Warner throws The Sandbox party 🎉 for DJ hunt

South Korea entertains the metaverse, Megan Thee Stallion stuns with Hottieverse, plus other top stories

🎵 Metaproof Music

Hey friends, this is Sophia from 🎵 Metaproof Music, the weekly newsletter where we keep you informed on how the metaverse and web3 are changing the music industry.

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📲 By the numbers

  • There are several kinds of music NFT drops: A 1/1 NFT (or one-of-one) means that the NFT has been issued as a single, unique item; an open edition is an NFT in which an unlimited number of editions can be minted; while a limited edition is restricted to a predefined number of editions - a finite number of NFTs are available for minting, and many such collections consist of 10,000 editions. (Source)

  • Decentralized web3 music streaming service Audius, which has over 7 million monthly listeners and over 250,000 artists, offers services to musicians who wish to share their most exclusive content with their followers. In July 2022, Audius announced a new feature for creators to monetize their content by allowing listeners to send tips to artists. (Source)

đź“« News & trends

Warner Music Group and Spinnin' Records have joined forces for the virtual release party of the "World's Biggest Demo Drop" DJ talent contest. The winners will have their music released as NFTs through LGND Music, a subsidiary of WMG. The details:

  • The release party, which runs from January 26 to February 8, will be held in The Sandbox virtual world, a gaming platform that allows users to create, share, and monetize content in a virtual universe. The Sandbox offers a new platform for fans to experience and engage with music, while also providing a new revenue stream for artists.

  • The virtual release party combines the worlds of music and gaming, allowing fans to access new music through NFTs.

  • The NFT release gives the winners of the DJ talent contest exposure and the opportunity to monetize their music.

The recent crypto crash has led to decreased value for NFTs and virtual real estate, including the land owned by Warner Music Group in The Sandbox. Yet overall, the virtual release party demonstrates the potential for NFTs to disrupt the music industry and provide new opportunities for artists and fans alike.

South Korea is a hub of tech innovation and is at the forefront of the metaverse revolution, investing heavily in the space and potentially serving as a blueprint for other countries looking to harness their own metaverse economies. With the infrastructure, talent, and investment to play a key role, the country has been a testing ground for cutting-edge technology, and the latest development is the rise of virtual K-pop groups.

K-pop has been a staple in the Korean entertainment industry for years, and companies are now taking the next step by creating a K-pop group that exists solely in cyberspace. Korean “virtual influencers” like Rozy and Lucy boast Instagram followings in the six figures and promote very real brands, like Chevrolet and Gucci, and they have been purposely made to look almost real, but not quite - the “near-human quality” forms part of their appeal.

The success of the metaverse in South Korea is not a sure thing, and it remains to be seen if the country's companies will be able to take a leading role in this new virtual universe. Only time will tell if South Korea can become a leader in the metaverse, but for now, the country is worth keeping an eye on as it pushes the boundaries of what's possible in cyberspace.

Megan Thee Stallion's recent virtual reality concert Enter Thee Hottieverse is a standout experience for fans of the hip-hop artist.

The concert combines Megan's music and dynamic dance moves with cutting-edge virtual reality technology, delivering an innovative and unconventional show that began in spring 2022 as a concert series that took place in movie theaters in 15 cities, with a total of more than 100 screenings. At each screening, the approximately 100 to 130-member audience was provided with Quest 2 headsets.

The concert, a celebration of female empowerment and body positivity, features interactive elements, such as drumming and fireworks, making it a truly immersive experience. It may not be the cup of tea of non-fans of hip-hop or Megan's style (or the limited four songs available may be a turnoff), yet Enter Thee Hottieverse is a testament to creativity and the ability to push the boundaries of traditional concerts. It's a must-see for the artist’s fans or the techno-curious.

AltspaceVR, the social virtual reality platform, announced it will be shutting down on March 10, 2023. The closure comes as its developers move the focus to Microsoft Mesh, a mixed-reality communication platform designed for business use.

Microsoft Mesh in a nutshell: It uses 3D captures to allow people to work together as if they were in the same physical space, making it a valuable tool for remote collaboration. However, it lacks the social features offered by AltspaceVR such as club nights with live DJs, hosting events and creating communities.

Despite this, VRChat remains the dominant platform for social experiences in virtual reality. It remains to be seen how Microsoft Mesh will carve out its place in the VR market, and if it will be able to attract users looking for a social virtual reality experience. We’ll keep our eyes glued for updates on the shifting VR landscape.

In 2022, AI made a big splash in the tech scene, rapidly expanding its reach and capabilities. The development of AI has been ongoing for several years, but the year marked a turning point, as AI capabilities have been “productized” and made more accessible to the public. A case in point: ChatGPT, using this method called reinforcement learning with human feedback.

As a result, the industry has shifted toward a more centralized model, with AI becoming more complex than other technologies. While this centralization has the potential to increase efficiency, it also brings with it a level of uncertainty. Some experts, for one, predict that AI may not be as popular or effective in the future as it is now.

Only time will tell how AI will continue to shape the tech space, but one thing is certain: ChatGPT is fast becoming more compelling than anything crypto has developed in 16 or 17 years.

Web3 is transforming the concept of fandom, especially in music, allowing fans to have a more equal and direct connection with artists. This change is facilitated through digital collectibles that serve as both digital art and access points to digital communities. Fans who hold these collectibles in their digital wallet gain access to exclusive experiences and events.

The digital collectible collection for the hit track "A Hard Working Man" - a song released as a labor of love for The Avila Brothers, Billy Ray Cyrus and Snoop Dogg - is an example of how artists can use blockchain technology to tell important stories and connect more deeply with their fans. Animal Concerts, a company that creates metaverse experiences and connects fan communities with artists, is partnering with the musicians to launch the digital collectibles in web3.

