Let's Get Digi-Physical: From 'Tap' Chips to Taylor Swift

with @creeefs @blauyourmind @rhhackett

Welcome to web3 with a16z, a show about building the next generation of the internet from the team at a16z crypto — that includes me, Robert Hackett, your cohost and an editor here. Today's episode explores the merging of the physical and digital worlds, as well as what that means for the future of our interactions and identities.

Our guests today are Chris Lee, cofounder of IYK, a startup that's bringing the physical closer together to the digital through NFC chips, and joining us is Michael Blau, a deal partner at a16z crypto who creates generative art in his spare time.

In the conversation ahead, we cover new consumer experiences in everything from concert-going to commerce, the intersection of high tech and high fashion, and differences between building in web2 versus web3. We also dig into the power of open standards, the challenges of posed by bots and counterfeiting, and debates over terminology, including whether 'phygital' should be a thing.

Resources for references in this episode:

• "After Taylor Swift Ticket Chaos, Senators Question FTC Over Bot Law Enforcement" (Rolling Stone, November 2022)
• "Pearl Jam: Taking on Ticketmaster" (Rolling Stone, December 1995)
• IYK FAQ (Notion)
• "Tap to pay your fare with OMNY" (MTA)
• "Introducing Stories Highlights and Stories Archive" (Instagram, December 2017)
• Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour
• Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (Live Aid 1985) (Youtube)
• "Queen win greatest live gig poll" (BBC News, November 2005)
• "The tech behind Taylor Swift concert wristbands" (Wired, June 2023)
• "Finally, The P.J. Tucker x D&G Collab is Here" (GQ, July 2021)
• On different models for linking NFTs to physical items (Mirror.xyz, February 2023)
• "Lessons from 2023's fashion and beauty NFTs" (Vogue Business, December 2023)
• "Singer Vérité’s fan-first approach to Web3, music NFTs and community building" (Cointelegraph, October 2023)
• "How to Spot a Real Moncler Jacket" (TheRealReal, November 2019)
• "Why Knockoffs Can Help Build a Strong Brand" (Freakonomics, September 2012)
• On the verification process at StockX (StockX)
• "I Returned to Webkinz So You Wouldn’t Have To" (Yale News, January 2019)
• "A Wine-Soaked True Crime Doc with ‘Fraud, Deception and Intrigue’" (Wine Enthusiast, May 2023)
• Sour Grapes (2016) documentary (Amazon Prime)
• "I Love the Blockchain, Just Not Bitcoin" (Coindesk, November 2014)
• "Timeline: Causes of the global semiconductor chip shortage" (Supply Chain Digital, January 2023)
• "ERC-721 Non-fungible Token Standard" (Ethereum Foundation, November 2023)
• Read Write Own by Chris Dixon book, bookmark, and NFT (Random House, January 2024)
• On Duolingo outfits (Duolingo Wiki)
• Ready Player One (Netflix, 2018)
• On "phygital" (Collectid, March 2023)

As a reminder none of the following should be taken as business, legal, tax, or investment advice. Please see a16z.com/disclosures for more important information including a link to a list of our investments.