Voice’s NFT marketplace will become a fully public chain-based platform by the end of 2022. This means that our blockchain architecture will evolve from a private chain with bridges out to public chains to a platform minting directly to public chains.

To offer some insight into this decision: as NFTs took off in 2021, our excitement grew, along with our concerns over the environmental impact of Ethereum-based NFTs. We set out to build a platform that was not just easy to use and low cost, but also upheld our values of being inclusive and environmentally responsible. With the hype dissipating in 2022, we’ve had the chance to step back and reassess the needs of our community and the realities in the market. It’s abundantly clear that being a part of the broader EVM ecosystem is a requirement for an NFT platform, and it strengthens opportunities for artists. This evolution is only possible because of Ethereum’s migration to a more environmentally responsible proof of stake architecture .

Voice.com will look and feel largely the same, and, of course, we will always honor artist royalties.

What will change:

NFTs will be minted directly to Ethereum, Polygon, and others upon purchase (i.e. lazy minted)

Buyers will link their own crypto wallet (e.g. MetaMask) to hold the NFTs they purchase. (Payments will remain via credit card or USDC.)

By early next year, existing NFTs that have already been sold on Voice will be migrated to Polygon free of charge or to Ethereum at the collector’s expense. Unsold NFTs do not need to be migrated.

We are able to make this shift and retain our focus on environmentally-friendly NFTs due to the recent improvements to Ethereum (i.e. the migration to proof of stake).