Rug Radio Recap - April 30, 2023

gm fam! We’re wrapping up an incredible week here in Austin, TX for Consensus 2023 where Farokh, OSF, and Mando spoke on a few panels, and Farokh, OSF, and Ryguy got a round of golf in with our friends over at LinksDAO (wait until you see how lucky Farokh got in the closest to the pin competition).

We also wanted to say thank you to everyone who showed up to our Rug Radio Vibes in Austin event on Friday night. The event was amazing and it was so great meeting everyone - we’ll have pictures and the vlog coming soon!

Here's what we've got in this week's recap...

• Rug Radio Updates: Under the Hood EP 0, new rewards store auctions, community spotlight

• Web3 culture is stronger than ever

• Coinbase sues the SEC

UNDER THE HOOD EP. 0: NFT NYC 2023

Introducing our first episode of “Under The Hood” where we take you with us and show how the Rug Radio team does IRL events, and we’re kicking off Episode 0 with NFT NYC!

New Rewards Store Auctions

This week in the Rewards Store: The Spirit of Play! Not two, but THREE awesome (collectible) toys for the kid inside (or the kid in our lives). Stop by the Rewards Store on Tuesday to get all of the auction info!

• Playable, online TTRPG characters from The Glimmering, by GRIPNR, who are bringing TTRPGs to web3 on Polygon.

• "The Money Tree" IRL LEGO set, brought to us by our friends at SodePop (awesome community and store re-opening soon).

• 6" vinyl Playful Gorilla designed by web3 artist, Quiccs (partnered with Adidas, Johnny Walker, and the creator of Bitwars game), brought to us by Tenacious Toys, designer of vinyl toys since 2004.

Community Spotlight, Moonsafari

Moonsafari’s belief in the future of decentralized media has made him a huge supporter of Rug Radio. As a DAO council member, he’s looking to a future where underrepresented communities around the world can have an impact. As a collector, he values the artistry in both physical coins and NFTs.

This week’s recap is brought to you by Pacemaker

Pacemaker is a unique 5K membership club that celebrates digital street art and aims to connect collectors with artists. It was founded by the renowned street culture personality, Till Jagla, and is backed by the global fashion and technology platform ABOUT YOU, which boasts over 40 million monthly active users.

One of the most exciting features of Pacemaker is that it rewards its members with free access to all future NFT street art collections. To kick off this venture, the first collection has been created by the legendary Ricardo Cavolo, who is represented by the global partner artist agency LNDMRK, along with other notable artists such as Fvckrender and Burnt Toast.

What makes this collection even more unique is that each NFT artwork is linked to a claimable physical product. Members can expect at least four art collection drops each year, making Pacemaker a must-join club for any lover of digital street art.

Nike released details for their upcoming OurForce drop starting on May 8.

TinyTap, an edtech company owned by Animoca Brands, raised $8.5 million to “bring decentralization to the education system.”

After initially being scheduled to launch late this month, Amazon has delayed their NFT marketplace launch to May 15.

Under a newly proposed California law, DAO’s could get official legal standing in the state.

Context

• With the exception of a flash crash on Wednesday, crypto was relatively stable ending the week slightly higher.

• NFT volumes continued to decline as Blur rewards farming comes to an end and prices of major cryptos continue a steady climb.

• In the week ahead, expect some volatility with the latest FOMC interest rate hike decision on Wednesday (expectations of another 0.25% hike) and employment report on Friday.