Web3

  • Loop.Fans launches Web3 Music Awards. The platform enables emerging talent in the electronic music industry to gain new followers, engage with and understand their existing fans, create content, increase revenue streams, and strengthen and reward loyalty, all with the unique power of blockchain, AI, and Digital Collectibles (NFTs). (RotD
  • PIXELYNX launches new interactive music creation tool, KORUS. (DJMag
  • Swedish House Mafia have announced "DJs World: Swedish House Mafia," a virtual music and gaming experience developed for the Roblox platform. (EDM
  • A new report finds that 95% of NFTs have hit rock-bottom valuation. (RollingStone) "a spectacular crash for assets that reached a trading volume of $17bn amid a frenzied bull market in 2021". 
  • Dequency has expanded its blockchain-based music licensing marketplace to cater for more digital media types. (RotD)  
  • Monthly NFT sales fell for fifth consecutive month to $495m in July, down 23% from June. (TechCrunch) The figure was the lowest level since April 2021, before the boom begun. However, transaction levels have remained high. 
  • Four ways the metaverse and Web3 will transform music. (Forbes
  • Meta has announced a new tool that can generate high-quality, realistic audio from text prompts. (TechCrunch) AudioCraft, the code for which is available in open source, provides a collection of sound and music generators plus compression algorithms that can be used to create and encode songs and audio without having to switch between different codebases. 
  • Adaptive gaming audio platform PlusMusic.ai has raised $2.5m in investment. (DMN)  
  • Seven-year-old NFT ticketing platform GET Protocol announced a $4.5m “strategic seed round” and doubled down on plans to “significantly disrupt the ticketing industry.” (DMN)
  • RIP Metaverse: An obituary for the latest fad to join the tech graveyard. (BI
  • Web3 platform anotherblock has closed a €4m seed round, led by Stride.VC and joined by Axwell. (RotD)  
  • Pixelynx launches KORUS AI music project in partnership with Beatport. (MBW
  • Volta unveils official collaboration with Pete Tong’s DJ Academy. (RotD
  • Coachella has launched Coachella Island in Fortnite with music by Porter Robinson. (EDM
  • Exit Festival expands its NFT offerings through a partnership with NFT-Tix. (Pollstar
  • Epic Games announced a new system for paying creators on Fortnite, the ultra-popular, free-to-download battle royale game. (TechCrunch
  • OpenAI’s plugins could represent the second major phase in the rise of AI chatbots. (FastCo
  • Once a corporate darling in the metaverse frontier, Decentraland is a ghost town as investors abandon the metaverse. (DMN
  • The web3 differentiator: scarcity and niches (MusicAlly
  • DJ 3LAU is close to settling a lawsuit over the sale of his NFT album Ultraviolet. (DMN)
  • OpenAI has released GPT-4, the latest version of its hugely popular artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT. (BBC)  
  • Karta, a metaverse studio for the world of in-game experiential marketing for musicians and brands, announced ex-Virgin EMI Records senior director Tony Barnes as its co-founder. (RotD
  • Instagram is disabling its NFT features. (nftnow
  • With the launch of its new app and song investment platform, Labelcoin aims to help some musicians create consistent income streams without giving up control of their masters. (RotD
  • Beatport.io will give electronic music fans access to exclusive Web3 collectibles and interactive experiences with artists and labels. (RotD)
  • Web3 Technology isn't in vogue like it was last year. But it's still the future of the music business. (MBW
  • Spotify is testing a new service called 'token-enabled playlists', which allows holders of NFTs to connect their wallets and listen to curated music. (Coindesk
  • ICE and gaming metaverse start-up Styngr announced a deal covering the multi-territory use of the ICE Core repertoire. (RotD
  • Sasha Tityanko discusses if AI avatars are the next digital frontier. (CityAM
  • Warner Music Group announced the launch of Rhythm City, a music-themed social roleplay experience on Roblox, which will introduce users to artists and music through social roleplay and provide them access to a collection of digital items sold exclusively on Roblox. (RotD
  • Stockholm-based Corite, founded by Mattias Tengblad, previously commercial director for Universal Music Group, allows music fans to invest in single tracks via an app. (BBC) Electronic music artist Alan Walker gave around 8,000 fans the opportunity to invest in four of his singles, sharing with them his streaming revenues. 
