully contemplated (and undervalued) at the time.

 

Edited March 14, 2021 by GreatEscape

[Bird]

26 minutes ago, gumbydarnit said:

IDK the I Girls had some good tunes! They’re no Beatles but “Galileo head was on the block” gots a good beat I can dance to... let’s bring back Lilith Fair.

 

Yes I had to google how to spell Galileo. Some folks read comics as kids, I just looked at the purdy pictures.... still paying the price!

I went to a few shows, they are fine. Not sure they are worth $750 a song though! Whenever wifey's IG girl friend couldn't go I would tag along for company as she does it for my rock bands and occasional Dolphins or Knicks games

[adampasz]

I wasn't paying attention to the NFT at all until this thread, and then my wife was talking about it based on some Podcast. 

Then I saw how Shatner sold 125K cards at a buck per card, and now some are going for many times that amount.

I think this is a potential game-changer for comics and other collectibles.

Comic creators absolutely should be getting in on this. If AT&T/DC won't support them, they should consider taking their talents elsewhere.

[Hulk213]

2 hours ago, GreatEscape said:

Really fascinating discussion. Even as I learn more about NFTs, I constantly feel naive as new issues and possibilities emerge.

I can't help but think AT&T (and DC Comics) are driven by IP lawyers that are (1) unsure how the future of digital art and NFTs will evolve and (2) protecting the unknown upside aka "fear of missing out" of lucrative future earnings.  They only have to look at Marvel signing away Spider-man and X-Men movie rights to Sony for a song, before the huge revenue potential for MCU films could be imagined, much less realized.  Granted, Marvel was in financial distress at the time but the advent of enabling technologies (Digital and sound FX, streaming, etc) had not been fully contemplated (and undervalued) at the time.

 

Agree. There are so many things to considered. Why wouldn’t an artist use the NFT system as a way to sell their pages? I think what people have to keep in mind is that we might not see the reasoning or desire to buy a digital copy of the original art, but people are buying gifs. Crazy. 
 

[adampasz]

It is only a matter of time before anonymous 3rd parties start creating lots of assets with DC and Marvel. 

This seems like a non-zero-sum game for publishers if they can partner with their artists to create "authorized" NFT collectibles.

I'm not expecting these huge corporations to think about it this way because they can only engage in short-term thinking.

But smaller publishers, like Image, could really benefit.

 

[Hulk213]

9 minutes ago, adampasz said:

I wasn't paying attention to the NFT at all until this thread, and then my wife was talking about it based on some Podcast. 

Then I saw how Shatner sold 125K cards at a buck per card, and now some are going for many times that amount.

I think this is a potential game-changer for comics and other collectibles.

Comic creators absolutely should be getting in on this. If AT&T/DC won't support them, they should consider taking their talents elsewhere.

They should get in on this and this would be a great way for creators to truly get compensation for their talents. 
 

[Hulk213]

2 minutes ago, adampasz said:

It is only a matter of time before anonymous 3rd parties start creating lots of assets with DC and Marvel. 

This seems like a non-zero-sum game for publishers if they can partner with their artists to create "authorized" NFT collectibles.

I'm not expecting these huge corporations to think about it this way because they can only engage in short-term thinking.

But smaller publishers, like Image, could really benefit.

 

True. There are some extremely talented artist out there. 

[adampasz]

Just now, Mftonto said:

True. There are some extremely talented artist out there. 

If Steve Rude made Nexus NFTs I'd buy them in a heartbeat. =)

[adampasz]

Surprised I could only find one Comic/NFT project right now on Kickstarter...

They are asking $333 or $666 just for the NFT add-on.

 

Edited March 14, 2021 by adampasz

[Rick2you2]

3 minutes ago, adampasz said:

If Steve Rude made Nexus NFTs I'd buy them in a heartbeat. =)

Even if they sold for multiples of his regular art (whatever that is priced as)? 

[adampasz]

1 minute ago, Rick2you2 said:

Even if they sold for multiples of his regular art (whatever that is priced as)? 

I don't have the time or space to collect original comic art. I'm sure many Gen. Z'ers, Gen. C'ers and beyond will be in the same boat.

I had a sketch from Steve Rude since I was a kid, that used to hang up on my wall, and I couldn't even tell you where it is. It probably got lost in a move, or it is deep in a closet somewhere.

I funded a few kickstarters, and got a variety of signed whatnots. They all end up in the closet. 

I have a sealed set of Diamondback cards signed by Dave Sim that I've never opened.

It would be awesome to have these in digital form, and the NFT contract is probably as meaningful a bond between the creator and the buyer as an autograph is. In a way, it's more meaningful because it's public and permanent.

[adampasz]

To be clear, I don't claim any Gen. Zer would care about Dave Sim or Steve Rude. 

But what about Invincible or TWD? Image might be missing the boat here...

[Hulk213]

35 minutes ago, adampasz said:

If Steve Rude made Nexus NFTs I'd buy them in a heartbeat. =)

I can understand your thinking. If I had the disposable income to hire an artist I would. Owning it is the collector in me, but just as powerful is seeing what that artist created with my favorite characters.

[Bird]

18 minutes ago, adampasz said:

To be clear, I don't claim any Gen. Zer would care about Dave Sim or Steve Rude. 

But what about Invincible or TWD? Image might be missing the boat here...

I'm staring at 2 BWS Storyteller pages on my wall...

[drotto]

I think DC coming out so strong against NFT's while commissions have basically run unchecked for decades is simple, the amount of money involved. During conventions an artist getting a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars for a commission was considered an insignificant amount money, and attempting to collect fees for the IP or suing the artists was not worth it.  Instead, the companies benefitted from the goodwill from both the artists and the fans by allowing them to continue. Now when NFT's are crossing into the millions, that balance between goodwill and making money shifts dramatically, they want their cut.