Blockchain Royalties: How Creators Get Paid on Chain

When you buy an NFT or use a digital asset built on blockchain royalties, a system where creators automatically earn a percentage every time their work is resold. Also known as smart contract royalties, it’s one of the few real-world benefits crypto has brought to artists, musicians, and developers. Unlike traditional platforms that take 70% or more of resale profits, blockchain royalties are coded into the token itself—no paperwork, no lawyers, no delays.

These royalties rely on smart contract royalties, self-executing code on blockchains like Ethereum, Solana, or Polygon that enforce payment rules without human intervention. When someone flips your NFT on OpenSea or a similar marketplace, the contract triggers and sends, say, 10% of the sale directly to your wallet. It’s automatic. It’s transparent. And it’s permanent—unless the platform ignores it. That’s the catch. Not all marketplaces honor royalties. Some, like Solana-based platforms, let buyers bypass them entirely. Others, like Blur, have openly dropped enforcement to attract traders. So while the tech works, the ecosystem doesn’t always support it.

NFT royalties, the most common form of blockchain royalties today. are tied to digital art, music, game items, and even virtual land. Projects like MurAll’s PAINT token and YOOSHI SHIB ARMY NFTs used royalties to reward early supporters—even if those tokens later lost value. But royalty systems only matter if people keep trading the assets. When a project dies, like Ancient Kingdom’s DOM token or Bounty Temple’s TYT, royalties vanish with it. The code stays, but no one’s buying. That’s why the best royalty models aren’t just about code—they’re about community, utility, and ongoing engagement.

Real blockchain royalties aren’t just for artists. GameFi projects like Hero Arena and Polyient Games tried to use them to fund ongoing development—players earned a cut when their in-game NFTs changed hands. But without active users, the system collapsed. The same goes for tokens like WICKED or WMDR—no trading volume means no royalties, no matter how fancy the contract looks. So if you’re creating something with royalties in mind, don’t just code the payment. Build the demand.

What you’ll find below are real stories—some success, most cautionary tales—about how blockchain royalties played out in the wild. You’ll see which projects paid out, which ones lied, and which ones disappeared with the money. No fluff. Just what happened, who got paid, and what you should watch for next time.