After releasing singles and two EPs, I wanted to release a bigger body of work but did not want to constrain myself to a concept album. I had also begun DJing professionally, and enjoyed creating a musical journey where different songs/tracks blended into each other without losing momentum. Hence, the idea of a mixtape was born.
Romance + Rebellion is a collection of tracks that blend my penchant for experimental musical elements with my love for pop, hyperpop and J-core music that I had been consuming. It is what I call effervescent glitch future club music.
As an artist, I always want to create music that has visuals to accompany it. My music exists in colours, and a universe is built in my head; I want to convey that to listeners. The visual art that accompanies the music consists of video, manipulated photography and digital drawings.
Why music-NFTs
Raised by the internet, finding human connections through the internet, I’ve always been fascinated and interested with the latest developments of communication technology. The potential of blockchain technology excites me, and I’m curious to explore new models and ways to deliver my work. As a fully independent artist, I have the freedom to do this.
As an independent artist, my success as an artist has a lot to do with the community of supporters that have believed in my work. These are the people who have taken a chance on me, loved my music and shown their support in many ways. Music-NFTs provide opportunities for me to share my success and the ownership of my work with this community in ways that archaic models used in the mainstream music industry do not. Unlike current streaming platforms, music-NFTs allow me to identify and connect directly with my most ardent supporters in order to retroactively reward them.
Of course, collectors may sell the music-NFTs on the secondary market to capture financial value. However, I want to provide value to my supporters in more than one way. Thus, I will be including the following privileges in the music-NFTs:
Each unique music-NFT comes with a unique piece of digital artwork. Not only does the NFT holder own the music, they also own the accompanying artwork. Every edition will have a different artwork, making each music-NFT truly unique.
Downloadable stems and remix copyrights.
In the traditional music industry, label deals often work with the label taking a cut (commonly 70%) of income after an advance has been recouped, leaving the artist with 30% income. And that’s if the artist is successful enough to have the advance recouped by the label.
In contrast, music-NFTs allow me to earn an income without giving most of it up to a label; Music-NFTs also provide me with a means to create music and art more sustainably.
The higher price-point of each music-NFT allows me to create an income stream that surpasses the income from streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and even Bandcamp. Having an income stream as an artist means that I will be able to continue to create more work in the future.
Considering the environmental impacts of streaming and merchandise sales, the sale of music-NFTs prove to be more environmentally-friendly than the sale of physical products when considered on a per dollar basis. (See this article I wrote about Navigating the Environmental Impacts of NFTs as an Independent Artist)
As an artist, I want to continually explore new technologies and new models through a critical lens. I believe that we are only at the beginning of what web3 will bring and how NFTs will be used in the future, and I am excited to be part of this new wave.
Roadmap
Q4 2022
3 unique music-NFTs for the first song become available on Zora.
Q1 2023
10 unique music-NFTs for the second song become available on Serenade.
Q2 2023
Music-NFTs for the third song become available. Marketplace TBC.
FAQs
What can I do with the audio stems? Anything you like. You may choose to use them for a remix, which would be super cool.
Who owns the copyright to my remix? You own 100% of the master recording rights. You collect and keep 100% of all revenue that you generate from the master recording of your remix. No strings attached. I retain 100% ownership of the publishing rights in the remix.
What can I do with my remix? Independent Artists may use, perform, distribute and exploit their remix however they like. This includes uploading to streaming platforms and social media, or pressing them into physical formats such as cassette, vinyl or CD. No matter the distribution channel you collect and keep 100% of the master royalties. To qualify as an Independent Artist you must not be signed to a major label nor be signed to a record label that is owned in whole or in part by a major label (Sony, Universal, Warner). Artists signed to a major label or label partly/wholly owned by a major label will need to split (50/50) any and all revenue collected from the exploitation of the master recording of the remix.
Can I licence my remix to a film or television show? Yes. The producer of the show (the Licensee) is legally required to obtain a Master Use Licence from you and Synchronisation Use Licence from me.
What should I title my remix? LÂLKA – [track name] ([your artist name] NFT Remix) This will allow me to track how each remix is propagated across Web2 and Web3.
May I mint my remix as an NFT? Yes, on the condition that you allocate 10% of sales/re-sales to my crypto wallet address:lalkamusic.cb.id
What artwork should I use? You may use the artwork included in the music-NFT, or create your own.
May I re-sell my R+R music-NFT after I have downloaded the stems?
