In terms of using Nfts for real world use cases, ticketing would be the biggest one that we've seen so far. I Think I think and how do you see that evolving and what do you see after ticketing as the next big real world use case for Nfts I Think other functional things that apps or email confirmations do I Think reservations couponing a lot of what you see in app culture I Think Nfts can really play a role leveling up in video games I Really think that every airline ticket is going to be an Nft instead of a QR code? I Think when we have scaled Nft readers then it's gonna be really interesting. Like how's that going to look? Could you imagine going to a supermarket and like just scanning your phone and because you have a certain Nft, your grocery bill is 20 less. Hello everyone, this is Anthony And you're listening to the Disruptive Podcast today.

We have our first guest and who's no other than Garyvee himself. How you doing today? Gary Well brother sold one and I'm proud of you man. Thank you thank you! Starting off strong, it's all downhill from here. I'm kidding I'm kidding.

it's gonna get this so you know I Want to talk about V friends V Con some other topics but before we get into that I Want to start with you and your background on Nft. So when you first heard about Nfts and what was your first interaction with them so crypto kitties in 17 was the first time something was on my radar I was like that's cool because the garage sale the Collectibles but that lasted like a day of like maybe 40 minutes of homework and it was just on my radar then NBA Top Shot I got a preview it was coming in the fall of 2020. uh investor friend of mine said speak to Rohan loved it thought it was so neat I thought it was really cool, was very into sports card collecting at the time and still I'm but like really hot on it. you know things have been flow and um got busy because it was also during covid and like I was just running the company and um watched it and it was like oh that's really interesting and then it exploded I was like oh I missed the opportunity and like you know, kind of like man and then that got me into Crypto Punks Uh Kevin Rose from Moonbirds and I have been friends for a long time and he's like you know what do you think about Crypto Punks and I was like you know I'm not aware of that and then did like a ton of homework on that.

got really in love with that thought that was super cool and so you know that was kind of the journey. and then I started doing a lot of homework on older projects which I like quite a bit and um and then probably around February of 21 I decided that I wanted to do my own project I had this big concept called workplace Warriors they were little toys of like things like patience and compassion that I thought if people had them on their desk they would have better day to day and I kind of took the essence of that and uh and used it as a foundation to what I wanted to create which was be friends and with a few friends. You know the whole mission of you friends is kind of amplify your voice to skill Garyvee and I was not just Garyvee like you know, like I'm passionate about certain positive back attributes, but just to amplify good at scale were you? Was it the timing just right? because I feel like you're at the point where you know you've kind of done as much as you could do with like the social I mean you can still make content but would you still have gone ahead and launched V-friends without the Nft without that technology? like did the timing, the timing line up or because I feel like you're at that Pinnacle where I think that to your point I don't think I don't think I the answer is probably right to your point I'd already had the meetings of launching a toy business around workplace Warriors so it was to your Point Brewing I had I feel like I have a long way to go on the Gary V of it all and I could but that doesn't change the fact that my voice doesn't resonate for a lot of people. I'm humbled to my core that my voice resonates with so many people.

I'm also incredibly aware that it it's a voice that is unknown to weigh more and it is a voice especially mine that doesn't resonate to some people. Um, you know it's too aggressive, it's too competitive, and so I'm Um, I'm empathetic to that and to your point. Yes, I feel like the timing was great? Um, but the technology and kind of what was happening in the space really spoke to it I I thought that too. Um, and you know, be friends what you've accomplished so far you know I I want to I think it's amazing.

Uh, how do you feel like what have you learned from May 2021 to now? I'm I feel very focused I feel really happy about where I am I feel like it's on its path. A lot has happened. V-con was a huge success. The three conferences that came along with series one was very important to me.

