The Soho House of web3

The Future. Discord, which came into popularity as a gaming chatroom, has been widely adopted by web3. Now, the social messenger is the community’s go-to social platform. As creative communities increasingly migrate to the digital world, Discord’s ability to reach thousands on the internet, while maintaining exclusivity at the same time, may make it an even more powerful venue.

Members Only

Discord may house web3’s version of Soho House, the London-founded private members clubs with dozens of clubs worldwide.

• FWB DAO, a crypto-backed social club hosted on Discord, requires a written application, reviewed and voted on by the community.
• Earlier in January, adidas launched its Originals Discord to promote its “Into the Metaverse” project, drawing over 30,000 members in a single day.
• Mason Rothschild, who was sued by Hermès over his NFT collection, used Discord to generate hype for his Baby Birkin NFTs, attracting over 20,000 members.

As Discord channels sprout up around NFT projects, some are pointing to parallels between the platform and Soho House. Both act as watering holes for creatives, bringing together like-minded creators and entrepreneurs.

VIP meets WL

What sets Discord apart from other apps? While Twitter and Medium help brands communicate with public audiences, Discord’s invite-only model automatically adds a layer of exclusivity.

For example, many NFT projects employ Discord to generate “white lists,” essentially VIP lists for members to gain exclusive access to perks like discounts or limited edition NFTs.