Within one day two new data analytics websites tailored to crypto art and artists went live. Both analytics platforms track data from artworks and artists across a variety of sales platforms, including SuperRare, MakersPlace and AsyncArt. However, the two data websites focus on different sides of the art market.
Richard Chen launched CryptoArt.io, while NFT investor Matty “DCLBlogger” Soudagar launched NFTArtPulse. On CryptoArt.io there’s more focus on the top artworks and artists based on the selling value, while also provide data feeds for the number of sales, trading volume, number of collectors and so on. However, NFTArtPulse differentiates itself by putting more focus on the individual artworks, providing data on initial and resales.
Both Chen and Soudagar created their analytics websites for crypto art because they believe there’s a demand for these type of tools. “This keeps you up to speed with the art world”, Matty Soudagar wrote on Twitter. “Our artists need exposure, our galleries need discovery, and the whole space needs connecting.”
Even though all data can already be found on platforms like Opensea, these dedicated websites provide a more focused perspective. It gives users the ability to look at individual artworks, total sales per artist or per platform. From that perspective NFTArtPulse seems a bit more in-depth, while CryptoArt.io provides a general overview of the crypto art market.
What is crypto art?
Crypto art or digital art has been around for many years. However, without the existence of blockchain technology it was impossible to verify authenticity and rarity. Now digital art connects directly with an unique token on the Ethereum blockchain. That way buyers can see how many copies of a certain artwork there are, and whether the product is original.
The concept of seeing a digital image as art, is one thing. However, for many people it will be a challenge to consider digital images as valuable. Consider this: The Mona Lisa is worth many millions of dollars. If I would paint the Mona Lisa in an exact copy, it would be worth only 50 dollars. Because we all know where the original version is. Being able to verify the authenticity and rarity of a piece of art is crucial.
Some people don’t care about the Mona Lisa. It’s just a painting. They are happy to download an image for Google Images, print it on canvas and hang it in their living room. Others want the real deal. The same rules go up for digital crypto art. Some people want to original one, others are happy with a copy on their phone.
The hype surrounding crypto art also goes beyond the in-crowd. Several artists from ‘outside’ the blockchain space have been showing interest. MakersPlace has already partnered with comic book artist José Delbo, while NiftyGateway sold some original Vandal Gummy artworks. Even Paris Hilton sold a drawing!