  • 45% of games developers are still sceptical of the metaverse. (VentureBeat)  
  • The Sandbox, a decentralised gaming virtual world announced a collaboration with Warner Music Group to hold the official release party for Spinnin’ Records’ World’s Biggest Demo Drop. (RotD
  • Blockchain fundamentals, alternative models to funding & Onboarding (Music X - Maarten Walraven) 
  • Web3 can help artists and companies manage music metadata. (CoinTelegraph
  • The Web3.0 celebrity: How artists can circumvent traditional entertainment structures and create authentic fan experience. (Forbes
  • An invitation to dig into what crypto music means. (Music X
  • 14 thoughts about music, NFTs and web3 technologies in 2022. (MusicAlly
  • Performing as a virtual avatar, DJ/producer Calvin Harris is to appear in an immersive concert experience on TikTok on 17 January. (RotD
  • Only six people attend EU’s £334,000 metaverse party. (Mixmag
  • DJ and artist Carl Cox features on the 'world’s first avatar music magazine cover'. (RotD
  • British metaverse games developer and publisher Lockwood Publishing, creator of the mobile metaverse Avakin Life, announced its intention to bring AI music creation to its players’ experience through a partnership with London-based AI music startup DAACI. (RotD
  • SeatlabNFTs Ryan Kenny discusses the advantages of NFT Ticketing in the face of the Taylor Swift & Ticketmaster debacle. (Blockster)
  • The emergence of virtual artists and concerts in the metaverse (MetaverseInsider)
  • Deadmau5 and Richie Hawtin's Pixelynx has announced that it will begin rolling out its Elynxir music metaverse gaming platform this week with the launch of an AR scavenger hunt set throughout Miami Beach, beginning alongside the annual Art Basel event. (Decrypt
  • Five game-changing music metaverse companies to check out. (AmplifyYou
  • VRJAM has launched its open beta. (EDM
  • Elrow has partnered with SeatlabNFT for their XXL festival in Dubai in February 2023. (FestivalInsights
  • Crypto Blockchain Industries (CBI) has announced that David Guetta and MORTEN will be teaming up with the Parisian Web3 company to bring the future rave genre to the metaverse as part of CBI's AlphaVerse. (EDM
  • Web3 music streaming platform Audius has acquired virtual concert platform SoundStage.fm. (DMN
  • SeatlabNFT take their NFT-ticketing solution to ADE (FestivalInsights
  • Web3 metaverses Decentraland currently averages nearly 7.1k daily unique visitors, and The Sandbox tweeted its daily total of 39k. (MusicAlly)  
  • Trading volumes in NFTs have tumbled 97% from a record high in January this year. They slid to just $466m in September from $17bn at the start of 2022, according to data from Dune Analytics. (Bloomberg
  • Warner Music Group announced a collaboration with peer-to-peer NFT marketplace OpenSea, that would provide a platform for select WMG artists to build and extend their fan communities in Web3. (RotD
  • DCentralize to host UK's first Web3 music festival. (MW
  • Pixelynx announces first web3 artists in ELYNXIR universe. (Attack
  • Event platform SeatlabNFT is set to showcase the capabilities of NFT ticketing via new UK Freshers' series Seatlab Sounds. (IQ
  • Volta XR's Alex Kane discusses bringing mixed-reality to live performances. (LiveX)
  • European Commission hints at plans for metaverse regulation. (MusicAlly
  • How SeatlabNFT teamed with Lost Village for immersive NFT festival experience. (MW
  • Web3 music creation startup Arpeggi Labs announced a $5.1m seed round that drew support from Steve Aoki, and an array of others. (DMN
  • Public Pressure launched an eco-friendly, carbon neutral, NFT platform designed to support the transition of music to Web3. (RotD
  • Ticketmaster will now let event organisers issue NFTs tied to tickets on Flow, a blockchain. Organisers can make these NFTs available before, during or after the event and even enable special experiences like loyalty rewards or celebrity meet-and-greets — or simply offer memorabilia in an NFT format. (TechCrunch
  • Web 3.0 is a lane, not a highway. (Midia - Mark Mulligan) 
  • NFTs are sold on the promise of “ownership,” but a new review suggests many creators and buyers still have no idea what that means. (Verge)  
  • More than $100m (£85m) worth of NFTs were stolen in the year to July, research shows, with criminals making off with an average of $300,000 per scam. (Guardian
  • NFTs explained — and why people really buy them. (Times
  • Roblox is still flavour of the month with artists and labels, but investors are spooked a little by its latest financial results. (MusicAlly
  • Community-led frameworks in Web3 Masterclass and live Q&A hosted by RA at MUTEK Montréal this month. (RA)
  • MUTEK Immersive Collection joins the catalogue of Astrea, the largest distributor of immersive productions. (Forbes)
  • Music NFT platform OneOf closes $8m round despite 2022’s ‘crypto winter’. (DMN
  • Perfect Havoc has released a 5th year anniversary NFT collection in partnership with Synthetic Artists on OpenSea. (RotD
  • Law firm Reed Smith published the second edition of its Guide to the Metaverse. (ReedSmith, RS - Music section) 
  • Why NFTs must be transferable between platforms for the industry to survive. (DigiDay)
  • After the drop: Measuring the lifetime value of music NFTs (Water&Music
  • How NFTs are shaking up the music industry - for the good of both fans and artists. (Mixmag
  • Warner Records to launch free NFT collection in partnership with Bose. (MBW)
  • Why Web3 is to create a bridge between artists and concertgoers. (Variety)
  • VRJAM, a leading multiverse platform for live entertainment, has announced its closed beta launch following 4 years in development. (Magnetic
  • Music and arts platform OpenLab announced its first initiative with NFT music marketplace TokenTraxx. (RotD
  • Stationhead has scored $12m funding from Diplo, Red Light Management, Round Hill Publishing, and some US executives to grow its radio-like live social audio platform. (Hypebot
  • LimeWire is building out utility for their flagship NFT offering in coordination with two of the world's leading nightlife destinations, Ushuaïa and Hï Ibiza. (EDM)
  • 9 design principles for a musical metaverse. (Water&Music
  • Dequency launched its web3-powered music licensing marketplace, allowing any music rightsholder that owns both the recording and publishing rights of a track to license their music directly to a licensee without an intermediary in between the transaction. (RotD
  • The next wave of Crypto Music. (Dan Fowler) The dominant trends that will likely shape the next phase of development. 
