Web3 music makes a comeback...
6 biggest stories onchain this week.
gm music fans.
If you’re deep in the crypto space you can feel the energy coming back. Tokens are rising higher, NFT volume is coming back and the vibes are just better!
On top of that, bigger headlines are creeping back in for music. Disclosure dropped an NFT project this week, Megadeth launched a Web3 fan club and platforms that survived the bear market are spending money on acquisitions.
We’ll dive into all of it this week!
First, a massive thank you to anyone who collected our mixtape this week. It sold out in a couple of days and helped support 10 rising artists in the UK.
1. Disclosure drops 1,000 NFTs (using AI)
UK producer duo Disclosure are back onchain with a cool new concept. One song, 1,000 remixes, all generated by AI … and all minted onchain.
The drop went live this week on Beatport’s Web3 platform Beatport.io. Every remix is paired with a unique AI generated cover art.
Ziggy Ziggy Season 3 is powered by Beatport.io.
2. Web3 merch on Spotify Wrapped
Three artists used Spotify’s Wrapped campaign as an opportunity to highlight their Web3 merch and target it to their superfans. Verité, Elephante and Arden Jones all showcased their IYK cards via Spotify — when tapped with a phone they unlock behind-the-scenes content, teasers and early access to songs. (Read more).
3. Sound.xyz acquires NFT mobile app Soho
Music platform Sound is moving towards a mobile-first, social experience with collecting at the heart. To get there, they just acquired Soho — a popular NFT tracking app. The app team will join Sound and leader Omid Aziz will become Sound’s CTO. (Read more).
4. A new Web3 streaming model?
A new platform launched this week called Sona.Stream. It’s a new streaming service with a unique Web3 model at the heart. Listeners can stream music for free, with the option to purchase a unique “digital twin” of each song called a “Sona.”
Sold via auction, a portion of the revenue from these sales will go into a pool to pay artist streaming royalties. Digital twin holders also benefit by getting 70% of streaming royalties from the song they own. (Read more).
5. Megadeth dropped an NFT collection
Metal band Megadeth launched a collection of 5,000 generative NFTs. They claim it will unlock digital and IRL experiences including direct access to the band members. (Read more).
6. Builders keep building
Catalog (best known for music 1/1s) is launching a radio feature and ‘cosigns’ — accessible NFTs on L2. (Read more).
Web3 website-builder Bonfire rolls out artist passes. (Read more).
Spinamp launches “Spinamp Wrapped” so you can see your onchain listening activity this year. (Read more).
Zooming out: broader Web3 news we’re watching this week
Crypto market cap hits yearly high. (Read more).
Rainbow wallet launches a points program. (Read more).
Forbes starts collecting NFTs. (Read more).
Web3 media company Rug Radio merges with crypto news outlet Decrypt. (Read more).
Donald Trump launches “mugshot” NFT collection. (Read more).
Biggest drop of the week
Sound’s Christmas compilation
Sound.xyz is rolling out a “12 days of Christmas” campaign, featuring 12 different artists across Web3. Every day one festive song will go on “flash sale” so you can get it half price. It kicked off with High Tropics yesterday. (Collect here).
Galantis - Smile
Swedish dance music giants Galantis dropped a “digital vinyl” on Anotherblock last week. It’s an open edition at $4 each. Check it out here.
Thanks for reading!
We believe a new generation of independent music will be born out of Web3 culture. Discover the best music here first. Follow us on Twitter where we share the best music every day.
Ziggy Ziggy Music Season 2 is supported by Beatport.io and Spinamp.
Disclaimers: We may own NFTs mentioned in this article, have previous or current contracts with companies mentioned and may earn referral income from links to music NFTs. This newsletter is purely informational and should not be considered financial advice. Nothing in this content should be considered a recommendation to buy a particular NFT, only an expression of our opinion.