Nadya Tolokonnikova, the founder of the world-renowned Russian punk rock band Pussy Riot, is partnering with virtual social networking site IMVU to launch a metaverse community called “Utopia.” The news was announced on Wednesday.
Tolokonnikova is also launching an NFT collection tied to utility on the platform, according to the VP of marketing at IMVU parent company Together Labs, Maura Welch. The NFTs will include digital wearables.
Pussy Riot is a Russian punk rock band and protest group that made international headlines in 2012 when they staged a Vladimir Putin demonstration in a church. Afterward, Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were arrested and sentenced to two years in prison. Recently, the band released a film called “Putin’s Ashes,” where the Russian leader is set on fire. The film has landed Tolokonnikova on Russia’s most wanted list.
True to the band’s brand, Tolokonnikova said that the Utopia metaverse will be an inclusive space for “feminist, queer, diverse, and radical” voices, and “women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ creatives.”
Its centerpiece is the “Pink Church of Feminism,” decked in the band’s colors of pink, white, and black. Visitors to the metaverse will be able to interact via avatars and role-play their own punk music performances. Tolokonnikova said that one day she hopes to build the symbolic church in real life.
The NFT collection, which was designed Tolokonnikova and powered by MetaJuice, a blockchain asset developer, will debut at NFT.NYC this Wednesday at an exclusive, invite-only event.
Musicians Take to the Metaverse & NFT Projects
The news of the metaverse from Nadya Tolokonnikova and IMVU is exciting for Pussy Riot fans. But the Utopia metaverse isn’t the only project from a musician in Web3. Because Web3 enables artists to connect directly with fans in novel ways, many musicians are experimenting with its nascent technologies.
First, on April 14th, a new version of one of David Bowie’s most popular songs “Let’s Dance” will be released as an NFT track on the Web3 platform Gala Music. The track was recorded by music producer Larry Dvoskin in 2022 and never released. Soon fans can purchase the NFT track using a pay-what-you-wish model, with all proceeds going to the charity MusicCares.
Next, two months ago, leading up to her performances at the Super Bowl and Grammy’s, the American pop star Rihanna dropped a limited-edition NFT music collection of her hit track “Bitch better have my money.” But here’s the rub: The NFTs give holders 0.0033% streaming royalties on the song, for life.
Finally, legendary rapper and Web3 advocate Snoop Dogg, was revealed as a co-founder of the Web3 live-streaming platform Shiller. The company plans to launch sometime this month and will open doors for content creators to connect directly with fans.
Music is one area of Web3 that’s grown slowly and steadily over the years. Now, an internationally known band like Pussy Riot putting its stamp on the metaverse is more good news for the industry. At Rarity Sniper, we’ll keep our ears to the ground for new developments in the story.
To learn more about Web3 music, check out our latest article “What is NFT music?”