NFT royalties of BAYC, Azuki, Pudgy Penguins are Surprisingly $58M+, $43M+, $7.2M+ Respectively

Blockchain data and research firm Nansen has reported the royalty earnings of top Ethereum non-fungible token (NFT) brand.

Leading the charge in Ethereum NFTs, the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) has reported impressive earnings of over $58 million in royalties. BAYC, a well-known series of NFTs, is a prime example of the commercial potential that this digital realm offers, adding a new layer to the Ethereum ecosystem's economic viability.

Following BAYC's trail, Azuki, another popular NFT series, also announced substantial royalty earnings through Ethereum NFTs. The anime-inspired NFT project has amassed a remarkable $43 million-plus in royalties, underscoring the lucrative prospects of the burgeoning NFT marketplace.

Furthermore, the whimsically-named Pudgy Penguins didn't fall too far behind, earning more than $7.2 million in royalties from Ethereum NFTs. The charming and unique characters have managed to carve a niche for themselves in the highly competitive digital token space.

NFT royalties are a built-in monetary feature present in certain Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), granting the initial artist or creator of the digital asset a percentage of the earnings every time the NFT is resold or exchanged in the future. This mechanism guarantees an ongoing stream of income for creators, marking a notable departure from the traditional art sector, where creators are typically compensated with a single upfront payment for their work.

This is made possible through smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain (and others). When an NFT is minted, the creator can include terms in the smart contract specifying a certain percentage that they receive from all future transactions. Each time the NFT is resold on the secondary market, the smart contract automatically redirects a portion of the sale to the original creator's cryptocurrency wallet.

In a nutshell, NFT royalties help ensure that artists can continually benefit from their work, even as it increases in value and changes hands over time. This feature is seen as a significant innovation in favor of artists and content creators in the digital space.