We caught up with J’something at the launch of the Loop x Jay Em NFT Project in Sandton, Johannesburg, and judging by his enthusiasm when speaking about this newly launched blockchain-based technology for all things music, and what it means to him as an artist, this is no doubt something industry folks and South African music lovers alike should really be excited about.
“I think we use the word future a lot, and I think if you are an artist, you’re constantly trying to find the sound or the vibe of the future. You wanna be ahead of the game, and I think what JM is doing is to show the people is a little glimpse into the future. This is an album, just like any EP you know except it’s not available on Apple or Spotify. It’s available through NFT, and instead of you streaming it for free, you get to invest into the project and be part of the music and own these songs. So you’re literally buying into the assets, and there so much more attached to it. And for me as artist, this is something I’m really proud to be part of.”
On how does it directly benefit the artist, and why should we be moving to that direction, he says:
“The first benefit is that we get to have real connection with people that really love what we do. You know, we have a culture that’s obsessed with more, that bigger is better, that the more followers you have that’s better, and that’s bulls***. As artists, it’s always about quality. Yes, some people are about quantity and that’s fine, but people like myself and Jay EM is always about quality, and we want to connect with people on a real level.
“So primarily, buying a thousand NFTs means you can get to connect with thousand people that are genuinely interested with your stuff. It’s not like putting up stuff on Twitter and hoping that somebody sees it, you know like you’re judging your things based on likes. This is a whole another level of connection.
“Second thing is that with 1000 NFTs sold at a 1000 bucks, you’re literally putting cash into the pockets of the artists. Thus means they then are able to go on tour, they can go and put on projects, make merchandise without having to have a label pay for that, and get to save 80/90% of the ownership of the project. It’s that and a lot more. Basically, you’re allowing artists to be creative – and you as an investor, you’re tapping into something and cool.”
