Not A Cartel

Not A Cartel

By Not A CartelTechnology
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Not A Cartel episodes

  • Why Crypto Feels So Weird Right Now

    Reporting in from Costa Rica, Cooper and Adam catch up on life, music, and markets.

    They unpack the current mood across crypto Twitter, the rise of apps like FOMO and the UX arms race in social trading, and how creator coins are evolving beyond speculation into real creative ecosystems. Along the way, Cooper shares his approach to rethinking Coop Records’ next phase, balancing risk, and refocusing on real users over pure traders.

    Topics include:

    • Life and creative process at Daniel Allan’s Costa Rica offsite

    • DevConnect vs Devcon — what really makes a good crypto gathering

    • Market sentiment and taking chips off the table

    • The FOMO app and why UX is crypto’s biggest moat

    • How “social trading” defines the next wave of onchain social

    • Creator coins, content markets, and the long game for builders

    • Why focusing on real users > crypto-native traders

    33 min
  • Social Trading Is Taking Over Crypto (and Farcaster Knows It)

    The gang reunites for a wide-ranging, high-energy conversation on everything shaping the onchain creator economy right now — from Blueprint Cohort 3 to Farcaster’s acquisition of Clanker and the new wave of “social trading.” They dive into what’s working, what’s breaking, and what the future looks like across Base, Solana, and beyond. It’s a real-time snapshot of builders figuring it out live.


    Key Topics & Timestamps

    00:00 – Welcome Back

    01:00 – Blueprint Cohort 3 & Loyalty Coins

    09:45 – Building with AI (Replit & Design Workflow)

    13:20 – Creator Education & Onchain Mindset

    15:00 – Loyalty Coins & The Flywheel

    18:30 – Farcaster x Clanker Acquisition

    22:30 – The Future of Onchain Social

    26:00 – Rise of Social Trading Apps (FOMO, Clicker, Base App)

