Def Jam Creates NFT Band With Solana’s Catalina Whale Mixer

NFT

Legendary hip-hop music label Def Jam Recordings is the most recent to strive its hand at making a musical act constructed round NFT avatars, at present saying a collaboration with Solana-based challenge Catalina Whale Mixer to create a digital band.

Referred to as The Whales, the digital band will pair colourful whale avatars from the Solana profile image (PFP) assortment with music from what the businesses declare might be “an all-star solid” of musicians and producers. These collaborators have but to be introduced.

It’s related in method to Kingship, a digital band made up of Bored Ape Yacht Membership avatars changed into band members, with plans to launch music throughout the metaverse. Kingship comes from 10:22PM, a Web3-centric sub-label underneath the key music label Common Music Group (UMG), and Def Jam additionally falls underneath the UMG umbrella.

How UMG Is Constructing Out Its Bored Ape Metaverse Band, Kingship

WAGMI Seaside, the studio behind Catalina Whale Mixer, was based by music trade veterans, and execs will form The Whales’ tunes. However WAGMI Seaside CEO Carlo Fox mentioned Whale NFT holders would assist form the challenge and may probably have their owned NFT avatars grow to be a part of the band by way of an upcoming audition course of.

“As a substitute of it simply being like 4 guys of their storage which are deciding what it’s, it is like this group of all these individuals figuring out the path that it goes,” Fox instructed Decrypt.

Kingship in the end tapped Grammy-winning hitmakers Chauncey “Hit-Boy” Hollis and James Fauntleroy to create its music. Nevertheless, in contrast to Kingship—which wasn’t developed with Bored Ape Yacht Membership creator Yuga Labs and solely used the IP commercialization rights afforded to all Bored Ape NFT holders—The unique NFT challenge creator facilitated The Whales.

Promotional paintings for The Whales. Picture: Def Jam

Fox mentioned this method lets all Catalina Whale Mixer holders probably have a say in some side of the challenge. His crew’s leisure trade expertise places it ready to “tee up these alternatives for our group.”

Anticipate upbeat, energetic music from The Whales, as Fox cited inspirations like well-liked non-NFT digital band Gorillaz and veteran musician and producer Pharrell Williams (who’s concerned with the Doodles NFT challenge). Benjamin Willis, one other WAGMI Seaside co-founder, mentioned the working album title is “A Compilation of Vibes.”

For speedy launch. pic.twitter.com/Ezzi7pRfGM

— Carlo Fox 💥 (@CarloFoxXYZ) February 7, 2023

“It’s not miserable, it’s not darkish,” Willis defined. “It’s aspirational, it’s enjoyable—you’ll be able to dance to it, you’ll be able to celebration to it. That’s form of the concept.”

Def Jam and WAGMI Seaside purpose to roll out the primary music from The Whales this summer time, with plans to launch tunes by way of conventional channels and as collectible music NFTs. Likewise, they’re planning performances by way of real-world concert events and festivals and digital metaverse worlds.

Willis mentioned the deal was within the works for months and that there “had been a variety of hoops to leap by way of” to pair the normal file label with a Web3 upstart. Finally, nevertheless, the WAGMI Seaside founders mentioned they’re thrilled to have Def Jam’s backing on this new endeavor.

“Def Jam is without doubt one of the most necessary labels of all time, culturally—and from early hip-hop onward, they’ve at all times taken a leap on supporting what’s new earlier than it is well-liked,” mentioned Fox. “We had been very humbled and appreciative that they had been in a position to see the imaginative and prescient and why that is one thing particular.”