The New Link Between Virtual and IRL NFT Experiences?

Anecdotally, NFTs exist as solely digital experiences. Sure, NFT events have regularly helped bridge the gap between the metaverse and IRL, but trading NFTs, interacting with the NFT community, and accessing blockchain tech all largely happen behind a screen.

If we consider the great potential of NFT ticketing in the context of live music, it wouldn’t be too presumptuous to assume that there will be even more use cases for the link between NFTs and in-person experiences in the near future. And as developers and artists alike build toward integrating NFTs into real, everyday life (such is the goal of SoulBound Tokens), one such initiative from live arts entertainment brand Secret Walls has caught the attention of the collective NFT community.

Live street art and…NFTs?

Secret Walls has launched a free, limited-edition digital art series and rewards program in partnership with Palm NFT Studio — a leading technology company that onboards brands into Web3 and NFTs — and no-code NFT and Web3 platform Moonwalk. The initiative, which combines utility-based NFTs with the Secret Walls Support Your Local Artist (SYLA) Tour, will offer fans exclusive access to special rewards.

From creating to releasing the new multi-faceted collection, Palm NFT Studio’s Head of Brand Partnership Marketing Dimple Malkani Mathradas said she and her team were all-in on the project from the jump.

“Street art and artists exude culture and creativity, which are at the core of NFTs and therefore are key brand values of Palm NFT Studio,” Mathradas told nft now. “Many Blue Chip and early NFT artists originated from the street art scene, which has piqued the curiosity of street artists and fans/communities worldwide while becoming the next phase of their industry.”

With free-to-mint NFTs rising in popularity, this endeavor arrives at a time when crypto and NFT pieces remain low, but community sentiment seems to be improving. And with NFT trading having slowed in the past few months, Secret Walls’ multi-city tour provides a perfect incentive for collectors to venture out of their dwellings to join like-minded enthusiasts — because they can celebrate local artists and receive a reward at the same time.

By joining the Secret Walls Rewards Program, fans can collect SYLA Tokens, which can yield exclusive benefits like tickets to events, access to premium content, and discounts on limited-edition products. Fans need only mint an NFT from the collection to be eligible, after which they can collect more pieces from the series by physically attending Secret Walls IRL events.

“Engaging with the street art community through this NFT drop will allow NFT collectors to get in on the ground floor of culture and creativity to identify the roots of where art and ideation meet,” Terry Guy, founder of Secret Walls, told nft now. “Collectors who are eager to learn and potentially shape the future of NFTs can geek out with this community and have a blast at the same time.”

During the fall of 2022, Secret Walls will bring the SYLA tour to more than 35 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada, but NFT supplies will likely last throughout the entire tour. The SYLA tour itself promises attendees concert-like “battles,” where art pieces will be judged by free-to-mint NFT holders and a live audience. The pieces will then each be donated to a local charity.

The incentives of Secret Walls NFTs don’t stop with the SYLA tour, though, as a new Secret Walls Universe is currently under construction and will feature a variety of initiatives geared toward Secret Walls NFT holders. Speaking on what owners might expect from the future of this new endeavor, Mathradas and Guy stated they can’t reveal too much, except that, together, Secret Walls NFTs and SYLA social tokens will open entirely new and secret spaces in the near future.

Visit the Secret Walls website here to learn more about the tour and the free NFT rewards program.