  • anotherblock is unveiling its first royalty NFTs, an original track by DJs R3HAB and Laidback Luke. (Medium
  • The Web3 dream of an equitable Nightlife industry. (RA
  • MusicAlly's Sandbox Summit Web3 conference:
    Fanaply CEO: ‘Our NFTs have always been about proof of fandom’. (MusicAlly
    Cirkay talks web3: ‘Owning something is the first expression of fandom’. (MusicAlly
    Web3 music services: ‘That one big value is decentralisation’. (MusicAlly
    Marketing music NFTs: ‘Really think about the fans first’. (MusicAlly
    Global Rockstar talks music NFTs: ‘They can contain real value’. (MusicAlly)
    Music NFTs in 2022: ‘There’s no point making something your fans don’t want’. (MusicAlly
    DAOs and music: ‘More horizontal, more modular and more participatory’. (MusicAlly
  • Top 5 music companies getting the most out of the blockchain. (Magnetic
  • Web3 music needs gatekeeping. Here's why. (MusicX - Bas Grasmayer) 
  • 33 companies to watch if you’re interested in music and the metaverse. (MusicAlly
  • Burak Yeter’s first NFT release ‘Black Hole' drops on Atlanticus Music. (Mixmag
  • Steve Aoki and TOKiMONSTA to perform at FVCKRENDER's NFT.NYC experience. (EDM)
  • #CryptoCrash: what it means & doesn't mean for music. (musicX - Bas Grasmayer) 
  • CyberLive aims to reinvent the live music experience in the Metaverse. (FestivalInsights)
  • Weekly NFT sales declined by just over 70% from a high of nearly 1m units in the third week of 2022 to a little more than a quarter-million at the end of May. (TechCrunch)
  • Music will be the gravitational force driving the Hyperverse. (AdWeek) Recent activations suggest it's strong enough to bind our disparate Web3 platforms.
  • The difference between audience & community. (MusicX - Bas Grasmayer) 
  • Web3 audio streaming platform Tamago raises $1M seed round. The platform will release exclusive NFTs and music drops from Felix Da Housecat, Paramida and more. (Billboard
  • The hard truths about Web3: What no one else is talking about. (VentureBeat
  • Tracking music royalties is hard, but is blockchain really the answer? (Hypebot
  • VRJAM has unveiled the first artists to join its Creator Guild. Junior Sanchez, Darren Styles, UMEK, Gammer, Roger Sanchez, and Bushwacka are among the first artists to join VRJAM's Creator Guild. (RotD
  • 'NFT Theatre for music artists' Hymn has announced DJ Armin Van Buuren as its first global artist, and will create an original film. (RotD
  • Richie Hawtin and deadmau5's metaverse gaming venture PIXELYNX releases first look at forthcoming mobile game, ELYNXIR. (EDM
  • 20 music NFTs that were more than just an animated GIF. (MusicAlly)
  • First NFT collection giving lifetime access to top festivals and clubs unveiled. (FestivalInsights)
  • Spotify has been testing an NFT gallery for artist profiles in the US. (DJMag
  • Deborah Mannis-Gardner, Owner/President of DMG Clearances, on licensing music in the metaverse. (Synchtank - Emma Griffiths) 
  • How can advancements in AI music metadata revolutionise sync? (Synchtank - Ben Gilbert) 
  • NFT Tickets: How it will transform the Web2 stagnant ticketing swamp. (BeInCrypto
  • Limewire, recently relaunched as an NFTs marketplace with an initial focus on music, has struck a licensing deal with Universal Music Group. Its artists and labels “will be able to leverage the LimeWire marketplace as an additional platform to explore unique ways to engage with fans through digital music collectibles and Web3, and generate new revenue streams”. (RotD
  • Opulous adds MFTs (Music Fungible Tokens), an SEC compliant music investment vehicle on the blockchain. (Hypebot
  • Music NFT sales in 2021: What we learned (Water&Music
  • Describing Major Music NFT Platforms as Music Products — Part 1: The Rise of Curators + The Push for Product Metadata (MusicDataPro
  • The Chainsmokers have given 5000 fans a 1% cut of their new album's streaming royalties as part of an NFT giveaway with Royal. Each token equates to a 0.0002% ownership. (Decrypt
