Warner Music Group will issue Polygon Music NFTs through the LGND platform

Artists signed to Warner Music Group labels will release music NFTs through the upcoming Polygon-based marketplace LGND Music thanks to a multi-year partnership announced today between the major label, Ethereum side chain network, and Web3 music startup.

To be launched in January, LGND music is an online marketplace that will offer songs as NFTs – which fans can buy and listen to through the platform – along with other digital collectibles from musicians.

LGND will offer both desktop and mobile apps for interacting with the NFTs, as well as an iTunes-like experience for Web3, and the company says it will also support music NFTs from other platforms.

However, NFT purchases made via LGND’s iOS app will be subject to Apple’s controversial 30% in-app purchase feeconfirmed a spokesperson for LGND Decrypt.

Warner Music and LGND have yet to name any of the artists who will release NFTs through the platform, but WMG’s popular label Spinnin’ Records is part of the deal. Spinnin’ Records is a major player in electronic dance music, and has released tracks from artists such as David Guetta, Tiesto, R3HAB and Robin Shultz.

Electronic dance musicians have no doubt leaned into crypto and Web3 more than any other genreand Warner’s move only continues that trend. Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, 3LAUand Dillon Francis are among the biggest electronic artists who have bought or sold NFTs and advocated for the technology.

But LGND does not necessarily want to push the concept of self-storage – where users keep their own assets in a decentralized wallet that MetaMask– on the users. For many crypto enthusiasts, self-storage is an important upside to Web3, which allows holders to keep their own private keys to their assets and avoid centralized risk.

For more mass market platforms like LGND, self-storage and crypto wallets is sometimes seen as a complicated – or even unnecessary – aspect when it comes to introducing mainstream users.

“LGND Music will never force you to connect to a cryptocurrency wallet to explore the platform, and will keep all your assets safe in your collection,” the website states. That said, users who prefer self-storage will have the option to connect to their own wallets if desired.

Polygon Studios CEO Ryan Wyatt said in a statement that he believes Polygon’s partnership with WMG and LGND is an “exciting milestone for the music industry.”

“The way we own and experience music is evolving, fully embracing decentralized technologies and collectibles,” added Wyatt.

WMG has entered into a number of Web3 partnerships this year. In January, it announced plans to bring metaverse concerts and events into The sandboxand followed it up in February with a pact with the crypto game Splinterlands to develop “arcade-style” games around its artists. It has also partnered with top Ethereum NFT marketplace OpenSea to help bring artists into Web3.