Key Takeaways:
Coinbase confirmed a $25 million buy of the UpOnly NFT from well-known dealer, Cobie, reigniting one in every of crypto’s most-watched podcasts.The NFT’s effective print requires Cobie and Ledger to provide eight new episodes, marking the present’s comeback after practically three years.The deal highlights a daring fusion of NFTs and media, positioning Coinbase on the heart of the following wave of crypto-driven leisure.
Coinbase has made probably the most sudden and headline-grabbing strikes of 2025, spending a staggering $25 million to amass the UpOnly NFT, a digital token tied to the dormant however legendary crypto podcast hosted by Jordan “Cobie” Fish and Brian “Ledger” Krogsgard.
The acquisition isn’t only a publicity stunt, it’s a calculated push to merge blockchain possession with digital media revival, respiration life right into a present that when outlined the 2021 bull run’s cultural second.
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A $25 Million Wager on Crypto Nostalgia
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong confirmed the acquisition in a brief however viral submit on X:
“The rumors are true; we purchased the NFT. @UpOnlyTV is coming again.”
In accordance with on-chain information, Coinbase paid $25 million in USDC on to Cobie’s pockets. The transaction triggered speedy buzz throughout the crypto group not simply due to the value tag, however as a result of it forces Cobie and Ledger again into manufacturing.
The NFT contract expressly requires the duo to provide eight new podcast episodes, all whereas granting them permission to “ignore or insult” the NFT holder as a humorous little apart. It’s an ideal mixture of crypto humor, contractual irony and blockchain enforcement, a signature performs that solely this trade may provide you with.
Cobie himself appeared each amused and alarmed. Shortly after the transaction, he posted on X:
“Ah man wtf.”“I’m too previous to have a crypto podcast, imma be out right here trying like Gary V.”
The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of UpOnly
From Bull Market Sensation to Publish-FTX Silence
Launched within the giddy highs of the 2021 bull run, UpOnly grew to become a type of cultural touchstone for crypto insiders, lauded for its unvarnished interviews with among the high merchants, builders and meme legends. The present was beforehand underwritten by FTX, till the trade imploded in late 2022 and pulled the podcast off air indefinitely.
Its closing episode dropped shortly after FTX’s implosion, in what many considered because the “golden period” for crypto content material. And from that second Cobie would inform individuals time and time once more how the present wasn’t his anymore to carry again, how the choice was locked in an NFT.
In Could 2025, Cobie minted the UpOnly NFT as a tongue-in-cheek experiment, tweeting:
“The ability is now saved inside this NFT. When it’s burned, the podcast will restart. Till then, please go away me alone.”
Nobody anticipated the token, initially listed with an absurd string of zeros to truly promote. However Coinbase simply turned the joke right into a $25 million advertising and marketing assertion.
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NFTs as Sensible Contracts for Media Possession
Coinbase’s acquisition reveals a deeper, extra strategic play: NFTs as programmable media rights.In contrast to conventional contracts, the UpOnly NFT robotically enforces artistic obligations via possession, that means the client doesn’t want attorneys to activate manufacturing, it’s written into code.
This mannequin could redefine how content material rights, royalties, and creator collaborations are dealt with within the digital age. Analysts say Coinbase’s transfer may pave the way in which for NFT-backed leisure, the place exhibits, music, or video games might be straight tied to on-chain circumstances.
“This isn’t nearly nostalgia,” mentioned crypto analyst Tom Dunleavy. “Coinbase is experimenting with a brand new type of decentralized media the place blockchain is the enterprise mannequin, not simply the subject.”
The timing couldn’t be higher. As NFT markets are beginning to recuperate from a brutal 2023–24 hunch, company actors resembling Coinbase discover new types of how they could capitalize on digital collectibles exterior artwork hypothesis.
Not solely did the acquisition breathe new life into UpOnly, however it additionally despatched reverberations via the market. One memecoin, UPONLY, soared greater than 7,800% in a single day following the announcement, underscoring merchants’ obsession with this deal.
