When it comes to collaborations between great rappers and producers, few duos generate as much hype as Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist.
On August 24th, the dynamic duo made news when it announced the release of a new 11-track record that got fans buzzing with excitement. And to make the release extra special, the album titled ‘Voir Dire‘ was released exclusively as a non-fungible token on Gala Music.
Fans can purchase the track on Gala Music as a digital collectible, and holders of the album and individual tracks receive access to merchandise like signed posters, access to virtual communities, limited-edition t-shirts, and even the chance to appear in a new music video.
There are 1,000 NFTs for each track on the album, making for a total of 11,000 digital assets. For the time being, it is exclusively available on Gala Music, but fans who don’t want to purchase an NFT can also stream the album on Gala by creating a free account.
The latest news is that Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist are bringing Voir Dire on a tour of the U.S., with support from fellow artists Black Noi$e and MIKE. According to the report, Black Noi$e will open the first three shows in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco — while MIKE will take over for the remainder of the tour.
Voir Dire was dropped with a certain level of mysteriousness surrounding it — considering it had been teased for some time but no one new exactly when it was coming, and since it was released on a Web3 music platform like Gala Music instead of via traditional streaming platforms like Apple Music or Spotify.
It appears that as more artists and musicians learn about Web3 technology, they’re beginning to understand its benefits, particularly the ability to connect directly with their superfans. Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist may not be the first musicians to release tracks as NFTs, but they’re certainly two of the most popular to tour a full NFT album.
And for hip-hop aficionados, there are few rapper/producer combos as exciting as these two dynamic performers and writers. Tickets for all tour dates go on sale today, Friday, September 15, at 10 a.m.
Despite Bear Market, NFT Music on the Rise
Two well-known and respected musicians like Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist touring a full NFT music album is big news for Gala Music and NFT music in general. If successful, it will help prove the point that musicians don’t need to rely on major Web2 platforms like Apple and Spotify to get their music out there and make a living.
But Gala Music isn’t the only company that’s advancing the cause of NFT music. At Rarity Sniper, we’ve covered several stories about Web2 and Web3 companies releasing NFT music projects. Here are some of the top headlines:
- Coca-Cola Partners with SolSea for Music Festival NFT Drop
- Mastercard Strikes a Chord with Free Music NFTs
- Napster Explores Music Distribution Through NFTs
- Audius Integrates NFT-Gating for Musicians’ Content
- Warner Music Group Partners with DressX for NFT ‘Verch’
- Warner Music & Polygon Partner for Music NFT Platform
- Winamp Adds Support for ETH & Polygon Music NFTs
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, the music industry is notorious for its mistreatment of artists. At Rarity Sniper, we hope Web3 technology will help put an end to the mistreatment of musicians and artists in general.
To learn more about NFT music, check out our latest deep-dive: What is NFT Music?