NFTs Expanding Beyond Digital Art

The first generation of NFTs made a huge noise on the market. CryptoKitties and other NFT collections were noisy and speculative, raising questions of how these pixels can be worth so much. From the time the first NFT collections were released and sold, all major media started to cover this topic contributing to this hype even more. Profile pictures that once were just pixel images became status symbols attracting celebrities and venture investors from all over the world. With hundreds of millions invested, fortunes were made and lost within months leaving early adopters with unprecedented profits or huge losses.

But this huge speculation was never the point of this technology. It was just something that the general public saw on the surface. The core concept was to build an infrastructure and test it in the real world. Special smart contracts were developed capable of running the non-fungible infrastructure ready to mint millions of NFTs for the market. And then the NFT hype happened driving even more attention to crypto and its real-world use case scenarios but after the fall of the P2E model and major projects, it looks that the world doesn’t need NFTs at least in their past interaction.

In 2026 NFTs are not dead and we still see new projects hitting the market that promise to revolutionize the industries with their own unique ways of using the NFT technology. The real question is not whether these JPEGs still retain value but in whether programmable ownership can really change traditional industries to make a noticeable impact. We already saw a couple of successful implantation of the NFTs by 777bet fun and other iGaming operators when they integrated NFTs into their bonus distribution system, but what about other industries? Do we see any difference in 2026?

We all know that NFTs are no longer limited to art in the current state of this technology. NFTs now serve as digital copy of rights or even play their part in the access control systems. All the Web3 businesses started in 2024-26 target real estate and royalty streams along with patents and licensing agreements because that is where this technology can really show its potential.

Fractional Ownership and Liquidity

Real estate has always been illiquid because it is hard to sell commercial and residential properties right away. Buying property typically requires an agent or broker, escrow services for better money and risk management, title verification to make sure everything is found on the legal side of things. But the biggest challenge over the past couple of years was substantial capital needed to close a real estate deal. And when you sell a commercial lot on the US market, a condo in Dubai or a house in Singapore, all these deals are very geographically-dependent, meaning it is very hard for investors from other countries to participate in these deals. Another disadvantage of the traditional approach is that retail investors are limited in participation because they simply don’t have enough funds to buy the entire lot.

So-called tokenization promises to revolutionize everything by turning property rights into blockchain-based tokens that, in turn, makes it possible to divide ownership into smaller fractions and sell them to the general audience. In other words, instead of buying an entire building, investors can buy tokens and get a percentage of income that this property generates. This not only lowers entry barriers but attracts millions of retail investors with smaller budgets to the market. Smart contracts automate rental distribution so income streams are distributed proportionally to how much tokens you hold. And the best part is that it happens automatically with no manual approvals or administrative costs.

Liquidity is the second major impact, especially when traditional real estate markets rely on periodic buyers or institutional investors. But when it comes to tokenized property, tokens can be traded on marketplaces and minor investors with just a couple thousands can buy their share. While not fully frictionless, this new model creates a new liquidity layer for an otherwise static asset class. The concept has not yet become mainstream but a few pilot projects covered in discussions about tokenized property models are already functioning on the market.

Music Rights and Programmable Licensing

The music industry struggled with transparency just like the real estate industry from liquidity issues. Artists frequently complain that their commissions are hard to track and calculate while complex distribution chains make it harder to understand where the money is coming from and in what percentage. Right now intermediaries handle publishing, licensing, streaming payouts, and copyrights. But chances are high that this is gonna change over the next few years with the introduction of blockchain-based solutions.

So what will change is that instead of relying on centralized platforms, artists will mint special tokens representing partial rights to future income. In the next stage, smart contracts will automatically distribute revenue to token holders whenever income is generated. As simple as that. In addition, artists can tokenize specific songs, albums, or even revenue shares which means fans become micro-investors and can make money based on the success of the music they invest in. One of the most significant innovations is perpetual royalties because current secondary sales often leave creators underpaid because a significant portion of profits is taken by publishers. NFTs allow royalty to be embedded right into code of smart contract so that each resale triggers payment to the original rights holder.

The best part is that intellectual property extends beyond music so all the patents, trademarks, copyrights, and software licensing industries can be disrupted by this new old tech. With NFTs you have a digital registry that can timestamp creation, prove authorship, and automate licensing terms. How cool is that when you don’t need to sacrifice a portion of your royalties to 3rd party companies, right? For example, software development companies can tokenize a license for commercial use in some countries or regions and sell these licenses individually. And they can still control the access conditions meaning if a license expires or terms are broken, the smart contract can automatically restrict functionality.

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Adam Regan: Deputy Editor

Features and account management. 3 years media experience. Previously covered features for online and print editions.

Email Adam@MarkMeets.com