By Gerelyn Terzo, Wealth of Geeks
If there was any question that NFTs have made their way into the mainstream, electronic pop singer Kiesza has put them to rest. The “Platinum-selling dance music artist” introduced her NFT collection on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, but these are not just any digital collectibles. They are a virtual band known as the Milkyway Pirates, and they have just proven that NFTs are an innovation that can steal the show.
The Milkyway Pirates gorillas, known as Fooboos, can be seen dancing while playing virtual guitar and keyboard behind Kiesza on Ellen’s farewell season. NFTs have been featured on talk shows before, like Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show. But until now, they’ve mainly been focused on art. The Milkyway Pirates have thrust NFTs into a new light before a mainstream audience of over a million viewers.
Preview of my performance today on @TheEllenShow !! pic.twitter.com/EAKoMVPGJp
— Kiesza (@Kiesza) March 22, 2022
Much of the response on social media was positive, with fans cheering the performance and anticipating Kiesza’s own NFT drop. However, not everyone was impressed, with one follower comparing the NFTs to the “$10 costume at the bad-taste party.”
NFTs to the Moon
Keisza stumbled upon NFTs while recovering from a tragic automobile crash several years ago. She immediately spotted an opportunity through which independent musical artists could be “empowered.” After connecting with a 3-D animation artist, the pair embarked on a journey to launch the Milkyway Pirates through a QGlobe accelerator program.
According to the announcement, the Milkyway Pirates NFT collection launched on March 22 and includes “a ticket to outer space in 2023.” The ticket goes to one of the NFT minters, and it lands them a spot on a space mission with Keisza and some other mysterious electronic dance music (EDM) sensation.
NFTs and Celebs
It was probably no coincidence that Keisza debuted her Milkyway Pirates NFT creatures on Ellen’s show. The talk show host, known for her dance moves, is no stranger to these digital assets. She recently launched her own collection that raised close to $35,000 for Chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen.
That tally is a drop in the bucket compared to other popular NFT sets, like the Bored Ape Yacht Club. These digital ape avatars don’t sing or dance, but they do give owners access to an exclusive metaverse club and can fetch hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
Pop star Justin Bieber owns a couple of BAYC NFTs, the most recent of which he plunked down over a cool million to get. He is part of a celebrity club that extends to Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and others.
The Bored Apes even inspired a new cryptocurrency called ApeCoin, the price of which has gone from $1 to about $13.60 in about a week.
Meanwhile, Ellen’s collection continues to be auctioned off if you have to have a digital cat.
Ellen is not the only celeb with her own NFT collection. American rapper Snoop Dogg has teamed up with Wiz Khalifa for the launch of an Ape and BAYC-themed musical NFT collection. These NFTs are based on a combination of the ApeCoin and the BAYC, and they feature a group of eight song tracks. The ApeCoin has rallied 3% on March 24, the day Snoop Dogg’s NFT set made its debut.
Spotify & Instagram Catch NFT Fever
While musical NFTs might have yet to gain as much traction as their digital art counterparts, they are off to a running start. According to the Financial Times, Spotify, which boasts over 400 million subscribers, is integrating blockchain tech and NFTs into its podcast platform. Spotify is hiring for a couple of Web3 jobs, which tipped the company’s hand to its metaverse plans as it seeks to take on the likes of Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta.
Speaking of Meta, the company also has plans to add NFT capabilities to its Instagram platform. Zuck revealed that NFTs would be added to the wildly popular photo-sharing site sooner than later.
Twitter and Reddit are also drumming up their NFT strategies, not to be outdone. If celebs and social media are any indications, it seems as though NFTs are just getting started.
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