The legendary hip-hop label Def Jam is entering Web3 with a new metaverse band called ‘The Whales.’ The inspiration stems from The Catalina Whale Mixer NFT collection on Solana (SOL). Created by WAGMI Beach, the 5,555 digital whale NFT collection revolves around a huge community of NFT enthusiasts on Solana’s blockchain, thus constantly trending on MagicEden.
The new band based on NFT avatars will drop their first album sometime later this year, but the long-term goal is to “deepen the relationship between music and Web3 culture.” According to the NFT collection’s co-founder Ben Willis, “to be working with Def Jam on releasing this one-of-a-kind new music project is a dream come true.”
Def Jam Recordings ventures into Web3 with the launch of a virtual band, The Whales. https://t.co/i8hPtuzC83
— billboard (@billboard) February 8, 2023
Following in the Footsteps of the Apes?
Interestingly, The Whales is not the first metaverse band backed by an actual record label. Previously, Yuga Labs, the creators of the most successful NFT collection, signed a deal with Universal Music Group (UMG) to establish a Bored Ape group called KINGSHIP.
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The Bored Apes shook hands with well-known hit-making producers for the new project, officially signed to Probably A Label, a Web3 subsidiary of Universal Music Group (UMG). The producers Hit-Boy and James Fauntleroy had been working with Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Justin Timberlake.
For this reason, Yuga Labs also issued 5,000 Key Card NFTs linked to the band’s activities. This includes exclusive VIP events, backstage access, and minting of Kingship-themed NFTs and will also be interoperable in Otherdeed by Otherside, the metaverse project aiming to bring the Bored Ape community together in the sticky sewer of Dookey Dash.
Music NFTs are the future. 👑🦩
— KINGSHIP (@therealkingship) February 7, 2023
Love to see such amazing collections and artists innovating the way we listen to music@ZironiVioletta @SammyArriaga @bt @theycallmeshwaz @imdanielallan pic.twitter.com/Jfrdl9jM9d
On the Flipside
- Even though Def Jam and WAGMI Beach claim that the new NFT band will have an all-star lineup of producers and songwriters, not one of them was named.
Why You Should Care
Collaboration between blockchain tech and Web3 can help tackle the music business’s centralization issues and further accelerate crypto adoption.
Learn more about music in Web3:
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Mastercard Picks Polygon (MATIC) for NFT-Based Artist Accelerator Program
Deadmau5 Launches Elynxir NFT Game as Part of Music Metaverse