Um, we've done some meaningful awareness executions. Toys R Us Macy's collaboration. Um, you know the Uno collaboration. A lot of street wear and fashion.

so really happy with like the early stages that. but most importantly I'm pumped that I'm building the organization. The talent you know. Hiring a lot of former Vayner employees or other employees has been really fun and fruitful and feels very much like it's working and so you know I think caught up a little bit in the hype of it all.

like feel like I could have done a better like in this chord I like did a lot of great things. very active but definitely got a little bit caught up in the summer of love and like you know, like maybe hyperbolized a little bit too much about where like long term I feel like the Project's going to be incredibly unbelievable but like felt like I learned that I you know I get in this mindset that I'm part of the community but I'm not I'm the founder and operator of it so learn some of those lessons. um but you know, really proud of like putting out all the content I did about 99 going to zero. that was like really important at the height of it all so that's good.

um you know, just building building. yeah uh you know since I've been following you your audience very important to you and I what I like about you and this is just your style. not that it's a bad thing to sell to your audience, but you really besides like a some wine sneakers a book you really have chosen not to monetize your audience. and yeah, not that, not that V France has.

but have you found that V friends where it did take a somewhat of a significant significant investment for a lot of people to to buy the Nft. how's your relationship? Has it changed with them? Yeah, what a small percentage. Yeah with 95 I'm referring to the ones what I mean is like you know they bought a V-friend because they're trying to flip it trying to make a quick Buck Yeah, yeah, I mean it definitely. I think that's a great call out.

It was the most sec to your point for a decade outside of the occasional 20 thing I wasn't selling courses I didn't buy an island I didn't do a lot of things right. Um, which is fine and like I don't think that that's bad, it's just not what I had done. Yeah for me, be friends was less about monetizing the audience and creating and new universe. Like to me, what's really fun is like I didn't stop making content I didn't stop engaging with people I haven't stopped going live I don't stop emailing and replying like nothing has changed with the audience.

Other than the key was I the way I priced it was what's the conference worth? Over three years and so I looked at South by Southwest I wanted the conference to be the punch line and then everything else be kind of added value right? The whole thing got so hot that the prices went crazy and people were buying them at prices way above mint. And then with series two I wanted to make sure the trading cards were very collectible and like very like I always with everything that I've done with Be Friends I wanted to make sure the real life thing was either right at or close to the value of the original price. So when I look at the sports card Market you know I thought what if I made something that was a thousand dollar box now I didn't feel like I closed the gap on like the conference I feel like it was like you know you know three four thousand dollar conference for a weekend type and three years and this is the price with the cards I felt more of it was like maybe half the value. maybe it was a 500 box or a 600 box.

Um so that's how I think about Stuff Plus with the blockchain you're able to provide surprise values and all these other things so you know I think yes I do the to answer your question directly. Do I believe that after going all those decades without you know, quote unquote, selling things to the audience and now having a major project that for some people it did change it? Yes and and what's funny is for some people on both sides, the people that maybe spent money uh that they couldn't afford to lose or like bought at the top of the market and the things gone down. They may have a negative sentiment, but even for it changed my relationship with a lot. You know the amount of people that made an extraordinary amount of money.

they're they're more quote unquote happy with me and so you know money up a lot of things and so like. It was definitely big enough that it was like because I'm thinking for the rest of my life um I thought it'll be good in the end and so that's what made me go there. um that's a practical way of looking at it, you know I it was the V friends with First Nft I bought and you know if you're practic you could break it down to okay, what's the value of a conference or what's the value of this access Yes, correct and you know it made sense a lot of times at least, especially at first. CI things to get crazy Yes, but you probably didn't want things going that crazy that way.

not that you know, but I but I don't always said what did you learn I wish I was like I've Supreme confidence in myself plus I know who I am meaning I know what my intent is I know what my capacity is I know what my talents are and so you know where I where I think I made a micro misstep is I just think I'm going to build the best project of all time and I don't I feel like that's fine but I don't think I need to say it as much in the Discord as I did during the height of the summer so you know to your point I don't love when things run up that high but I'd be lying if I didn't say I was proud of it and it felt good at the time and and I still knew that like I don't think I couldn't in the when I was making 99 are going to zero I definitely wish I made more content of like I bet you be Friends is not like gonna stay at this price forever too and hopefully that like you just want to give out good content and so that's what I think a lot about. uh VidCon yes this year 23 23 yeah what did you learn from the first? VidCon uh you know I I assume Vcon 2023 or 2022 was huge I assume you're probably wants to make it somehow even better yes than last year. but what did you learn from last year that you're going to implement this year? So the big joke with me and my inner circle is that I learned a ton. The problem was 22 went off so well.

Yeah, like we didn't deserve it to go that Well that's your big like headline for this podcast. We were too green I never threw up anything of that but the love and the good like it just went too well. we have great content. the community was awesome I was bleeding out of my eyeballs to be there for everyone and so like I feel like so what? I learned plan earlier like we're way ahead of schedule compared to last time.

