Gm music fans,
It was another busy week in Web3 music. Here’s your quickfire roundup.
1. Grimes teases AI x blockchain 👽
The AI hype train continues. Grimes announced she would split royalties 50% with anyone that creates a successful track using her AI vocals - “Feel free to use my voice without penalty.”
She later said that if artists registered tracks with Grimes’ Elf.tech platform, her team could collect and payout royalties via blockchain smart contracts.
This is a smart move. Grimes is embracing an inevitable technology shift while incentivising people to play by fair rules. It seems increasingly likely that AI and blockchain will work together whether it’s verifying authentic work or routing payments and royalties.
I’m not an expert on AI so I recommend checking out my friend Rob Abelow’s newsletter if you’re interested in going deeper into the crossover of AI and music.
2. Who will make the best Grimes song? 🎧
Web3 musicians reacted fast to Grimes’ statement. Virtual artist AngelBaby was the first to get something online, dropping a teaser video featuring an AI Grimes vocal and video. The song will later be released as an NFT on Sound.
Early NFT adopter Oshi also made a track sampling a Grimes AI vocal, while 3LAU and music project Kids of the Apocalypse also teased the idea.
3. Free NFT from Colors 🎤
The music video brand Colors — with 6 million+ YouTube subscribers — just dropped a free NFT on Zora (get it here). The brand previously entered Web3 with a DAO structure in 2021 but now they’re returning with videos and content onchain.
5. 3LAU and Steve Aoki collab as PUNX 🤝
Inspired by their Crypto Punks, 3LAU and Steve Aoki have teamed up to create PUNX. They’ll drop their first single Concentrate on April 28 and give away 50% of the song’s streaming royalties via 3LAU’s Web3 music platform Royal.
5. LNRZ sells 1,250 NFTs 🛰️
LNRZ is a music collective founded by Reo Cragun, known for its series of weekly music drops showcasing new talent in Web3. They just stepped things up with the release of a six-track album called Satellites. Featuring five artists who came together at a Las Vegas songwriting camp, the project sold 1,250 NFTs with various different rarities. LNRZ is a curator and collective founded by Reo Cragun.
6. Illenium announces deluxe album editions for Web3 fan club 💿
Superstar DJ Illenium is the latest big name to launch a Web3 fan club through Medallion, using it to offer exclusive content and rewards to his superfans. Illenium just announced 3 digital deluxe versions of his new album to the fan club … with a twist … if you own two editions you can unlock the ultra exclusive third edition.
7. Live music video NFTs 📺
Web3 music community WavWRLD will drop live performance video NFTs from their event at Art Basel.
7. Builders keep building 🚢
Sound.xyz launches new home page.
Neume (an open source music infrastructure project) accepted to Gitcoin beta program.
Unchained Distribution partners with Avax.
Web3 music community speaks up on misogyny
A final note. Web3 record label Dreams Never Die came under fire this week after laying off several core members and the surrounding lack of communication just a month after raising money from an NFT sale. The situation turned worse during a community call where the remaining team took a misogynistic tone towards a female community member. We have previously supported Dreams Never Die but returned our members pass immediately following the town hall. We stand strongly against prejudice of all kinds and are reflecting on how we can do better in the space.
Thanks for reading
As always, please forward this to your friends or colleagues if you found it useful. Did I miss something this week? Let me know on Twitter!
Disclosures: We own NFTs from Grimes, Colors, LNRZ and Reo Cragun mentioned in this article.