Indelible is merging the worlds of tattoo art and NFTs to raise money for worthy causes.
NFTs and tattoo culture are two hot markets—but there isn’t typically a significant overlap between them. Indelible, a new startup launched by Mike Amoia, is merging the two worlds together.
Indelible is a community-centered NFT company bridging the gap between tattoo culture and Web3. The company is the first of its kind to help NFT owners utilize their IP rights by adding tattoos to their profile pics, or PFPs.
Amoia sees the tattoo industry as a source of untapped NFT potential. Indelible will tattoo one of the biggest up-and-coming PFP character collections with insect tattoos for a one-of-a-kind collaboration set. Each bug will have unique powers and stories to tell.
You may not be familiar with the name Mike Amoia, but I assure you that he does not blend into the crowd and if you saw him in public, you would remember him. He is a producer, music executive, business visionary, financial specialist, and philanthropist.
Mike Amoia holds the Guiness World Record for the most insect tattoos.
Tattoos are not taboo like they once were. They have definitely gained mainstream acceptance in current culture—but even people with a lot of tattoos would see Mike, and be like, “Damn. That’s a lot of tattoos.” Mike got tattooed from head to toe as a unique form of therapy to overcome his fears dating back to childhood abuse. He has the unique distinction of holding the Guinness World Record for the most insect tattoos—with 864 depictions of insects permanently inked on his body.
Mike is also an investor and music promoter. He is co-founder of Mibe Music, a music publishing agency that offers over 100,000 custom music tracks across 34 genres. Their music has been highlighted across movies, TV, and commercials—including the opening theme to the NBA finals and Monday Night Football.
Indelible is the first NFT company to merge real tattoos made by some of the most influential artists, and virtually mark a PFP character for a limited NFT collaboration collection. Individual NFT holders can monetize their IP rights by virtually tattooing their NFT characters with an Indelible artist and own an additional NFT. Members will get access to utilities that will service the distribution process.
For the genesis drop, Indelible is partnering with a blue-chip NFT collection, and offering them a royalty on the sale. The first drop will be centered around Mike’s Guinness World Record and his insect tattoos. Customers will be able to purchase an Indelible NFT tattoo machine, which will allow them to have their PFP tattooed with rare art by some of the biggest tattooers in the world.
Customers can purchase an Indelible NFT tattoo machine, which can be converted to have their PFP … [+]
Indelible is working with three renowned tattoo artists: Mike Rubendall from Kings Avenue Tattoo—a specialist in Japanese-style tattoos, Matt Skinny—from Made to Last Tattoo—a specialist in black and gray realism, and BJ Betts from State Street Tattoo. Both Rubendall and Skinny have tattooed Amoia in real life, and Betts did the logo design for Indelible.
The mission for this first NFT tattoo drop from Indelible is to raise awareness and funds for a non-profit that is close to Amoia’s heart and that he is personally involved in—For a Bright Future. For a Bright Future helps underrepresented and underprivileged kids through health, education, youth leadership, and the power of storytelling.
Amoia said that his Discord Manager is in remission with cancer, and one of his community managers has cerebral palsy, so there are plans to donate some of the profits to their charities of choice as well.
I had a chance to speak with Amoia about Indelible and the goals he has for this NFT project. We spoke some about tattoo culture in general. I have a few and plan to get many more (nothing even remotely close to Amoia).
Mike Amoia intends to elevate tattoo culture and demonstrate that tattoos can be monetizable and … [+]
We talked about how tattoos have gained a lot of mainstream acceptance, but they are still considered objectionable by much of white collar or corporate America. There are many jobs out there that have specific rules stating that you can’t have tattoos visible while you’re at work. It is completely dumb and irrational—since having a tattoo inked on your body has literally zero impact on your ability to actually do a job, but many of the people in the management roles are still stuck in an outdated mindset when it comes to tattoos.
NFT culture is just emerging. Frankly, I still don’t really get it. I know that Beeple cashed in for a cool $69 million by selling a collection of his art as an NFT, and that a lot of money is changing hands for digital cartoon collectibles within the NFT market. Amoia and I spoke about how that is just one facet of NFTs, though, that just scratches the surface. Because of the nature of NFTs and blockchain technology, there are many other potential use cases and benefits—but for now it seems mostly to be a market for niche collectibles.
Amoia intends to demonstrate that tattoos—which many said would deter him from getting jobs and making money—can be monetizable, and soon will be available to purchase to help kids in need.