Um, but what's fun about 23 for me is I Do think a lot of people are going to get a lot more value because last year was the height of people wanting to get educated about web 3 and and Nfts and things that nature. This year it's going to be a lot more about business. a lot more about marketing, a lot more about popular culture. a lot more about Innovation And so I'm really excited because I think we're gonna have a much wider, broader, more intriguing, uh, content execution.

and I think that's going to service us very well. Not maybe more business instead of the web three. Yeah, there'll be plenty of Web 3 personalities, but there's gonna be a ton of CEOs and CMOS of big companies and and and startups and mid-sized companies. So I think you're going to get a and I think there's a lot more pop culture so a lot more people with audiences for acting or for you know, entertainment that I think will create a lot of fun panels to check out.

Um and to be able to provide these you know, these events or these this access these things for uh holders? probably? Does that have to do with the funding that you raised? Uh yeah, I mean is that is that what the funding is going to be used for? mainly? or I mean yes, right? But to get them to fall in love with this, you know I've heard you say. You know whether it's TV Show, movies, amusement parks, books, comic books, you know you're there's a lot of different Avenues to push this. IP Yes, um which one are you most excited? Animation has the chance to really hit like Shrek meant nothing until it premiered. You can go from zero to Icon if you get that right.

So there's a lot of excitement I have for that collectibles. little little executions like what if we make a candy that goes viral like you know things like that? Yeah, um I Want to chat a little bit about Vayner Three? Yes, um I Don't believe that everyone knows what Vayner3 is. Can you just give us a quick yeah? a couple sentences on that. We started a agency in the Vaynerx world separate from V friends Um, called Vayner first I was Vayner Nft.

We rebranded to Vayner Three. It's really our Innovation agency a Consulting an execution agency that thinks through all the opportunities that companies have in blockchain in Nft land, but also broader than that. The reason we reframed the Vayner three is we want to incorporate. You know? AI VR AR There's a lot of innovation going on in the world right now at the same time.

and so Avery she's incredible, sits at the helm of that and um, and hoping to get her on too. One day you will. You will just leverage me I'll help you and she's You know she's brilliant and doing a great job running that company and we're excited about it. Um, you know big Brands You see some are very pro-web three taking a big jump, some are hesitant.

um I feel like they're waiting to see how things play out. Um, the ones who are optimistic. why do you see them jumping in and and likewise the ones that are hesitant like what's the main reason for them not to jump. You know I think government Clarity on the hesitation and then the ones jumping in is they've been around the block and I've seen Innovation first mover Advantage matter and so I think those are the two clarities.

Um, in terms of you know, just macro big big brands with Web3 like what's the like, that's the number one. Trend you're you're seeing caution. You know we're crypto Winter though it's been a little bit better last couple. I Guess some of the recent events uh, are probably not helping.

like with FTX and stuff like that? Yeah, I mean that's really unfortunate I Don't even look at. they were more Web 2 than they were in Web3, right? You know, to me, Web3 is like you're the custodial. You're in charge, right? I mean I feel like that almost was like this bad version of web 2.5 people thought they were in Web3. it was fully Web Two not fully understanding? yeah and I think people like you know, people with bad intentions exploited that.

or maybe you know I've not really because I never had any of my you know Holdings in exchanges I didn't really pay attention other than the headlines, but it's hard to see how there's any good in like a lot of these things. I mean when you're playing with people's money, you know on the back end. that's how Banks got into trouble. We've seen that through the Great Depression and banking crisis season.

you know I Think you know it's unfortunate to your point. the headlines scare people off and you know I think you just have to wait. Uh, which brand that has entered the web space? What's the best? Your favorite example of whether it's a Vayner three client or someone else like what's the best example you can think of I thought I liked how Nike and Adidas took it. Really? that really stands out to me.

the artifact acquisition, the executions that that stands out as like okay, they're like pot committed to the space so it's like those two stand out. Um I don't want to use Vayner 3 but you know Pepsi and Budweiser I think did a great job of also taking it serious. Uh, I never got to look under the hood but I was impressed at Lacoste had a good execution during a down market so I I wanted I never got to really look what they did but that caught my attention. Uh DraftKings I think you know with some of their stuff I thought Kalish was so of it.

so I think that helped them. Um, those stand out. and in terms of uh, you know the Loosely coin term of metaverse, you know I feel like there's a long-term vision of what people have for it and what the current version is of it. uh what? What are big Brands What are they saying about the Metaverse? Are they? You know we have seen some.

