The Big Whale : You are the first artist known to have organized a mint of NFTs during a concert, in this case the Transmusicales in Rennes (in France). What is the interest? What do you retain from this experience?

Agoria: Honestly, it was very interesting! We created a special site where anyone could get an NFT generated from my music. It was possible to do it 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, especially because of the Internet connection. We had some bugs, but it was the first time that there was such an experience on this scale. In total, there were 250 mints, which is a lot for a festival.

What is your approach to NFTs?

Fun, and it allows me to end the categorization of artists that I find infernal. I make music, but also photography, films, I work with artificial intelligence, etc..

The main strength of NFTs is to allow an artist to free himself from codes and judgments in order to share his works to the greatest number of people. NFTs are very similar to electronic music because there is a universal side, you can listen to it anywhere in the world, there is no need to be exposed in a gallery between four walls, to be dependent on an agenda and people who go there.

From thedesigner's point of view, what do NFTs have in addition?

Art can be evolutionary. Some NFT drops allow you to see what the work will look like in 10 years. 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 de Rennes was incredible because I was given carte blanche. On the other hand I don't believe in purely musical NFTs. It must 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 will be able to produce tickets in the form of NFTs (which already exist, ed.). We will be able to offer all sorts of things like meeting the artist or access to a special track.

Isn't there a risk of over-financialization of art?

I don't think so. Only time can establish a rating for an artist. Paradoxically, I even think that NFTs will rather reduce the "financialization" of the sector because the artist knows that it is possible to make a simple screen capture of his work. It is only the NFT that has a price.

What is the Web3 philosophy for you?

The writer Hakim Bey wrote that rave parties were one of the last spaces of freedom he had known. Taking his idea, I think that Web3 is the last one where everything is allowed. We still have a few years to enjoy it before it is taken over.

What protocols are you working on?

There is a large community of artists on Tezos, which has the advantage of being very energy efficient since the beginning. But I'm using Ethereum more and more since its transition to proof of stake. It is on Ethereum that I accepted a collaboration with Ledger.

What do you do in The Sandbox?

I met Sebastien Borget (head of The Sandbox) and we decided to create an experience together. It will be available at the beginning of 2023 in a land called "One Life Two Bodies".

The idea is that my live shows will be available in The Sandbox. There will be keys in The Sandbox to go to my shows and keys in my shows to go to The Sandbox.

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