Music streaming platform Spotify expands its Web3 efforts by testing token-enabled playlists in several key markets. Overlord, a Web3 gaming ecosystem, reported on Feb. 22 the start of its partnership with Spotify. The token-enabled community-curated playlist from Overlord may now be accessed via Web3 wallets of those who hold the Creepz nonfungible tokens (NFTs) on Spotify. For now, only Android users from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and New Zealand can unlock the playlists. Other participants in the three-month pilot are Fluf, Moonbirds and Kingship metaverse communities. While Fluf and Moonbirds didn’t share any details on their partnership …

2022 appears to have been a torrid year for investors, and not just those in crypto, with United States (U.S.) bonds experiencing their worst year in centuries and U.S. stocks pulling back nearly 20% since the year began. As of Nov. 30, a Financial Times report noted that a traditional portfolio consisting of 60% stocks and 40% bonds will have seen its worst performance since 1932 when the U.S. was in the midst of the Great Depression. Meanwhile, tech stocks, which some theorize have a correlation with cryptocurrency prices, haven’t had a great year either. An index tracking the performance …

In this week’s newsletter, read about Playboy’s upcoming virtual mansion in The Sandbox (SAND). Check out how a startup is offering lifetime Netflix and Spotify access through nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and how NFTs can bridge gaming and blockchain. Additionally, learn how game company GameStop launched its own NFT marketplace. And, don’t forget about this week’s Nifty News roundup featuring an “Ape Now, Pay Later” scheme from a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform. Playboy to launch first ‘MetaMansion’ in The Sandbox Metaverse platform The Sandbox announced that it has partnered with lifestyle company Playboy to launch a digital version of the popular …

On Friday, Web3 subscription and ticketing solution provider Revuto announced a novel subscription model for Netflix and Spotify, using a nonfungible token (NFT) solution. Revuto said it would offer a lifetime digital subscription for Netflix and Spotify via its Revolution NFT. A total of 10,000 users would be eligible to get their hands on the unique subscription model. Dino Ivankovic, head of business development at Revuto explained how these subscription-based NFTs could become an ecosystem of their own. He told Cointelegraph: "We aim to bring more control to the end-user. NFT technology will allow users to monetize their unused subscriptions …

Major music streaming platform Spotify is reportedly testing the option to include nonfungible token (NFT) galleries on musicians’ profiles. Should the trial succeed, the embedding of NFTs would serve to improve artist and fan experiences. Reports surfaced on Friday that Spotify is running a test for select users of the platform’s Android app in the United States. These users can see the NFT previews on the artists’ profiles. Currently, there are only two such artists, DJ and producer Steve Aoki and indie rock band The Wombats — both of which are known for their adoption of NFTs. It’s not possible …

The Metaverse is quickly becoming one of the biggest trends of 2022. Recent data found that the metaverse sector currently has a market capitalization of over $26 billion. While impressive, new capabilities are also being added to virtual worlds to create more immersive experiences. For example, metaverse communities that cater to creatives are starting to unfold, allowing users to customize their own interactive experiences. Although this is still an emerging concept, the incorporation of music appears to be one of the defining characteristics of social metaverse environments. Music as NFTs For instance, music in the form of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) …

As popular music streaming services like Spotify cut much of musicians’ revenues, new technologies like nonfungible tokens (NFTs) are likely to help artists grab back their fair share, Saxo Bank predicted. According to one of Saxo Bank’s Outrageous Predictions 2022: Revolution, music creators would benefit from NFT-based streaming platforms as they allow distributing music directly to listeners without centralized middlemen charging a fee. Saxo Bank’s cryptocurrency analyst Mads Eberhardt argued that mainstream music streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music take a substantial cut, which together with the cut paid to labels is some 75% or more of the total …

With digital currency comes innovation, efficiency, and perhaps most importantly, equality. However, before this happens, digital currencies must become simple enough for everyone to use and accessible so that anyone can do so. As it stands today, most crypto services are difficult to use and hard to understand. Moreover, functionality such as participating in spot transactions, futures trading or staking services are not readily available for those already active in traditional markets. Therefore, for mass adoption to become a real possibility, the entire process from purchasing coins to executing a more complex trade needs to be straightforward. The leading crypto …

Blockchain is rapidly becoming the innovative force industry insiders have been promising for years. The number of projects and artists offering their works using it as a core technology may be shifting the current economic model under which most musicians operate. Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, allow independent artists to earn income and engage with their fan base without always relying on a label or streaming service like Spotify. In March, 3LAU, an electronic dance music producer, sold more than $11 million worth of tokens redeemable for real-world goods — including music — in addition to a $3 million token holder …

The revolution will not be televised — it will be minted. Earlier this year, we saw the meteoric rise (and fall) of nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, in mainstream media and popular culture. We all heard about them, but was the hype real? Top businessmen and media moguls, such as Mark Cuban and Gary Vee, still strongly advocate NFT use and the role smart contracts will play in the near future, while each week new NFT exchanges and drops continue to roll out. Jay-Z’s Twitter profile picture is an NFT CryptoPunk. With or without the buzz, one of the most powerful …

Spotify, one of the world’s largest streaming audio providers, is looking for candidates with a crypto background to fill a new role at the company. According to a recent job post, the company is looking for an outstanding associate director to join its payments strategy and innovation department. According to an announcement on LinkedIn, the new job listing was published on Wednesday. The new position is expected to play a key role in defining and implementing Spotify’s payments strategy as well as furthering the company’s involvement in Facebook's recently rebranded crypto project, Diem. The position will also focus on wider …

The crypto-powered Spotify competitor Audius has retroactively distributed 50 million of its native AUDIO tokens to artists and listeners using the platform. The distribution came alongside the launch of the AUDIO governance token on the Audius mainnet, with 5% of the token’s initial one billion supply distributed to its “top 10,000 artists and fans.” Audius seeks to reward content creators and listeners using its governance token, affording them voting rights over how the protocol will evolve in future. The project plans to use blockchain technology to increase transparency and reduce middle-men across the musical supply chain. However, the native token …