Enter: um, it's not. It's been a space that I've been less passionate about. you're talking about VR yeah the whole I guess the end goal will be a fully VR immersive experience I think people got ahead of their skis like like I'm I follow consumer Behavior like if people weren't buying crypto punks in late 2020, I wouldn't have been as interested. You know, until I See people really living in VR It's hard to get excited about the Metaverse that's defined that way.

You know, building a Gucci store in decentral land when there's like 12 people going there is not gonna fire me up. And then the 12 people who actually did it on desktop. You know, because nobody's really got a VR device outside of Oculus? So like you know, like I think we're just far away from that and we've always recommended in that vein to our clients, so just Web3 in general. The would it be fair to say you know ticketing in in terms of using uh, Nfts for real world use cases? ticketing would be the biggest one that we've seen so far.

And how do you see uh, you know, special I mean V con and then what you guys did down in um Art Basel that sort of thing. but what would you? How do you see that evolving and what do you see after ticketing as the next big real world use case for Nfts? I Think other functional things that apps or email confirmations do. reservations I Really think that every airline ticket is going to be an Nft instead of a QR code? I Think when we have scaled Nft readers then it's gonna be really interesting. How's that going to look? Yeah, like just like whether it's a phone or something else like Boop right? Yeah.

Like could you imagine going to a supermarket and like just scanning your phone and because you have a certain Nft, your grocery bill is 20 less. like like I think they're functional. Their smart contracts are completely easy to integrate with. Like the technology is profound.

This is why the concept of like the Collectibles of it all clouded a lot of the opportunity. and I look I love Collectibles but I think reservations couponing um like a lot of what you see in app culture I Think Nfts can really play a role. Um, leveling up in video games like making your experiences better through the ownership of and so that to me is how you mentioned so video games is an interesting one the the whole the gaming space. Um, you know what? I've seen this play to earn.

It's kind of. yeah. the problem with play to earn is the like plate earns great when 40 million people are playing and eight percent care about the investing play to earns. a real problem when 100 of the people that are playing or playing for the investment, then they're just playing for the money, not for the love.

And then when there's a thing that comes along that gives better play to earn things, they go from playing Axi to playing schmaxy. It's yeah, just because it's it's I found I found that's just really speculative. You know that's you're not playing because you love it. Yeah, there's not really any value being created I didn't play Mike Tyson's punch out because I was getting three cents for every hour.

I was playing right right? So perhaps then we'll see maybe some of the more established gaming Brands adopting and maybe it won't be play to earn so much. Maybe it's just it's gonna be more of the ownership of the the assets. I'm not sure. play to unlock right? Like when you buy a crapload of stuff on Roblox and Minecraft with real money to have in there.

But then you grow up and you want to play fortnite. It would be cool if you could sell off all your swag on those platforms and take your Minecraft and Roblox money to buy fortnite stuff instead of putting your credit card in and buying that stuff. You're not creating an asset when you're playing in those games. It lives only within that game.

But when it all goes decentralized, they become assets. So now all of a sudden all those points you amassed on NBA 2K can be. You can when you're like I don't play 2K anymore. You can sell that on the blockchain instead of just letting it sit in the side of a video game.

Yeah, well, that's where you know I don't play as many as I I'd like to anymore, but you know, back in the day Halo 3 Call of Duty I put a lot of hours into those games, right? It would be nice if those things were assets to your next yeah for sure. Um, and then just one more and then it's And it's not just gaming like. how cool is it if you had eight thousand dollars worth of rare collectibles in that game and you sell that off because you wanted to do some sort of teach like somebody's putting out a teaching Nft. and you get 80 hours of learning.

It's like why, like garage sales, you've got stuff laying around your house that might be worth something. It's in your closet. Same with this, your your PS5 is your closet. Yeah, I still have the files right? but that's right.

Um, just just take it back to ticketing real quick. You know? besides just using Nft, replacing like a a digital ticket with an Nft? um what other ways like do you see like adding value to a customer, like to maybe incentivize them to adopt like an Nft? uh as a ticket like uh, Chanel could create a Chanel house where if you own the Nft that gives you the ability to go to the seventh floor of their London store and have you know, cocktails and tea. But if you don't you don't right? So more of the exclusive access exclusive access right? There's also just like where does a deed sit when you buy a home like you know, the the head of all the dot. You know the the the state's municipality building can burn down.

