Quick take:
- Chartstars will leverage the eco-friendly Flow blockchain.
- It is Billboard’s first scalable NFT product for music fans.
- The first Chartstars NFTs are expected to drop in May.
Billboard has partnered with Universal Music Group (UMG) to launch Chartstars, an NFT project that will leverage the eco-friendly Flow blockchain.
The music and entertainment magazine has tapped Unblocked as its NFT technology partner. Backed by Dapper Labs, Unblocked will enable Chartstars to accept credit card payments for digital collectables and run on the Flow Blockchain platform.
Though Chartstars is Billboard’s first scalable NFT product for music fans, it is the music magazine’s second foray into the NFT space. It made its first move into NFTs on Tuesday in collaboration with World of Women (WoW), releasing three NFT magazine covers designed by WoW creator Yam Karkai, which will be auctioned on FTX’s NFT marketplace later this month. .
Chartstars will consist of a collection of curated artist-focused digital artwork that celebrates achievements and milestones on the Billboard Charts. These digital collectibles will feature officially licensed art and media including short visual clips from music videos, album photography and more.
Collecting and gamification will be built into the platform through collector leaderboards and challenges. Utility will also be baked into the smart contracts, including special access to Billboard Live Events. The first ChartStars products are expected drop in May.
Chartstars collectibles UMG’s roster of artists and labels that have entered the Billboard chart for songs that debut in the Top 25 or reach other significant chart-related successes including but not limited to length of time on the chart, a simultaneous number of songs on the chart and historic chart records, among other milestones.
“For the first time, music fans will now have an opportunity to be forever linked to their favorite artists, by sharing ownership of a moment in time,” said Julian Holguin, President, Billboard. “These digital collectibles will celebrate and commemorate special chart achievements with visually stunning creative. Fans will also compete for real-life prizes, adding an authentic layer of gamification to the entire platform. We could not have asked for a better launch partner than UMG, a company who like Billboard, places artists and fans at the center of everything they do.”
UMG is the only company to have nine of its artists’ albums on Billboard’s Top 10 albums chart. The music company has achieved this feat six times in the chart’s 64-year history. Last year, UMG set a new chart record for occupying the number one spot 38 weeks in a row.
This is UMG’s second NFT partnership, following its recent announcement to team up with NFT platform for entertainment brands and music artists, Curio, to develop NFTs for the music company’s record labels and artists.
Stay up to date:
