Brand Partner ContentMany events have gone through a makeover following COVID-19, but we’ve come a long way since Zoom-based live-streams or reduced capacity concerts. As performers and organizations bounce back from the pandemic, many live events have been able to step up their engagement tactics. And in some cases, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are to thank for that.
NFTs, which represent digital ownership of an item, like a concert ticket, on the blockchain, can offer holders an array of advantages. Coachella began selling NFTs to fans, which—in addition to granting entrance to the festival—are expected to come with an abundance of VIP perks. But the popular music festival is not the first to use the blockchain-based technology in the music industry.
Mola Chill Club offers NFT-based membership, which gives holders exclusive, limited access to purchase NFT-tickets for their global concert series. Each concert has a star-studded lineup of performers, and past Mola events featured acts like Kings of Convenience, Joy Crookes, Elephant kind, Seal, Anne-Marie, and Weezer. Mola Chill Club is breathing new life into the entertainment industry with events that are more than just concerts, and their use of NFTs is welcoming a more immersive fan experience.
A series for the books
The Mola Chill Club launched their collection of NFTs earlier this year, which granted holders access to the private Mola Chill Club and its exclusive global music events, including its concert series.
Upon purchasing the NFTs on OpenSea, members were aware each one provided concert access. A handful of lucky buyers were pleasantly surprised to learn select NFTs in the collection came accompanied by surprise features, including an artist meet and greet, backstage access, and two-way flights to the first event.
The Mola Chill Club kicked off the first leg of its concert collective on March 2nd in London, featuring indie singer Rex Orange County, with an appropriate Mola Chill County Fair theme.
The series continued on March 23rd with another show featuring UK’s number one chart topper, Central Cee, alongside Sainte and Bossy LDN. Titled Mola Chill 2303, the other-worldly sci-fi themed event took place in London, but transported attendees to a futuristic universe set in the year 2303.
The theme encapsulated an alternate reality where androids have taken over humans’ jobs, and robots and AI songwriters have become the only sanctioned performers. The event was brought to life by actors and cinematic sets complete with VR entertainment and games for a fully immersive experience.
With 468 NFT holders at the second London event, Mola Chill Club impressively sold out the UK’s first ever fully NFT ticketed event, and one of the first in the world. Because of this success, it will continue the Mola Chill 2303 experience in other cities, including Glasgow, Dublin, and Manchester.
Ushering in a new world of entertainment
As the mainstream becomes more keen to discover what the world of decentralized technology has to offer, there is an apparent interest in NFTs and how they can offer more perks, beyond the traditional concert experience. The typical ticket might be more familiar, but its versatility pales in comparison to its NFT counterpart.
This is only the beginning of NFTs in music, as Lupe Fiasco and Gucci Mane recently announced that they will use the NFT ticketing platform, Defy, to sell tickets to their upcoming shows. This partnership comes with the goal of using digital smart tickets to add extra transparency and remove the guessing game for attendees about ticket security and validity.
But mainstream audiences have not entirely come around to full-blown acceptance of NFTs yet, something the music industry must be conscious of before welcoming a total switch to NFT ticketing. To cater to the less crypto-savvy crowd, Mola has offered its assistance with a simple, step-by-step explanation of how to purchase an NFT on its website.
Whether a previous buyer of NFTs or not, the technology has the potential to disrupt entertainment as we know it and Mola has illustrated how events can be entirely reimagined. Immersive experiences that transport attendees to a new world now, whether a county fair or an alternate future, can bring us into an entirely new world of music and entertainment.
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