What happens to all those papers? No like yeah, now we're in a place where we scan them and they're in the cloud. But like somebody like when it's decentralized like nobody has full control of that like people you know have to give that a lot of thought. So like mundane things that nobody's going to think about. contracts, you know we've seen ticketing a little bit of music.

but my question is like these industries being disrupted or being Web3 signed to adopt them. What? What do you see as the next? Big Industry that's gonna be not maybe fully disruptive, but Web3 is going to start to enter like you know with music right now I'd say it's very very early. um but do you think that'll be the next one to continue growing or will it be gaming? or I think really any consumable is in play like fashion, gaming, sports entertainment I think all of those are going to be you know, impacted. um you know I think I think a lot of B2B stuff the boring legal yeah, law firms you know like just like documentation like where did things sit um like I do think the entertainment business like why couldn't a streaming service come along that's built on Nft infrastructure instead of like you know what I mean like like why couldn't that be the subscription subscriptions contracts you know I think a lot about So that's what I see right now.

uh you know you mentioned like in terms of fashion So if we look at Fashion where they're selling a physical product you know I've been of the belief it's very early. but I've been the belief that you know the physical products are a lot if not all of them are going to have like an Associated Nft they will and then the question becomes is that physical product held up in an exchange in a warehouse and you don't take ownership of it like stockx and you're just trading the Nft that represents it? And then when I actually want to get that eight million dollar painting into my apartment I have to burn the Nft to get the actual physical Or is it just a nice receipt where you can separate the because once you give it to the person, if you give them the physical and the Nft, well, they're detached because I can just sell off the entity or I can just sell off the physical and there's no technology I can keep track. Yeah, whereas if I sell you a fifteen thousand dollar handbag and I give you the Nft and the handbag sits in a mercile exchange-like environment, then I can actually trade the Nft and then if you actually want the bag, you can burn the Nft in Redemption up. Yeah, because what I'm getting at is you know, the especially with luxury goods.

but the second hand, uh, secondary Market with Fakes and that sort of thing, right? I've really seen Nfts as a way to help combat that, but it's so difficult now because yeah, once the technology wants a physical product, so it's correct and once you take ownership of it, you can't, You know it's not going to prove Providence unless it's sitting, but that's important. There's a lot of people that buy something very valuable to have. They want to know it's real. If they buy it in Nft form to burn to take physical at accountability of it, then you're good.

That's huge. Yeah, that's huge. Yeah, at least for that first secondary sale. for that first secondary sell, you got it.

or the ninth. if nobody ever Burns it there could be 99 seconds. I Mean you know much Arts Just sitting in docks around the world for tax Havens Or how much? How much wine sitting in wine cellars? Do you know how many sports cards are sitting in safety deposit boxes? You know, like a lot of people don't need the the actual physical thing it I I Don't I'm not. My public stock is not sitting in my hands, right? right? The knowledge of um and then over time the Nft becomes the thing.

Owning the Nft is owning the Birken Bag at scale Burger bag I Can only you know rare pair of sneakers. only so many people can see me wearing them. But once this scales to like social media like levels like people are gonna be like what Nfts does that person have That makes sense. That makes sense.

Um, you know we're starting to also see the first implements or implementation of sort of like web3 social media I Don't know how familiar you are with it. Um, but the the idea of like you know being able to own basically the data. uh that you know whether it's the post, what you're a tweet that you put or the the creative or not. Let's not put the best way, but owning your followers, being able to take them with you transfer.

you know if it's on the same protocol transform from app to app. what are your what are your thoughts on? Like the whole Web3 social media scene, that's inevitable. That's what. that's where we're heading for sure.

I Just don't see why one wouldn't work it just. I Guess the doubt is right now is just like you know the the chicken or they you kind of need the people on the platform for people to you know this is where lack of patience comes in. You know to me I'm like cool I'll wait seven years to let it mature I I You know the web 2 platforms. They all went through that too right? That's right, right? Like I was having dinner or like I would have I would me and Mark Zuckerberg would be in the Ace Hotel seven years into Facebook and people like didn't know who he was seven years like plenty did know who he was.

yeah but like plenty didn't it. And you know the current platforms. uh what year can you Google real quick? what year Uber was created? Yeah exactly. And then can you do me a favor and tell me what what's the date on that email or you got them both dust.

