‘Kings of Leon’ Will Be the First Band to Release an Album as an NFT; Making it a Digital Collector’s Item

Kings of Leon reigned supreme the past two decades in music and they continue to revolutionize the industry with the release of their latest album as a NFT, or non-fungible token. (If you don’t know what NFTs are, you can still read on about this article, and just be aware that 1, there’s a lot to unpack and digest to really, fully understand what NFTs are, and 2, be advised that NFTs are “kind of a big deal” to many people. Also, Rolling Stone has a “quick” primer here.)

Okay, back to Kings of Leon!!!

By this move of releasing an album as an NFT they are one of the most high-profile musical acts to embrace the crypto scene which seems to touch across every industry and sector at the moment and seems to be very much at the forefront of the current cultural zeitgeist.

The Kings of Leon “album NFT package” will also be able to unlock special perks like limited-edition vinyl and front row seats to future concerts, among many other possible use-case scenarios in the future for not just Kings of Leon, but the broader music industry. NFTs can shake up the music scene in a way not seen since the birth of the Napster/iTunes era which eventually paved the way for the current streaming model so predominant in the current music scene.

A recent article in Rolling Stone touched on this:

NFTs will make modern fans want to own music again: “It’s early stages, but in the future, I think this will be how people release their tracks: When they sell a 100,000 at a dollar each, then they just made $100,000.”

YellowHeart is minting 18 unique-looking “golden tickets” as part of the Kings of Leon NFT release. Out of the 18, the band will auction six and vault the other 12 like a painter would do with a rare piece from a series of art. “Each one of those is a unique NFT with the most incredible Kings of Leon art you’ve ever seen,” explains Katz.

Each “golden ticket” also unlocks an actual concert ticket — marking the first time a music ticket has been officially sold as an NFT. Whoever owns the token is guaranteed four front-row seats to any Kings of Leon concert during each tour for life. The token owner also gets a VIP experience that includes a personal driver, a concierge at the show to take care of their needs, a hangout with the band before the show, and exclusive lounge access. Upon leaving the show, the fan’s car will have four bags filled with every item from the merch booth.

via Rolling Stone

I had to pause after reading that.

Also, by this move of releasing an album as an NFT, Kings of Leon are not only one of the most high-profile musical acts to embrace the crypto scene, but arguably one of the biggest pop culture figures in general to move to crypto, as more industries do so from the much buzzed about “NBA Top Shot” to Wall Street firms banking on blockchain technology.

via Rolling Stone–[Kings of Leon Will Be the First Band to Release an Album as an NFT]

See also: [A Field Guide to Music’s Potential Crypto Boom]–Rolling Stone