    34:00 – Jesse Pollak & Base Coins Controversy

    37:00 – Solana vs. Base Ecosystems

    43:00 – Loyalty, Speculation & Community

    45:50 – Coop’s Zora Livestream

    47:00 – Monad Airdrop Reactions

    49:30 – MegaETH & ICO Meta Returns

    52:15 – Closing Thoughts

    52 min
  • Has ETH Lost Its Swag? Debate on Ethereum’s Future | NAC Ep. 35
    The Not A Cartel crew dives deep into one of the busiest weeks in crypto—from fundraises and governance drama to creator coins and the eternal ETH debate.
    Coop shares insights from his $4.5M seed round, Lucas revisits the early music NFT days, and Adam sparks laughs with his takes on Clanker’s acquisition saga. The group also debates what gives ETH its “swag” (or lack thereof) and how YC’s focus on onchain startups could shape the next wave of builders.
    Key Topics & Timestamps
    (01:15) Coop’s $4.5M fundraise
    (05:26) Success of Coop Records 2.0 and merging NFTs with tokens
    (06:50) Reflecting on Sound.xyz mints and patronage vs speculation
    (10:32) Throwback to the hype era of buying music NFTs
    (11:20) Clanker x Rainbow acquisition drama
    (18:21) Jesse Pollak teases creator coins on Base
    (21:29) Copy-trading, Clicker app, and why Coop’s trades still move markets
    (22:38) Lessons learned from early days: “Should’ve just copy-traded Coop”
    (24:12) Punk Strategy Coin and the case for NFT-backed tokens
    (26:22) Balancing being a founder vs. staying on top of market trends
    (29:01) YC’s call for onchain startups—opportunity or overhyped?
    (34:09) Rage-bait of the week: Andrew Kang Thinks Tom Lee is Retarded
    (37:20) What narrative gets ETH to $10k? Institutions vs. retail “swag factor”
    45 min
  • Base Token?? What It Means for Coinbase + Crypto
    The crew dives deep into the explosive rise of streamer coins, content token fit, PumpFun’s livestreaming meta, and even Base exploring a network token.
    Key Topics & Timestamps
    (00:00) Trump statue + top signals banter
    (03:40) The live-streaming + token meta
    (04:12) PumpFun’s new wave of creators
    (06:50) Content-token fit explained
    (11:31) Creator fees & new economics
    (12:52) Novel content experiments
    (23:32) Base explores a token
    (27:26) Solana ↔ Base bridge
    (30:17) Revenue wars: apps vs chains
    (37:07) Mirror sunsets, Paragraph rises
    (47:12) Pods Clips update
    50 min
  • Pump Fun vs. Hyperliquid: Who Wins the Buyback Wars?
    The NAC boys are back with another episode of Not A Cartel—celebrating birthdays, dissecting token buybacks, debating WorldCoin, and unveiling new product drops. From Pump vs. Hyperliquid to Coop Recs 2.0 and Noice’s pivot, it’s a full tour through the current onchain economy.
    Timestamps
    0:00 – We’re back + Chevy leaking “proprietary alpha”
    0:55 – Birthday celebrations: David + Lucas + plum wine from Japan
    4:20 – Pump token hits all-time highs; revenue and buyback debate
    6:50 – Sustainability of 100% buybacks vs. reinvesting in product
    9:50 – Zora as the “new Meta” and creator upside
    11:00 – Pump vs. Hyperliquid vs. other “safe bets” in crypto
    13:20 – Tom Lee invests BMNR funds into WorldCoin—reaction + debate
    16:30 – Coop Recs 2.0 launch: collectibles + coins
    20:00 – Product vision: onboarding fans at festivals with credits + IYK
    23:20 – Chevy’s creator arc + content posting
    23:50 – Pods Clips update: moving to whitelist-only, focus on quality clippers
    25:40 – Death Pixie update: signed to Mousetrap, aiming for Coachella
    27:30 – Coop DJ arc: opening after RL Grime, Mousetrap show
    30:14 – Noice 2.0 pivot: from micro-tipping to Launchpad narrative
    35:18 – Shoutout Basecamp, Blueprint, and the ecosystem
    36:15 – Inversion raises $26M to bring legacy businesses onchain
    38:30 – Closing notes + birthday wrap-up + clip reminder
    39 min
  • People Are Printing Money With Crypto Pokemon Packs | NAC Ep. 31
    Pokémon cards are back and now they’re onchain. In this episode, we dive deep into the crypto x collectibles meta: $2,500 packs, $20,000 cards, Courtyard’s buyback system, and why Polygon might secretly be hosting the most used crypto apps in the world.
    🔥 Highlights & Timestamps:
    00:01 – Burning Man + Malibu resets
    03:54 – 🚀 Launching Pods Clips
    08:42 – The rise of streamer coins & PumpFun
    12:30 – PumpFun’s new dynamic fees explained
    15:20 – Pokémon cards as a long-term hold
    17:24 – Courtyard’s $2,500 packs & the $20K card lottery
