Say what you like about NFTs and blockchain technology – and heaven knows, many people are – but there continues to be a lot of activity around what they can bring to music and musicians. Three different stories this morning offer the latest snapshot of some of the ideas floating in the (often literal) ether.
Start with Serenade, a startup launching this month to sell NFTs with musicians that claims to be both more environmentally sustainable and more accessible for buyers – not least because they can pay with regular credit and debit cards.
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The company is already working with some prominent artists in Australia and the UK, including Jungle, Super Furry Animals, Scouting for Girls, Ride and Ladyhawke. Festival Strawberries & Creem is also on board, and the launch announcement includes an approving quote from Hipgnosis president Ted Cockle (“We’re eager to explore so many opportunities with Serenade”) too.
Australia is currently seeing a flurry of activity around music NFTs, actually. Another example is a label called BlockPlay, which has launched with the promise of “a smart NFT contract for each single or EP deal that they offer and sign”.
Its founder Wilson Olegasegarem recently launched an Instagram AR filter music video, then sold it as an NFT for $44k. Now he wants to help other artists follow suit, starting with Aussie group H3rizon. Having built an audience of 1.7 million followers on TikTok, they are the label’s first signings.
Finally, artist deadmau5 has announced his latest exploration of NFTs, based around his early-November ‘Day of the deadmau5’ concerts in Colorado. He’ll be selling ‘VIP Experience NFTs’ from his own online store, working with white-label NFTs firm NFT·Kred.
100 NFTs per show will be sold, offering access to a VIP section at the concerts; a meet’n’greet with deadmau5 himself; a merch bundle and other benefits, although fans will still have to buy their concert tickets separately. The NFTs will go on sale tomorrow (19 August), which is when we’ll find out how much they cost. We do know that fans will be able to resell them on the secondary market.
Source: Musically.com
