In Crypto: Disney Launches First ‘Metaverse’
Cryptocurrency
Disney Music Group and Obsess have launched the virtual Disney Music Emporium experience.
The immersive online store provides fans with a virtual way to discover, listen to, learn about and purchase soundtracks and songs from Disney’s extensive catalog.
“We are excited to partner with Obsess to launch an exciting new shopping experience for our Disney Music Emporium store. As we prepare to celebrate 100 years of Disney, this is the perfect way to create discovery and fun for our guests, says Ken Bunt, president of Disney Music Group.
The virtual Disney Music Emporium experience offers an extensive selection of Disney movie and TV soundtracks on CD and vinyl formats in addition to rich content, including a timeline of musical highlights from 100 years of Disney history.
Visitors can click to learn about and listen to music from Disney’s groundbreaking 1928 debut of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Steamboat Willie, the first cartoon released with synchronized sound; 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; and Fantasia from the 1940s, with a score performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra.
The century-long timeline also highlights music from beloved and iconic films and series such as Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King, Frozen, The Mandalorian and Encanto.
Visitors can also connect directly to the Disney Hits podcast on streaming services through the virtual store, as well as Walt Disney Records’ curated playlists of songs from across Disney’s film and television catalog.
“We are so excited to bring the wonder of Disney music to fans in a new way and for Disney Music Group to use the Obsess platform to create this immersive Web3 experience,” said Neha Singh, founder and CEO of Obsess.
“As Disney prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary, this Disney Music Emporium virtual environment honors the company’s musical history while providing visitors with a thoroughly modern brand and sensory experience.”
Obsess is a participant in the 2022 Disney Accelerator, a business development program designed to accelerate the growth of innovative companies from around the world.
Cryptocurrency shorts
Warner Bros intends to use NFTs to provide access to exclusive content and films. It has partnered with Web3 firm Eluvio to launch ‘WB Movieverse’, which uses NFTs as authentication for users to access movies, behind-the-scenes videos and photos. The first offering is an extended edition of The Lord of the Rings in 4K resolution with bonus material, available at two levels of NFTs.
Fireblocks will launch a new product that supports payment service providers, banks and FinTechs in their transition to stablecoin payments and settlements. Worldpay is a pilot partner along with Checkout.com, which has already processed over $1 billion in stablecoin settlements in the pilot phase.
An amendment to the UK’s Financial Services and Markets Bill would extend the law’s powers to regulate financial promotion and other activities of crypto-assets.
FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has faced a backlash on Twitter for his blog post outlining his vision for crypto regulation, with critics claiming he only wants to replicate the current financial system and is out of touch with the goals of early adopters. However, Evgeny Gaevoy, CEO of Wintermute, said that “Crypto Twitter” is a “small subset of the world” and “US regulators and politicians as well as the wider user base matter a lot more”.
Crypto prices
The total market capitalization of the 21,400 coins is $932 billion at the time of writing (07:00 UK), up from 913 billion dollars on Friday morning.
For summaries of the latest developments in cryptocurrency news, click here.
For valuations of the top 100 coins by market cap in US dollars, plus 24-hour price change, see below.