Thanks! What's the date? March 20 Uh, 2009. Okay, and that email April 8th 2011. right? So in two years and one month so that uh for everybody who's listening I asked for the date so obviously we got that from Dustin And then what I asked us to look on is I have a framed email from Uber uh thanking my brother AJ for taking the first Uber in New York It took Uber two years after being invented to even test Uber in New York City Two years it took them two years just to test. New York It takes time.

Wow, right? Isn't that cool? Yeah, no. Two full years I I mean why are you not? Why is we friends not Disney I'm like I don't know. It's gonna give me 50 years to get close. So with the current web to with the current platforms, current social media platforms, do you? where do they fit? In terms of like, you know it's better to put yourself out of business before someone else does.

So at some point if they feel like it's getting close, I assume they're going to want to execute their own version. Yeah, so and and maybe something like I don't think all will adopt it? You know, maybe they'll and by the time they realize maybe it'll be too late. Yeah, of course. I mean you know Facebook as a leader has been incredible at M A they bought Instagram they bought WhatsApp they tried to buy snap Tick Tock In essence, wasn't really for sale right? But like I think that it's very clear that you know if if they could move super fast, they would either kill those things or buy them for nothing.

But all those deals were billions of dollars, right? Once something's out the bag, it's out the bag, right? And so you know I Think for the Meta for the tick tocks for the linkedins, the YouTubes they're gonna have to give it a lot of thought. I Just it's It's going to be tricky because you know these the business models are all predicated off. yeah, but you could have like you know to me it's just portfolio management. Yes I understand over here.

Facebook or Tick Tock You make money off of people being in your ecosystem. But why can't you create another app that is decentralized? That's like owning a vegan restaurant and saying that you can't open a meat only restaurant? Of course you can. so they just good. I See what you're saying? Yeah, like why couldn't Meta come out with a decentralized social network at Scale? When on both sides, it's not like you know how long it's going to be before everyone migrates off of centralized social networks to decentralized social networks.

Take time: 12th 12 years, 15 19. that's the number I think of 10 plus at least people don't even know what the we're talking about right now. I know like decentralized centralized. What are you talking about? You know? Yeah yeah um, people are always like, you know, like people.

also just like read a headline and run with it like China like I've literally had conversations with people like they hate U.S Social networks but now like they don't care anymore because China has Tick Tock and I'm like, well let's talk it out. What does that mean? Well China will have my data I'm like everyone has your data. there's not a person on Earth that's data has not been compromised at scale. The IRS was hacked Target was hacked MasterCard was hacked Visa has been hacked Walmart's been hacked like Costco's been hacked like every government's been hacked like I Don't understand this whole like you know, Yeah, yeah, no that makes sense.

Nobody's date is private. nobody's what do you think they? He's private everyone. All of them are wrong. What data You know? Every person give me millions of people on the dark web have access to when you were born.

The only people have your social security number right now. Tons. but people don't realize is that there's people don't act on like there has to be a purpose like I laughed that people are like I don't want Tick Tock to to be on my phone I'm like your phone is the problem. Yeah, like you, your phone is the problem.

Your phone is is much more track like like what are you scared of Like people stealing your money from your bank? Well like your bank gives it back to you in web. 3. You can actually get stolen right? People want decentralization? Like one of the biggest decentralized people got hacked and then wanted the FBI involved. Well like yeah, you know, like that's the hypocrisy of it.

Like Bmic too. You know what I mean like you know I don't want Tick Tock I'm like your phone's TR like you got your GPS on. Like people are funny, like people are like worried about how much sugar is in a Coca-Cola but then driving without a seat belt. People like petrified like petrified of flying while never wearing a seatbelt in the back seat.

The data is clear. like people just hyperbolize like I don't know, like people just talk out of both sides of their mouth at scale and it's boring. That's the theme I see too is like you know it's it's everyone's kind of pushing for self ownership, self-custody but unfortunately, like you know, they're just lacking the education or or when something does happen. Everyone loves the Wild Wild West yeah until somebody points a gun at them.

