Understanding the Differences Between Curated and Non-curated NFTs
NFTs have gained massive popularity in the past few years, having a market volume of 15.54 billion dollars in 2021. Although everyone is talking about them, few people understand how they work or the differences between curated and non-curated NFTs.
Curated vs non-curated NFT is like the difference between shopping for a piece of jewelry at a boutique store and in a pawnshop. You can rest assured the jewelry from the boutique store is authentic and of great value. However, the jewelry from the pawnshop can either be valuable or substandard as there is no rule guiding the class of items sold at a pawnshop.
Understanding the differences between curated and non-curated NFTs will equip you to make informed decisions as a crypto enthusiast, artist, or digital art collector.
In this blog post, we will go beyond the hype so you can better understand the differences between curated and non-curated NFTs. We'll cover:
- What curated NFTs are
- What non-curated NFTs are
- Their advantages and disadvantages
What are curated NFTs?
Curated NFTs are digital assets and collectibles that have been put together by a curator. The curator can be an individual, an organization, or a collective. The purpose of a curated NFT is to showcase artwork, stories, or other creative content believed to be valuable.
The curator typically selects pieces of digital artwork or content that they believe are unique, rare, or valuable and lists them for sale on an NFT marketplace. The marketplaces for curated NFTS, e.g. DIBA, SuperRare, and NiftyGateway usually have a process for verifying artists and creators before allowing them to sell their works on the platform.
One of the most essential characteristics of curated NFTs is that they are often associated with a certain theme or concept. They can have various levels of scarcity, depending on the scarcity of the individual pieces of artwork or content. This means that the more rare the pieces are, the more valuable the curated NFT is.
Some examples of curated NFTs include DIBA’s 2022 Bitcoin Conference Curated Drop, Beeple’s Everydays: The First 5000 Days, Yuga Labs’ Bored Ape Yacht Club.
What are non-curated NFTs?
Non-curated NFTs are digital assets and collectibles that have been put together without the influence of a curator. Instead, they are created and traded through open marketplaces such as DIBA, OpenSea, and Rarible and are not subject to the types of regulations that govern curated NFTs. They include artworks and digital content such as images, cartoons, music, videos, etc.
One of the most important characteristics of non-curated NFTs is that there is no restriction on what you can create, buy or sell. Thus, crypto enthusiasts, artists, and other individuals can easily create non-curated NFTs which makes them more widely available.
Although most non-curated NFTs exist in large quantities, they also often contain a few limited-edition pieces.
Non-curated NFTs have a variety of uses, from digital collectibles to art, music, and gaming assets. One example is iconic CryptoKitties, a blockchain-based game that allows players to buy, collect, breed, and trade virtual cats.
Differences between curated and non-curated NFTs
All NFTs are not created equally thus, it is essential to understand their differences. There are four major distinctions between curated and non-curated NFTs.
- Curation Process
The first major difference between curated and non-curated NFTs is the curation process. Curated NFTs are created by hand-picked artists, designers, and creators invited to upload and sell their works. This means that the curation process is carefully monitored and controlled.
Non-curated NFTs, on the other hand, are created by anyone who wishes to collect or sell NFTs. Thus, the curation process is not closely monitored.
- Quality Control
The second major difference between curated and non-curated NFTs is quality control. Curated NFTs are created by selected and experienced creators. This ensures that only premium works are available for sale.
NFTs that are not curated may be produced with or without a high level of professionalism, leading to the possibility of varying levels of quality in the final product.
- Value Proposition
The third major difference between curated and non-curated NFTs is marketability. Curated NFTs usually have an extra utility such as access to exclusive events and merch, voting rights in an organization, etc.
Non-curated NFTs are often created without added utility and thus are only valued for their aesthetic features.
- Marketability
The fourth major difference between curated and non-curated NFTs is marketability. Due to their uniqueness, curated NFTs have a high market value and attract lots of potential buyers, making them easier to sell.
Non-curated NFTs are usually not valued greatly by the general market as their price can be determined by the artist’s audience or community. This often makes them more difficult to sell.
Pros and Cons of Curated NFTs
The Advantages of Curated NFTs
The main advantage of curated NFTs is the assurance of quality. When you buy a curated NFT, you know that it was created or collected by experts. This is especially useful in the world of digital art as it gives you peace of mind that you’re buying authentic work.
Curated NFTs also tend to increase in value over time, which makes them a great option for investment purposes.
The Disadvantages of Curated NFTs
The biggest downside of curated NFTs is the cost. They are often more expensive than other types of NFTs because of the curation process.
Curated NFTs can also be hard to find because they are limited edition releases. Finally, they can be difficult to resell, as the market for curated NFTs is still relatively small.
Pros and Cons of Non-curated NFTs
The Advantages of Non-curated NFTs
One of the major advantages of non-curated NFTs is that they can be used to create digital art, collectibles, and gaming items without the need for an external party to review or approve the content. This allows greater freedom of expression and creativity to the creators of the NFTs.
Non-curated NFTs are also cheaper to create than curated ones. They are easy to transfer or trade which makes them attractive to average investors and collectors.
Finally, non-curated NFTs are more accessible than curated ones, as they can be created and sold by anyone.
The Disadvantages of Non-Curated NFTs
One of the primary drawbacks of non-curated NFTs is the absence of quality control that is available in curated NFTs. Due to the lack of an external entity to evaluate the content of the NFTs, some artists may fail to refine their work before putting them up for sale. Additionally, there is a risk of fraudulent collections being created due to the absence of oversight and regulation.
Conclusion
Curated and non-curated NFTs both have vast characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages.
Curated NFTs offer the assurance of top-tier works and are great for investment purposes, but can be expensive and hard to find. Non-curated NFTs offer greater freedom and creativity but lack the quality control that curated NFTs offer.
Although both types of NFTs have their unique benefits, it is important to consider the quality, cost, and marketability of an asset before buying or keeping it as part of your NFT portfolio.
NFTs are disrupting the art, gaming, and digital collectible industry and both curated and non-curated NFTs will continue to play an important role in this space. As the NFT market continues to grow, we can expect to see more innovative uses for these digital assets, as well as an increasing number of platforms and marketplaces offering curated and non-curated NFTs.
The DIBA marketplace is an open marketplace for curated and non-curated NFTs. It is powered by the Bitcoin blockchain and uses the RGB Smart Contract protocol to give users more control in buying, selling, and collecting Bitcoin NFTs also known as UDAs (Unique Digital Assets).
On DIBA, there is no need to hold any additional token as you can trade UDAs in BTC or Sats (fractions of BTC) and keep your funds in the BitMask wallet that uses Bitcoin taproot technology to secure your assets.