  • What does the #CryptoCrash mean for web3 and music? (MusicAlly
  • 5 strategies to make money with NFTs as an artist. (Magnetic
  • Holders of the Party Degenerates NFTs will have unlimited access to Ushuaïa and Hï Ibiza during the island's longest clubbing season in history. (EDM
  • Music artists are making what they’d earn from one million streams in ‘two minutes’ with NFTs. Now they’re turning toward Web3—right alongside Snoop Dogg. (Fortune
  • Sales of NFTs have fallen from a daily average of 19,000 this week, compared to 225,000 seven months ago, according to new data. (Independent
  • Is the metaverse about to revolutionise the way artists release music? (Kimberly Knoller
  • Blond:ish to launch world-first carbon negative $BYEBYE token on Socialstack, powered by Celo, to mobilize climate action through incentives and rewards, including $25K in crypto. (XLR8R
  • Dirtybird have launched Birdhain, a 24/7 rave inside the metaverse. (RA)  
  • Electronic DJ and Royal CEO Justin Blau (3LAU) on where the NFT industry moves beyond pricey JPEGs. (ChainReaction
  • Limewire has raised $10.4m in a sale of its LMWR token to drive plans to return as an NFTs marketplace. (MusicAlly) Among the investors is deadmau5's fund, 720Mau5. (EDM)  
  • DJ and crypto startup founder 3LAU explains the value behind music NFTs. (TechCrunch
  • Yes, Blockchain might well revolutionise music royalties. No, it’s not going to happen anytime soon. (MBW
  • Warner Music Group has entered into a partnership with Web3 protocol POAP. Short for 'Proof of Attendance Protocol', POAPs are digital mementos minted as NFTs. (PRNewswire
  • Transitioning to Web3 by building a research DAO with Cherie Hu (Water & Music) (Interdependence
  • Web3 is yet to take off despite the hype. (FT
  • Considering that dance music is currently in a spot where talk of NFTs and streaming economics usually generate a more impassioned response than even the biggest tunes, perhaps it's time to sound the alarm. (Shawn Reynaldo
  • Music and the Metaverse: Are we on the brink of a virtual artist revolution? Artists and labels are experimenting with what it means to perform in a virtual world. We explore the new creative, cultural and economic landscapes the metaverse has to offer. (RollingStone
  • Analysis of 8,400 NFT collections, including 19.3m individual NFTs, found that a third “have essentially expired, with little or no trading activity” while another third are “trading below the amount it cost issuers to mint the tokens”. (MusicAlly
  • Immersive live-streaming tech company Volta raises $3m from investors, including Pixelynx and Robb McDaniels. (MBW
  • Top industry lawyer Gregor Pryor on the rise of NFTs - threat or opportunity for the music business? (MW
  • KlubCoin launches global cryptocurrency for all clubbers, festival goers and electronic music fans and creates an innovative new “Party-to-Earn” model. (RotD
  • The metaverse hype will need to account for screen fatigue in an increasingly digital world. (Midia - Hanna Kahlert) 
  • Steve Aoki talks about the blockchain, the metaverse, and the business of music. (Verge
  • La Feria Club, the 20-year old club from Santiago, Chile, and the Italian iconic label Deeperfect are holding the first-ever Metaverse Club Nights on Meta Quest 2! (RotD
  • Blockchain-based music investment platform Royal, co-founded by 3LAU, has revealed that Diplo is the next artist to team up with the company to sell shares in his streaming royalties. According to 3LAU, “fans will be able to own rights” in Diplo’s music by buying so-called Limited Digital Assets (LDAs). 3LAU, says that these LDAs are “tokens with music rights embedded in them”. Starting at $99, Gold tokens give buyers a “0.004% streaming royalty rights ownership”, as well as access to the collector channel in Royal’s official Discord. There are 2,000 Gold tokens available. (MBW)

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