Can NFTs Change How We Value Music?

Last week, the Tennessee rock band Kings of Leon announced they’d be releasing their new album, When You See Yourself, as a non-fungible token (NFT) —a digital, blockchain-based collectible. In this case, it works a little like a deluxe edition or a bundle; the NFT comes packaged with a set of MP3s and an animated version of the cover art, as well as a physical copy of the vinyl.

These perks aren’t nothing, but it’s tempting to view the whole rollout as a cynical attempt to cash in on the hype around NFTs and get the band widespread media attention—and it certainly did. 

NFTs are everywhere right now, from the NBA to Taco Bell, and artists like Grimes, Yaeji, and Toro Y Moi have been testing the waters. Grimes sold a collection of visual art for over $6 million; 3LAU, an EDM musician, made $11 million by selling an album as 33 individual NFTs; and Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park has sold several multimedia pieces through the NFT marketplace Zora. The website XLR8R announced a dedicated marketplace for music NFTs earlier this week, and there’s a burgeoning cottage industry of NFT auction houses looking to bring these collectibles to the masses.

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