Def Jam has signed its first NFT act, a Gorillaz-esque virtual rock band called The Whales.
In accordance Billboardthe group, which consists of cartoon whale characters, was signed to Def Jam in collaboration with The Catalina Whale Mixer – a collective of 5,555 NFT avatars on the Solana blockchain.
The band, and the collective, were both created by WAGMI Beach in December 2021, with The Whales born from a meeting between Ben Willis, Joshua Andriano and Def Jam’s DJ Mormile and Ryan Rodriguez.
“We pitched the idea of a community-grown avatar group to DJ and [they] just got it,” Willis said Billboard. “Working with Def Jam to release this unique new music project is a dream come true.”
Def Jam confirmed that the NFT band will soon release their debut album, but would not comment on who the musicians are at the helm of the project, saying only that it would be a “who’s who” of talent.
WAGMI Beach added that they believe the NFT model will change the way artists and labels engage with fans.
“At the core of all the NFT and Web3 attention is fundamental technology change that will change how music and art are consumed by generations to come,” co-founder Alec Lykken said in a statement. “This is our first dive into what we believe is an incredible new wave for artists and fans alike.”
The news comes after Hit-Boy and James Fauntleroy announced last September that they had also begun work on a new album for a digital band known as Kingship, who are signed to Universal Music Group’s 10:22 label.
The group was formed by record executive Celina Joshua, who designed the “band members” as a collection of NFTs made up of Bored Ape Yacht Club characters.
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Despite the recent crash in crypto’s value, Kingship has continued to generate $1.5 million in revenue. Joshua also revealed that the group now has a deal with M&M’s, announcing the deal in the band’s first ever animated clip called “Rider”. She is now ready to take this digital band to the next level.
“KINGSHIP’s journey is rooted in storytelling, experiences and music,” Joshua said in a statement. “I am incredibly grateful that Hit-Boy and James Fauntleroy, two of the most influential and creative geniuses in the industry, are joining forces to develop the music and sound for KINGSHIP.”
Hit-Boy echoed this sentiment. “I’m always looking to push things forward musically,” he added in a statement, “and this is a great opportunity to do something new in the web3 space.”
By August, the KINGSHIP NFTs had sold out and were currently ranked #1 on the OpenSeas Music NFT chart.
