This week’s Web3 Wrap includes Zora’s UI update, Catalog’s playlisting feature, Spaces, NFT marketplace announcements from giants Coinbase and Sotheby’s, a new metaverse player, and more.

Check it all out below.

Zora Gets a New UI

Earlier this week (Sunday, October 10 to be exact), permissionless marketplace protocol Zora released a new UI.

The platform update adds a whole host of new functionality features to the interface, including a beautifully designed search function, within which you can find collectors, NFTs, user profiles, and more, and filters, allowing you to filter by Status, Media Type, Price, and Collections.

The release also includes encoding updates. Zora will now encode any image, video, or audio file minted to a device playable format and size, for example, a minted .aiff audio file will be encoded to an mp3 to allow for easier playabiltiy on your devices. Needless to say, this is huge for wider user adoption in relation to our almost entirely mobile-driven world.

Check out the new Zora here.

Catalog Adds Spaces

Catalog continues this week’s monumental Zora ecosystem updates—Catalog is built on Zora’s protocol—adding a new feature called Spaces.

In short, Spaces is a function that allows Catalog users to create playlists of Catalog records (tracks minted and sold on Catalog). The feature can be used to create varied playlists, such as a list of Dome of Doom tracks on Catalog—or an ode to artists from Chicago—as well as acting as a grouping function to release EPs or album collections. Importantly, the Spaces feature in off-chain, meaning users can create or edit Spaces without the need to pay gass fees. 

You can read more about Spaces and how creators are using them here.

Coinbase Announces NFT Marketplace

Coinbase announced a forthcoming NFT marketplace on Tuesday.

At the time of writing, over two million users have signed up to be on the waitlist for the marketplace, which is set to launch before the end of the year. The aim, according to the announcement, is to “make minting, purchasing, showcasing, and discovering NFTs easier than ever.” This is huge news for the NFT space, with the potential injection of Coinbase’s 68 million user base.

The announcement follows similar NFT marketplace announcements from Binance and FTX.

You can read the full announcement and join the waitlist here.

Startup Stage11 raises a €5M seed round to reimagine music for the metaverse

Music metaverse company Stage11 officially launched this week.

The company was founded by Scorpio Music Co-founder Jonathan Belolo, and aims to “redefine the interactive music experience by combining gaming, mixed reality, and digital collectibles.” The first partners announced with the launch include popular EDM artists Martin Garrix and David Guetta, plus hip-hop royalty Snoop Dogg, Ne-Yo, Akon, and Salif. 

Stage11 launches off the back of a €5M seed round of investment.

Stage11’s first music experience is set to debut in 2022.

Sotheby’s Announces NFT Platform Sotheby’s Metaverse

Yesterday, auction-house Sotheby’s announced its NFT marketplace, Sotheby’s Metaverse.

According to NFT Now, the launch will mean that Sotheby’s is currently the only auction house to create its own NFT marketplace for its in-house NFT sales. Sotheby’s looks to position the platform as an “immersive destination for collectors of digital art, offering a curated selection of NFTs,” and a “fully immersive virtual gathering space for collectors and enthusiasts.”

Sotheby’s Metaverse is live now.

Visa Announces NFT Education Program

Visa has announced an NFT education program for small businesses and creators.

The program was announced on Wednesday in partnership with artist Micah Johnson. Visa has opened applications for the program, and will “select a group of creators to serve as our inaugural class,” offering consultive services to help the successful applicants navigate the world of NFTs. “I’m excited about the opportunity to work alongside and learn from a trusted brand like Visa,” Johnson says. “Working together, we want to arm creators with the resources they need to stay at the forefront of this revolution.”

You can read the full announcement here and apply for the program here.

What to Join and Who to Follow:

Joëlle Snaith: audio-visual artist and techno producer innovating in the live AV space.

Ethan Daya: Zora co-creator and developer.

6529: crypto and NFT OG and one of the most inspired thinkers in the space.

Mark de Clive-Lowe: musician, producer, and NFT artist.

Catalog Discord: great community full of inspiring artists and knowledge.

Zora Discord: the leading protocol’s community, with numerous channels on all things Web3.