A key takeaway: Digital collectibles are more than just a piece of art or something for utility - they’re a foundation for meaningful connections between artists and their fans.

A new approach to consuming podcast content has arrived, giving listeners the chance to earn real-world money. The concept is called listen-and-earn and is being offered through the Fountain podcast app. With a user-friendly design and no need for blockchain integration, the Fountain app is touted as accessible for everyone, currently with 50 podcast shows available for streaming.

Some may argue that traditional podcasting platforms are not offering returns for the content creators who are keeping the brands afloat. There is also a possibility that it may be a hard road for the listen-and-earn concept to become mainstream.

Regardless, listen-and-earn provides a unique opportunity for podcast listeners to earn money while they enjoy their favorite shows. Download the Fountain app to discover this up-and-coming blockchain prospect.

MusicLM is a model for generating high-fidelity music from text, producing music at 24 kHz that remains consistent over several minutes.

The model does the job based on text descriptions such as “A calming violin melody backed by a distorted guitar riff.” MusicLM casts the process of conditional music generation as a hierarchical sequence-to-sequence modeling task, with experiments showing that it outperforms previous systems both in audio quality and adherence to the text description. Moreover, MusicLM supposedly can be conditioned on both text and a melody in that it can transform whistled and hummed melodies according to the style described in a text caption.

The researchers publicly released MusicCaps, a dataset composed of 5.5k music-text pairs, with rich text descriptions provided by human experts. @dadabots on Twitter dubbed the melody conditioning examples as amazing, suggesting adding it to dance diffusion. We’re becoming more curious by the minute on these developments on the field, so we’ll definitely report back on how the tech pans out!

DAILLY, the London-based producer, DJ, and audiovisual artist, has made his highly anticipated web3 debut with Metamorphic. After four years of creative exploration and experimentation, DAILLY has produced a 3D audiovisual experience that pushes the boundaries of what's possible in the world of music and technology.

Partnering with the dev team at Beets DAO and creative director Jeff Metal, DAILLY was able to bring his vision to life. He stepped away from commercial success to reconnect with his roots and explore his experimental proclivities, resulting in a unique and innovative project.

Metamorphic is considered a must-see for fans of DAILLY and those interested in the intersection of music, technology, and art. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting project.

JX'23 is holding its inaugural event to celebrate Japanese innovators in entertainment, and to honor leaders in music, animation, entertainment and web3, at the legendary GRAMMY Museum on February 9. Some features to look forward to:

  • Panel discussions and a special performance by world-renowned Japanese musician MIYAVI

  • The Global Achievement Award to ONE OK ROCK and its Culture Impact Award in Film presented to STUDIO CHIZU, based on board nominations from their board

  • JX'23 panelists include web3 company Animoca Brands Japan CEO Moto Tani

This is said to mark the first of events created as a bridge between the United States and Japan, amplifying relevant innovations to the broader global audience.

AOA's Im Chan-mi recently appeared on the music survival show Girl's Re:verse, which invites 30 singers from different K-pop girl groups to pose as VR characters and compete in the metaverse.

According to Chan-mi, the virtual platform of the show gave her the freedom to create what she liked and showcase her true musical abilities. She felt that appearing on the show allowed her to break free from the constraints and expectations that are often placed on K-pop artists.

In the show that incorporates high-end tech with K-pop – the contestants hide their real-life identities and, wearing VR headsets and controllers in separate spaces, showcase their skills and talents through their virtual avatars - Chan-mi's appearance serves as both a challenge and a vehicle for freedom of expression. It’s a “refreshing” experience in her 12-year music career, the artist quipped.

K-pop group sensation MONSTA X will be performing in the virtual world of iHeartLand on February 10. Fans can catch their electrifying performance in State Farm Park, Fortnite, and Roblox. Here’s what to expect:

  • In anticipation, fans can purchase a MONSTA X Glow Stick from the iHeartLand UGC store, providing a unique and immersive experience during the performance.

  • Jake from State Farm will close out the concert from State Farm Park, inviting players to check out iHeartLand's mini games and show off their best dance moves on the dance floor.

  • Fans can participate in "How Fan Are You?" a trivia game that tests their knowledge of MONSTA X, and prove themselves as the group’s biggest fan while winning some exciting prizes.

Limited access to the performance due to technical issues, alongside challenges posed by the varying time zones, may potentially occur, yet MONSTA X performing in the metaverse shows the sign of the times: novel, exciting ways to narrow the distance between fans and artists.

đź’¸ Finance buzz

  • Hume, an LA-based web3 music company that creates digital artists, acquired music startup Blocktones in its bid to create a music label for the web3 world and upend the music industry by building a new compensation model that circumvents the traditional labels. (Source)

  • Hume also recently appointed music industry veteran Adrian Karvinen as VP of music business & partnerships, where he will be responsible for building culture-shifting partnerships between metastars - metaverse-native virtual artists - and brands and artists to drive interactive fan experiences. (Source)

  • Twitter co-founder Biz Stone joins the board of audiovisual startup Chroma. Exploring ways users could interact with audio and sound whether for play, meditation, relaxation, or music composition - lending itself well to the ubiquitous “metaverse equipment” - Chroma raised $5.4M in seed funding in 2022. (Source)

🗣️ Quote of the week

“Releasing music NFTs is a long game. If your goal is to reap all the rewards today, you have the wrong mindset. Bring people into your world.” 

Rob Abelow, founder & COO of web3 music company Dopr; CEO and founder of Roll Call Records

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All content on this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not aim to serve as or replace expert investment advice.

If you are a startup building in the metaverse / web3 ecosystem and are raising capital, please reach out to Sfermion. Sfermion is an investment firm focused on accelerating the emergence of the metaverse.

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