Below I discuss six artists growing their success in the NFT game:
- 3LAU
- Illmind
- Eminem
- Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park)
- Post Malone
- The Weeknd
3LAU
3LAU, also known as Justin Blau, is a DJ who’s accumulated over one billion streams across Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube and other platforms.
“Justin is an early crypto adopter,” his website states, “who consistently pushes the limits of what is acceptable in mainstream media.”
To date, 3LAU & his art director Slimesunday have sold over $1.1 million in primary sales and generated $3.2 million in secondary sales volume from their NFT releases.
“(3LAU) has been an open advocate for tokenising music and building the investable layer of music on blockchain technology. CoinTelegraph recently named him as its 93rd most notable person in blockchain for 2021.”
3LAU clearly knows what he’s doing.
To date, while being in partnership with Origin Protocol, a blockchain platform, he’s sold a record-breaking $11.6 million in NFTs via an online auction from 25th-28th February 2021, selling 33 unique items. This is a record for a single NFT drop/collection, as well as the highest amount paid for a single NFT. He’s also sold a collection of limited edition NFTs for $3.7 million.
To celebrate the 2018 release of Ultraviolet, the first ever album by any artist to be tokenised, 3LAU won a platinum-plated vinyl record NFT version, which is redeemable for a custom song by him, as well as access to unreleased music and a bonus physical vinyl.
Can’t wait to see how the future unfolds for him!
Illmind
Grammy-winning producer Illmind (real name Ramon Ibanga) has launched into the NFT game and has written a guide on how to release NFTs as a music producer. If you produce music and are interested in creating and selling your own NFTs, you might want to have a read.
Additionally, Illmind has released the “first ever NFT-backed sample/loop melody pack”, putting a collection of 10 “melody compositions” up for auction on the Mintable NFT market app.
This NFT pack, Alorium, is based on the Ethereum blockchain and is linked to a high-end file containing individual audio tracks of the compositions. It also comes with a “royalty-free guarantee” and a contract that gives the NFT owner rights to use the audio files for their own purpose.
He’s clearly doing something right!
Eminem
Now we all know Eminem…
The award-winning rapper has left his mark in the NFT space. He has launched himself into the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) community, spending $450,000 (123.45 ETH) on OpenSea, buying an NFT that looks like him. Very cool.
As the rapper, producer and actor couldn’t get enough of NFTs, he decided to drop his very own collection named Shady Con, which includes a variety of Eminem-approved NFT collectibles.
This drop, which included an original instrumental beat which he produced as part of the limited edition, was inspired by his passion for vintage toys, comic books and trading cards that trace back to his childhood days.
Eminem used Nifty Gateway, a digital platform designed for NFT art auctions, to release his own collection.
Mike Shinoda
Mike Shinoda, Linkin Park’s co-founder, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, has joined the NFT space by launching his very own NFT mixtape, ZIGGURATS, which sold out within minutes, selling 5,000 copies. These items contained unique graphics, along with a musical clip.
This is another good idea for you to consider if you want to release your own NFT assets.
Post Malone
Post Malone has involved himself in the BAYC community. He’s bought two NFT assets, totalling to $760,000, via MoonPay, a platform enabling users to buy and sell crypto securely.
The Weeknd
The Weeknd is also an artist securing himself in the NFT world.
He’s sold an NFT collection called The Acephalous, which generated over $2 million in 24 hours.
It was made up of of eight pieces including audio-visual items, static artworks, and a standalone song and video called The Source/Leave You Alone.
The collection sold for $490,000.
Post Malone and The Weeknd
These artists collaborated and released a song together in November 2021 called One Right Now. The music video promotes MoonPay, through which the two artists buy BAYC NFTs.
According to Protos.com, Post Malone and The Weeknd were secretly paid $750,000 in Ethereum to advertise MoonPay.