Ziggy means business
ZIGGY Marley is venturing into the arena of crytocurrency. He is collaborating with green non-fungible tokens (NFT) platform for music, sports, and lifestyle, OneOf.
According to Bitcoinist, Marley’s NFTs were scheduled for release on October 17, the singer’s birthday.
“Ziggy is a legendary musical giant and we are beyond grateful to have him join the roster of remarkable musicians working alongside OneOf to venture into Web3… We’re honoured to be the NFT platform that connects Ziggy with his fans in new and innovative ways,” Thomas Fiss, OneOf’s vice-president of music, was quoted in the release as saying.
In addition to the NFTs, Marley is expected to release a demo version of the song, Beach In Hawaii, as well as a signed guitar and lifetime access to his shows. The package also includes an opportunity to create a collaborative merchandise release where the winner retains 50 per cent of royalties.
NFT sale proceeds will go to Marley’s charity, the U.R.G.E. Foundation (Unlimited. Resources. Giving. Enlightenment) which supports education and health for children in Jamaica and Ethiopia.
NFTs are a new form of e-commerce involving the sale of one-of-a kind digital commodities which can be resold to the benefit of the creator.
Co-founded by Quincy Jones, OneOf has also secured artiste-direct partnerships with American rapper Doja Cat and singer John Legend.
Marley is not the first reggae artiste to have gone the NFT route. Last year, Kabaka Pyramid announced his partnership with a Brazilian company called Cryptorastas to trade his NFTs.
Prior to that, Cryptorastas announced they had digital artwork for acts such as Lee “Scratch” