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Agoria: "Web3 is currently the last space of freedom".
The artist Agoria, best known for his electronic music, creates NFTs using generative art. He recently collaborated with Ledger and will be appearing in the 2023 metaverse The Sandbox.
The Big Whale ;: You are the first known artist to have organised a mint of NFTs during a concert, in this case the Transmusicales in Rennes (in France). What's in it for you? What do you remember about the experience?
Agoria: Honestly, it was very interesting! We created a special site where anyone could download an NFT generated from my music. It was possible to do this either directly via your wallet or via your e-mail address, which made it easier for the general public to access.
I'm not going to tell you that everything worked perfectly, particularly because of the Internet connection. We had bugs, but it was the first time there had been such an experiment on this scale. In total, there were 250 mints, which is a lot for a festival.
What's your approach to NFTs?
Fun, and it puts an end to the categorisation of artists that I find infernal. I make music, but also photography, films, work with artificial intelligence, etc.
The main strength of NFTs is that they allow artists to free themselves from codes and judgements in order to share their work with as many people as possible. NFTs are a lot like electronic music because there's a universal side to them, you can listen to them anywhere in the world, there's no need to be exhibited in a gallery between four walls, to be dependent on a schedule and the people who go there.
From the creator's point of view, what else do NFTs have?
Art can be evolutionary. Some NFT drops allow you to see what the work will look like in 10 years' time. You can buy it one day and see the work evolve. For an artist it's a very interesting approach.
Are NFTs part of the future of the music industry?
The experience I had at the Transmusicales in Rennes was incredible because I was given carte blanche. On the other hand, I don't believe in purely musical NFTs. It has to be a combination of several disciplines. Music has already experienced its digital revolution.
Some groups sell NFTs that allow access to experiments, is this an interesting avenue?
A lot of festivals are going to be able to produce tickets in the form of NFTs (which already exists, ed. note). We'll be able to offer all sorts of things, like meeting the artist or access to a special track.
Isn't there a risk of art becoming over-financialised?
I don't think so. Only time can establish a value for an artist. Paradoxically, I even think that NFTs will actually reduce the 'financialisation' of the sector because the artist knows that it is possible to take a simple screenshot of his work. It's only the NFT that comes at a price.
What does the Web3 philosophy mean to you?
The writer Hakim Bey wrote that rave parties were one of the last spaces of freedom he had experienced. Taking up his idea, I think Web3 is the last one where anything goes. We still have a few years to make the most of it before it is reclaimed.
Which protocols are you working on?
There is a large community of artists on Tezos, which has had the advantage from the start of being very low in energy consumption. But I have been using Ethereum more and more since its move to proof of stake. In fact, it was on Ethereum that I agreed to work with Ledger.
What are you doing in The Sandbox?
I met Sébastien Borget (head of The Sandbox) and we decided to create an experiment together. It's going to be available in early 2023 in a Land that will be called "One Life Two Bodies".
The idea is for my live concerts to be available in The Sandbox. There will be keys in The Sandbox to go to my concerts and keys in my concerts to go to The Sandbox.
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