Deadmau5 has been on a collaborative hot streak in 2021, releasing April’s Rezz collab “Hypnocurrency,” July’s Lights collab “When the Summer Dies” and October’s Foster The People collab “Hyperlandia.”
On Thursday (Dec. 2), the producer extends this pattern with “this is fine,” a new single with indie rock outfit Portugal. The Man being released via the producer’s own Mau5trap label and available exclusively as an NFT.
The “this is fine” NFT has a circulating supply of one million via NFT platform Mintbase. The individually numbered NFTs are being sold as separate units for .25 NEAR, or approximately $2.19, per piece. (This type of sale is similar to buying a song download from iTunes during the pre-streaming era.) The NFT includes cover art (see this image below) along with “multiple metaverse integrations and rewards coming for collectors of this NFT,” per a press release.
During Art Basel Miami, which is happening now through Dec. 4, 750,000 units of “this is fine” are available for purchase. (The project is being promoted in Miami via advertising on the sides of busses.) The remaining units will be sold as a mix of single units and bundled units, each coming with various benefits.
Both advocates of blockchain technology, Deadmau5 and Portugal. The Man are hoping this project will help “modernize industry standards” with regards to RIAA certifications and evolving music distribution technology. If all million “this is fine” NFTs are sold, the song would hypothetically be eligible for platinum certification, according to RIAA guidelines that include pricing requirements and fan demand.
Nothing about an NFT would preclude it from being eligible for certification given these RIAA guidelines, although certification must be applied for and applications can only be submitted following the release of a project.
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