Yeah like this is what I mean like where is the thoughtfulness? uh before we wrap up I just want to talk about uh, one other industry. Maybe two if we have time. The music, music one. So it's the Holy Grail yeah web3 music yeah the one you've talked about the most I think Holy Grail is the same and again we're gonna need Clarity of Law and all this.

but like when that happens that'll be the most fun everyone can become an A R It's like fun. You're like oh this band's all you know. Like now you know how like the cliche thing like somebody discovers a band or an artist. they love them.

When they're small, they see them in a 40-person venue. but when they get famous, they're like sellouts. It's all. it's always been the weirdest relationship.

Now people will be like go go go because I own three percent of your first album like I Want you to say I want you to be the biggest band in the world because change. You know if that happens that'll be so cool no I I think it's for the for the better as well. yeah otherwise you're just over. uh actually on what do you think they're gonna do like do you think involved they'll become marketing agencies for if distribution and fund and funding is taken away from them distribution.

now is social media Like how many more times do we need somebody to explode on Soundcloud and Tick Tock for people to realize you don't need MTV or or to get your album like like people still deep down think like I'm gonna get my record in the record store like I don't understand what we're doing here like So I think that um that would be really cool and I think they'll evolve. They'll have to act. They'll have to provide demand value not distribution and finance. value is could we like make the same like the is it similar to like maybe the social media platforms? like they're gonna have to evolve and what I mean by social media platforms? Honestly, this is a fun time to go there once and for all.

World Let me explain to you for everyone who's like, these platforms make all the money and they're using me and I'm getting used. Let's just talk about it. Dustin Do you know if it does cost or does not cost money to put an ad in a newspaper? Do you think you can call a newspaper and say hey I'd like you to put a full page ad and here's what: I'd like you to put and I'd prefer you charge me nothing That is not possible Right Do you think I can call CNN right now and say hey CNN hey Fox hey CBS hey ABC I would like to run a video in between your hit shows a commercial and I would like to pay you nothing for that. Okay that billboard outside right behind you.

do you think I can call that number and say hey I'd like to put up the vinyl that. goes there to say follow V friends on social media and please charge me nothing Do you believe I can call Howard Stern's Show on Sirius and say Hey Howard Listen, you know how you do read these things in between the show and you're like go to befriends.com to Do you think Howard would do that for free? Cool! Now these social networks say hey, we're open, Create an account, post something and something can happen and it costs zero from us. This whole concept that these social networks have. The Man the Man has used social Networks for their benefit.

I've built a humongous audience on YouTube Facebook Twitter Instagram Tick Tock Snapchat and I haven't paid those companies a single penny. And when I sell empathy and empathy and all this like that, where does that come from? This is a ludicrous conversation. I Can't wait for decentralized social networks where you have to build your own audience where you're not. Maybe I guess not relying on an algorithm to you post and people are there.

You're getting access to people. People love to cry about things that they take for granted. When I was older I was like wait a minute What? I could just send email not be charged Twitter wait So let me get this right. This is why I freaked out about Twitter back to buying stuff like so I get to post people follow me and they can share what? I so I get word of mouth and distribution and the platform's not charging me.

And by the way, here it comes. Twitter's about to charge for no like and everyone's and you know what everyone's gonna do this. Why do we chart? Because you don't? You don't want ads. You don't want them to monetize like this.

Uh, my data is being monetized is lap by the way on the record I'd be really sad if that went away I Like that most of the ads that I see have something of interest for me I don't like the ads on television I don't need diapers or tampons when I'm watching this like I don't need it I don't need your beer I'm not gonna drink your beer I don't need that ad I like New York Jets ads. it's a better experience when I'm targeted. The whole thing pisses me off. It really does not because I Love social now I don't give a about it I could give a about social networks I Just don't like when people talk without a complete conversation.

It's free Instagram is free for you. So they monetize by advertisers coming to you. That's like television. You know who else monetizes your data television.

You know who else monetize your data Newspapers you're reading the Wall Street Journal You turn the page. You don't want to see that full page ad of some financial service, but they know that if you're reading the Wall Street Journal you might want Financial Services I Don't know. Like people are very interesting to me because they're making money, they're making money or they're getting entertainment. Yeah, no.

Tick Tock does not charge you for all that entertainment. Every kid on earth gets unlimited entertainment on tick tock for free. Meanwhile, they have to pay 20 bucks a month or whatever Netflix How much is Netflix now 15. right? Yeah, right? Like I don't get it Like It's Entertainment for free.

