AP to launch NFT marketplace built by Xooa
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AP to launch NFT photography marketplace built by Xooa

NEW YORK – The Associated Press will launch a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace built by blockchain technology provider Xooa, where collectors can purchase the news agency’s award-winning contemporary and historic photojournalism.

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This image of a home covered in ash from a volcano erupting on the Canary island of La Palma, Spain, on Nov. 1, 2021, will be available as an NFT on AP’s NFT marketplace. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
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This Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of a Jewish settler challenging Israeli security officers in the West Bank settlement of Amona, Feb. 1, 2006, will be among the first NFTs available on AP’s NFT marketplace. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

The marketplace and first NFTs are set to debut on Monday, Jan. 31.

The initial collection will feature photography by current and former AP photojournalists and a selection of digitally enhanced depictions of their work. Pulitzer Prize-winning AP images will be included.

“For 175 years AP’s journalists have recorded the world’s biggest stories, including through gripping and poignant images that continue to resonate today,” said Dwayne Desaulniers, AP director of blockchain and data licensing. “With Xooa’s technology, we are proud to offer these tokenized pieces to a fast-growing global audience of photography NFT collectors.”

Each NFT will include a rich set of original metadata offering collectors awareness of the time, date, location, equipment and technical settings used for the shot.

The initial collection will be released over a period of weeks beginning Jan. 31. NFTs will range from space, climate, war and other images to spotlights on the work of specific AP photographers.

NFT price points will vary. As a not-for-profit news cooperative, proceeds go back into funding factual, unbiased AP journalism.

Collectors of all levels will be able to seamlessly buy, sell and trade official AP digital collectibles through the marketplace. It will support secondary market transactions and purchases using credit card payments as well as crypto wallets, including MetaMask, with support for Fortmatic, Binance, and Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) to come.

The NFTs will be minted on the Polygon blockchain, which is an environmentally friendly, Ethereum-compatible layer two solution.

“Xooa is proud to work with The Associated Press to launch AP’s NFT marketplace. Xooa’s work with brands around NFTs and metaverse marketplaces provides inherent scarcity and utility for collectors as well as a powerful connection between the virtual world and the real world,” said Zach Danker-Feldman, Xooa’s head of marketplaces. “In this marketplace deployment, emphasis has been placed on accessibility for all types of collectors to empower them to join a community that shares their interest in stunning photography.”

To learn more and sign up for updates: https://apmarket.xooa.com/


About Xooa

Xooa specializes in building white-label NFT marketplaces for brands and IP owners. Xooa works with brands on their NFT and metaverse strategies and enables them to own the NFT experience and the collector relationships through jointly operating a deeply customizable marketplace. Since its founding in 2017 in Denver by Jonathan Garini, Xooa’s mission has been to reduce barriers to blockchain adoption by abstracting away its complexities. To learn more about the company, visit xooa.com.

About AP

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day. Online: www.ap.org

Contact

Krystal Delaney
Media Relations
Xooa Inc.
303-305-5908
media@xooa.com

Lauren Easton
Global Director of Media Relations and Corporate Communications
The Associated Press
212-621-7005
leaston@ap.org