Aus Music Company ‘Simplifies’ NFTs (Here's How You Can Start Your Collection)

If you’ve been looking to invest in NFTs, or even just want to know what the hell they are, now’s your chance to get involved, with Aussie company Serenade launching a music-specific marketplace tailored just for them.

Rising to popularity last year as a platform that lets fans book exclusive performances from their favourite artists, Serenade is now an eco-friendly digital collectibles marketplace that aims to “simplify and demystify” NFTs, aka Non-Fungible Tokens.

Basically, as Australian tech entrepreneur, music fan and Serenade founder Max Shand told The Music, “NFTs are digital assets that you can put your name to and prove that you own.”

“NFTs allow collectors to go beyond the record collection and add all kinds of wonderful musical items to their personal collection - or Gallery, as we call it on Serenade,” Shand said.

On Serenade, fans will be able to purchase “obscure treasures and gems” including unreleased music, special artwork, or unseen documentary and concert footage, with Jungle, Kaiser Chiefs, Ash, Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip), Ladyhawke, State Champs and more with offerings on the platform.

“While NFTs are generally known as super techy, odd and intimidating items, Serenade is simplifying and demystifying the technology to focus fans on what really matters - the music!" Shand said.

“On Serenade, fans can connect with their favourite musicians in a community of like-minded music lovers, and in this community, they can purchase, trade, resell and showcase the rare and special digital collectibles they purchase on the site. 

“The site is curated to include all the genres and artists you could love.”

For fans, “purchasing an NFT lets you flex the fact that you were there on day one of an artist's journey, or that you're confident that an artist is going to continue being relevant into the future.”

“There's nothing quite like standing at the front of a barely populated pub, listening to a band that you're confident is the next Coldplay,” Shand said.

“Not only does an NFT afford you bragging rights, but it gives you the opportunity to profit from your good taste by purchasing rare goods and selling them in the future when demand has increased.”

And for artists, “there are huge creative and financial benefits for artists to create NFTs.”

“Creatively, there are no limits to what you can create as an NFT,” Shand noted.

“You can expand past the 12-track album, past the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge hit, and offer archival songs, experimental concepts, or exploratory artwork as NFTs right to your fans. Wonderful things that you've always left in the archive to gather dust, or in the back of your mind, now have the format to justify the release. 

“Financially, what's most important is that platforms like Serenade fairly compensate you for your work. On Serenade, you get 85% of the revenue from your initial offerings, and better yet, 15% from each fan-to-fan sale in perpetuity. Getting paid significant royalties in perpetuity is an artist-centric model like never before.”

There’s already a wealth of amazing content on offer on Serenade and it sounds like there’s a lot more to come.

“I'm very excited about an NFT offering we're doing with the shoegaze staple, Ride. I can't share exactly what we're doing with them, but if you're a fan of theirs, it will without a doubt get you excited,” Shand teased. 

"Beyond this, what I'm loving most about our NFTs is the diversity of our offerings. Music, artwork, film - it's a pleasure seeing just how creative artists can be when there's a format that truly celebrates uniqueness."

While the immediate hype around NFTs might be over, Shand said that “good stuff will sell”, so it’s not too late to start a collection.

“The gold rush is over, and as time goes on, artists willing to innovate, experiment, and think deeply about what their fans want, will be the ones to create lasting revenue streams and meaningful audiences through NFTs,” he said.

For more details, head over to the Serenade website.