It's building audience for free. Like how do you think this works? I Can't wait for decentralization when it's based on Merit and not the algo and the audience is there. We'll see how much people reminisce about this time and what they complained about. Well, it might come soon later.

We'll see what happens with with Twitter What you know. Like you said, that's a fascinating thing brother. people are funny man. Waters Free by the way.

Putting it out there for Millions you know I'm part of Charity water. so I know it's not free for a lot of people and not easy. but like just to remind everybody. water for a lot of people.

If you're listening to this podcast it is very likely that you have water in your but you pay. You'll pay four bucks for a bottled water and you have it for free. People are just funny like the things that people talk about and do like. you know how hot I am on this this yeah yeah brother's the on me crying Put out our Starbucks for coffee which used to be a quarter five minutes ago.

uh just have a couple minutes left. just want to do some quick quick questions. Uh, just got four of them here. which V friend Are you most excited to develop? Yeah, I'm not asking necessarily what's your favorite, which one you're because it's the only.

The thoughtful three-horned harpic is the only made up character in all of me friends. every single be friend. Otherwise is something people know and so it's most fun to develop because I have to develop it like what are harp you know I think about the three-horned harpic like Chewbacca Chewbacca was in Star Wars and they needed to develop it but later because it was so successful. you like could develop all Wookies not just Chewbacca So the harpic is not Chewbacca it's a harpic.

it's a wookie. so like I have to develop the whole genre of them. this is just the thoughtful one. Like it could be like if you ask me like 16 years from now give me a hot take guess I'd be like oh the harpix like spun out of the friends and there's just like a whole harpic thing.

uh how did you come up with the hard pick I think at some point in the drawing I I gotta go look back at the video I feel like I was so I was drawing I was drawing with intent like I gotta draw a cougar. oh how am I a drunk cougar like and then at some point I think it just got tired and bored and like mundane and I was like just drew it. it was almost like a combination of a lot of other things. I was wrong and I was kind of just like I'm gonna make this.

it was just kind of like very creative good, good. um what other Nft projects besides yourself of course, uh, yours. are you most interested in watching develop Moon Birds because I'm a huge Kevin Rose fan board eight because it became the dominant leader and be fun to watch them. World of Women I think is still a really significant one Doodles is interesting to me.

um personally. Pudgy Penguins is interesting to me personally. just like operators that I think are really trying to do it. Um, you know though.

I mean there's a ton that I'm keeping an eye on Swampers you know, like just little one. Wolf game has been very successful I went that was like the one of the biggest things I like jumped on AJ loved it I got caught up in the hype of it all. like just got excited. you know? um and it's done very well.

Actually I'm a little bit out of the loop for this question because I really don't even have a great update on any of the things I just mentioned we're focused on I've been so focused on be friends. but I'm excited to see what happens with those. and really honestly, everybody who's given it a real run. anybody who has good intent and as a real story, dead fellas.

But you know, like anybody who I think is like trying to really do it, it'll be fun to see how it goes. Yeah, I'm excited. uh. and of the celebrities that embraced web 3 and I have teas, Uh, so far, which one are you most excited to see what their next move is? That's a great question, you know.

I Love Snoop because he's so entrepreneurial like he's a real entrepreneur besides being a rap icon or a hip-hop icon. um Seth Green I think it's like really about that life? yeah I'm really interested in him too. Yeah I think he's just a great Storyteller like he can like make him like he could make E.T and if that E.T was original like whatever he's gonna do, he's a different level. Storyteller he's got that George Lucas Steven Spielberg Like DNA yeah I mean I don't think he's had that caliber yet but like he's got home run hitting ability.

Like if you told me again, you're a genie from the future and like Gary Guess what happened? Green put out a project and then six years later a movie came out and it was the Shrek It was the Frozen it was the E.T of its time and that like massively impact the you know I think he gets it and last last real quick. One sentence to uh to leave with uh the listeners today that I'm extremely proud of you for coming out of your comfort zone to do this and that if you can do this everyone can do this and everyone should do the things that they have in their stomach that they're scared or reserved to do I thought you did a great job I do this a lot like some people are animated like I am others like go right down the highway and I think that's what you did here and I think you'll continue to get better and I can't wait to see your 100th episode. Thanks so much appreciate it! Cheers Foreign.