As the price of even top NFT collections crater during “crypto winter,” some prospective buyers are looking for digital tokens that can serve as more than mere collectibles. In response, the athlete-centered NFT site Autograph is launching a new product called Signature Experiences that will give customers access to in-person watch parties, free NFTs, merch, and of course a chance to meet cofounder and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.
“We think that fans have been craving to get one step closer to the actual game or to the actual person that’s their hero on the field and Signature Experiences is our answer,” Autograph CEO Dillon Rosenblatt told Fortune.
On Tuesday, Autograph announced the new Signature Experiences NFT line, touting it as a way for customers to participate in a sort 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 Sept. 8 for those who want to join the club. But the season ticket isn’t just a throwaway to get the perks; it will also adapt as Brady’s season progresses, reflecting his playing stats.
The first experience will be a Brady-centered community called the Huddle. The aptly named NFT-bound group of Brady football fans will receive a multitude of perks for buying their “season ticket” as well as an invite to attend an event with other Huddle members and the recently unretired Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback at the end of the NFL season.
Specifically, some of the perks include invite-only access to digital events such as livestreams and other content featuring special guests who could include Brady himself or some of his famous past teammates, Rosenblatt said. Each buyer will also get exclusive merch created with the community’s 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 stagnant digital collectible. One of the most famous examples of this phenomenon is the community behind Bored Ape Yacht Club. The collection of 10,000 disinterested NFT simians gives its owners access to an exclusive Discord where they can interact with each other and the celebrities who also own apes. If you own a Bored Ape, you also have the chance to receive free NFTs, like those from the derivative collections Mutant Ape Yacht Club or Bored Ape Kennel Club, which themselves can also skyrocket in value.
Expanding Autograph’s in-person events offerings with Signature Experiences is a big milestone for the company that just a year ago launched its own NFTs (distinguishable because they’re autographed by the athlete or celebrity they are tied to) through the marketplace run by sports betting company DraftKings.
The Signature Experiences season ticket sale will be the first time that the company sells NFTs on its own website, which Rosenblatt said will give the company more control over the subsequent experience.
For example, to reach a broader audience, the company is enabling credit card payments, meaning people won’t need to use cryptocurrency to buy an NFT as with other large NFT exchanges like OpenSea.
“I don’t believe that the world is ready to just purchase in a decentralized and completely open manner yet,” Rosenblatt said. “So in the meantime, we want to build whatever solutions we can to be the bridge and make things more accessible for our customers.”
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