Welcome to The Now. I’m Matt Medved.

First, thank you to everyone who came out to our “Sculpting Time” event with Projekt Blank at Pier59 Studios. Thursday night meant a lot to all of us. After months of heads-down building, it was incredibly inspiring to finally share a moment like that with so many of you in the room.

It reminded me a bit of our first Gateway Miami back in 2021. That special energy that comes with stepping into something new together, for one night only. We’ve always championed digital culture and believed the future of art is immersive and interactive. Thursday night felt like proof that others believe it too.

Speaking of shared beliefs…

I’m glad you’re here. This is the first week of the new Now Media, and you’re part of a growing community that’s had enough of feed fatigue and brainrot. A group of sharp, curious thinkers who value clarity, context, and signal over noise. You can read more about what’s new in my Letter from the Editor.

As a free member, you’ll get access to The Now: this high-signal newsletter that cuts through the scroll to keep you sharp on the shifts shaping culture, crypto, and innovation. Going forward, it’ll hit your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with smart, no-nonsense insight and curated highlights that actually matter. Let’s dive in.

Right Now

Here are the top stories we’re following across crypto, culture, AI, and policy.

📈 Crypto

Robinhood is launching stock and ETF tokens, building a Layer 2 blockchain, and expanding its crypto suite with staking (US) and perpetual futures (EU).
xStocks tokenized equities launch on Solana via Kraken, Bybit, and more.
Kazakhstan plans to establish a national crypto reserve.

🎨 Culture

Fake IT insiders stole $1 million in crypto across NFT protocols.
Ethos suspended from X.
Europe’s largest digital art museum to open in Hamburg.

🤖 AI

Apple weighs using Anthropic or OpenAI to power Siri in major reversal.
Meta reportedly poaches eight OpenAI researchers.
AI rock band racks up half a million Spotify streams.

⚖️ Policy

GOP senators reach deal on AI regulation ban.
Hong Kong releases new stablecoin rules and tokenized bond plans.
SEC recognizes Grayscale’s multi-asset ETF approval.

Introducing Luminaries

Welcome to Luminaries. Your weekly deep-dive into the minds moving culture, capital, and code. This members-only series brings you revealing profiles and exclusive access to visionary leaders, delivered straight to your inbox every Tuesday.

We’ll be kicking off later today with someone truly special. He’s one of the most influential figures in digital culture today, bringing the future of art and technology into the halls of the world’s most storied institutions. Can’t wait to show you.

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Introducing In the Flow

Welcome to In The Flow. Your weekly, members-only policy dispatch decoding power in the digital world. Every Thursday, we’ll explore the collision of code and culture, of policy and progress, without the pretense or the pandering.

I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I promise to be intellectually honest and to provide you with a refreshing, grounded take on the new power dynamics at play. The world is changing at a dizzying pace. Let’s make sense of it together. Come with me, let’s get in the flow…

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How AI Is Upending the Music Industry

The music industry is heading into uncharted territory. AI-generated tracks are flooding streaming platforms, labels are filing lawsuits and cutting deals, and artists are confronting a future where their voices can be cloned in seconds.

In this deep dive, I unpack how generative AI is reshaping music creation, copyright law, and the very definition of artistry. From the rise of platforms like Suno and Udio to the debate over ownership and provenance, this is the story of an industry in flux.

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Inside Sergio Silva’s $3 Million Play to Make Meebits Matter

When Yuga Labs decided to offload Meebits, Sergio Silva got the call most collectors only dream about. Backed by a $3M investment from One Confirmation, the former Goldman trader and longtime Meebits evangelist bought the IP, 800 NFTs, and a shot at rewriting the project’s future.

I caught up with Sergito to talk about how he’s planning to make Meebits work as a business — from art drops and merch to digital identity and AI agents — and why he believes they can still become the cultural avatars of the metaverse.

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