    21:29 – Live pack opening on the pod 🎴
    23:44 – Are collectibles + Polygon the real killer apps?
    24:41 – Hutch, Zard, and the bullish collectibles meta
    25:26 – Chevy announces Blueprint Cohort 3
    35 min
  • Is the Bull Market Over? | NAC Ep. 30
    The crew is back with energy, catching up on weddings, retreats, and going fully offline. Lucas shares his plans for a Malibu solo founder retreat, Coop heads to Burning Man, and the group debates how to unplug in an always-online culture. From bull market speculation to Solana meme coin chaos, Story Protocol drama, and Zora’s creator coin experiments, this episode captures the intersection of crypto culture, narratives, and the never-ending cycle of hype.
    Topic Summary with Timestamps
    00:00 – Reunion & Weddings
    01:45 – Lucas’ Solo Malibu Retreat
    03:00 – Coop Preps for Burning Man
    05:00 – Offline Anxiety & Detox
    08:20 – Is the Bull Market Over?
    12:20 – ETH Price Predictions
    18:30 – Story Protocol Drama
    23:40 – Narrative vs. Product in Crypto
    25:50 – Solana & Light Token
    32:10 – Creator Coin Experiments (Zora)
    41 min
  • Wall Street’s $500K ETH Prediction?!?!?! | NAC Ep. 29
    The boys are back and crypto is heating up — ETH breaks $4K, Zora’s having its moment, and Vitalik stirs drama with a hot take that has builders fuming.
    We dive into why CLANKER might be the most undervalued play in the game, Pump.fun’s new liquidity experiment, and Coinbase’s surprise move to list every Base token. Plus: the blueprint behind selling $1M in podcast NFTs, and the culture-shifting memes (yes, including the underwear one) driving this cycle.
    Timestamps:
    00:00 – ETH breaks $4K, meme culture hits new highs
    05:00 – Vitalik vs. Zora: why the criticism missed the mark
    17:00 – Is CLANKER the sleeper trade?
    20:40 – Pump.fun’s ‘glass full’ liquidity push
    24:30 – Coinbase opens the floodgates for Base tokens
    27:00 – Creator coins vs. content coins: where the money flows
    45:50 – Inside the $1M podcast NFT playbook
    49 min
  • Coins vs. Collectibles: What’s Actually Working for Creators? | NAC Ep. 28
    Ep 28 - David, Cooper, and Adam unpack the state of onchain media — from Daniel Allan’s festival breakthrough to the realities of coins, collectibles, and creator earnings. They debate what’s working, what’s broken, and where the culture is heading next.
    Top Moments & Timestamps:
    (00:00) Why they still do the podcast — “the love of the game”
    (02:25) Cooper’s summer recap: Japan, Lollapalooza, and LA’s music scene
    (03:10) Daniel Allan’s Lollapalooza moment & bridging IRL success to onchain
    (07:49) Why artists shouldn’t just be “crypto artists” — reframing the narrative
    (09:05) Farcaster’s NFT auctions vs. Zora’s coin volume — earnings gap revealed
    (14:04) Hesitation from artists & labels on coins — pivoting to a collectible-first model
    (16:55) Market cap bragging rights vs. meaningful creator payouts
    (26:22) ThreadGuy’s Counterparty launch & crypto’s live streaming wave
    (31:37) The clipping “flywheel” — Shilforce campaigns driving distribution
    (37:00) NAC coin launch — why it’s a 5/10 so far and how to level it up
    45 min
  • Is the Creator Coin Flywheel Real (or Just Hype?) | NAC Ep. 27
    The gang is back. Coop breaks down how he made $8K+ from creator coins, Devid is posting food pics for profit, and the crew debates if the Zora flywheel is legit—or just good marketing.
    🔑 Key Topics & Timestamps:
    (00:00) Coop checks in from Tokyo
    (01:40) Coopahtroopa hits $1M market cap — how?
    (04:20) The Zora flywheel explained in plain English
    (06:00) Why every post is a token (and priced in your coin)
    (08:50) Creator coin vesting, dump panic, and coinholder expectations
    (11:00) What actually drives value back to $ZORA?
    (17:00) Devid’s “Munch to Earn” food coin era 🍔
    (23:00) Farcaster collectibles vs. Base coins — who wins?
    (30:00) NFTs as presales → coins as speculation: new monetization stack
    (36:00) ETH's cultural comeback and why Moonbirds are pumping again
    (44:00) Bull market bets: Layer3, Pengu, Pump.fun, Hype, Bankr, Noice
    (52:00) The best-performing tokens (and creator coins) to watch this cycle
    (55:00) Lucas sneaks Paperview into the Base Batches spotlight
    57 min

About Not A Cartel

From the publisher's feed

Four crypto founders yapping about the state of the industry.