Okay, let's be brutally honest. Most NFTs are glorified JPEGs. So, you’ve purchased an NFT monkey picture for the cost of a decent used car, and now what? It just sits in your/apple developer’s digital wallet, gathering digital dust. The original sin of utility has delivered underwhelming returns. All of us who thought we were being told the truth about this feel cheated. So the question isn’t whether some NFTs are useful. It's about scaling that utility, making it accessible, making it… well, useful to the average person, not just crypto-bros and art collectors.

Beyond the Hype, Real Utility?

CoinMarketCap integrating Apertum is… interesting. CMC, the “Home of Crypto,” really just giving a misleading platform to projects built on top of Apertum Chain. It's like the New York Times giving a shout-out to your grandma's Etsy store. Validation? Sure. But validation doesn’t equal value.

Apertum’s mainnet went to public release in Q1 2025 featuring extreme scalability, unmatched efficiency, and full EVM compatibility. They're talking a big game: 4,500 transactions per second, deflationary tokenomics, community-owned governance. All the buzzwords are there. They provide a DEX with on-chain execution and immediate transparency on CMC. In addition, liquidity providers can earn rewards, while tokens launched on Apertum Chain receive automatic liquidity support.

We've heard these promises before. Speed, low fees, community governance – it’s the crypto gospel. What makes Apertum different? Is this just another example of the shiny new chain syndrome attempting to lure developers with promises of untold wealth or is something truly groundbreaking coming soon?

For me, the answer to the Apertum/NFT utility question starts with the developers. Are they building things people actually want? Are they focusing on developing legitimate use cases outside of the speculative trading? Are they instilling experiences, properties, platforms, marketplaces, services that truly develop NFTs into something beyond glorified digital trading cards? Or are they simply running around making the equivalent of the next Bored Ape Yacht Club copycat?

Artists: Can Apertum Empower Creators?

The role of NFTs in enabling artists to take back their power is tremendous. Just picture musicians dropping exclusive tracks as NFTs, cutting out record labels and reaching their fans directly. Imagine a world where independent filmmakers are able to fund their projects directly through NFT sales, having complete creative control while sharing the profits with their newfound community. Imagine a world in which digital artists are able to receive proper compensation for their work through new mechanisms of verifiable ownership, secondary sales and royalties.

That potential remains largely untapped. Many artists remain jaded and/or skeptical about the NFT space. They’re through fear of excessive fees, environmental concerns and a pandemic of scams. They require systems that are intuitive, open, and trustworthy. To thrive, they require communities that prioritize creativity and collaboration above all else … including speculation and hype.

It’s for this reason that I’d like to see Apertum become that platform. I hope to see it draw passionate artists. They should be dedicated to more equitably and sustainably creating the entire creative ecosystem that they get to help steward.

Let me take you through the artists I talked to who are exploring Apertum. Kai, an incredibly gifted musician, is launching limited-edition versions of his songs in collaboration with Apertum. Each edition has distinct cover art and gives fans special access to behind-the-scenes material. The second, a digital artist called Anya, is being commissioned to create interactive NFT art that changes as users interact with it over time.

While their stories are truly inspiring, it’s a reminder of the challenges yet to come. Creating a successful NFT ecosystem involves more than just having the right technology. First, you have to change your frame of reference. Operate under a long-term, community-minded approach rather than following the “get rich quick” mindset.

CMC: Blessing or Curse for NFTs?

CMC integration could be a blessing. It benefits from visibility, legitimacy, and access to a wide audience of potential crypto enthusiasts. By illustrating trading activity depths and token activity flows, it offers an unprecedented live data tracking of trading volumes and liquidity within Apertum’s ecosystem.

It could also be a curse. CMC is known for listing everything. Does Apertum really wish to be associated with each dog coin or pump-and-dump project that lands on its chain? It’s past due to reflect on the impact of such associations. Apertum risked being drowned out by the buzz. Otherwise, it risks ending up as just another also-ran blockchain in the endless multichain-verse.

The responsibility falls on Apertum to curate its ecosystem, to promote projects that are genuinely innovative and beneficial, and to weed out those that are simply trying to exploit the hype. This is not just a technology play — it’s about establishing that trust, creating that new community that prioritizes integrity and sustainability.

Apertum’s integration with CMC will allow NFTs to finally become practical and truly useful. That will only be the case if it draws in brilliant developers, inspires groundbreaking artists and catalyzes a dynamic creative ecosystem. If it can do that, then maybe, just maybe, those JPEGs in your crypto wallet will actually be worth something. You may take home something with greater intrinsic value than bragging rights! If not, hey, at least you have an awesome monkey face superbly painted by the talented and friendly @strikeobbi.