The Associated Press (AP) is preparing to sell its critically-acclaimed modern and historic photography as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on a new platform built by blockchain technology provider Xooa.
AP’s first NFT collection will include photography from present and former photojournalists at the company and feature a selection of Pulitzer Prize-winning images.
“For 175 years AP’s photographers have recorded the world’s biggest stories through gripping and poignant images that continue to resonate today,” said Dwayne Desaulniers, AP director of blockchain and data licensing, in a statement. “With Xooa’s technology, we are proud to offer these tokenized pieces to a fast-growing global audience of photography NFT collectors.”
The NFTs will range across images of space, climate, war and various other topics, and each will arrive with original metadata, providing owners with the image’s “time, date, location, equipment and technical settings,” according to the company. Price points for each NFT will vary, though all proceeds will support AP’s journalism.
The marketplace will support secondary market transactions with credit card payments and crypto wallets, including MetaMask. The platform will support Fortmatic, Binance and Coinbase in the future.
“Xooa is proud to work with The Associated Press to launch AP’s NFT marketplace. Xooa’s work with brands around NFTs and metaverse marketplaces provides inherent scarcity and utility for collectors as well as a powerful connection between the virtual world and the real world,” said Zach Danker-Feldman, Xooa’s head of marketplaces. “In this marketplace deployment, emphasis has been placed on accessibility for all types of collectors to empower them to join a community that shares their interest in stunning photography.”
The marketplace and AP’s first set of NFTs will become available on Monday, January 31. Head to AP’s website to sign up for updates ahead of the launch.
Elsewhere, Cult&Rain has created sneaker NFTs you can redeem for an identical luxury pair.
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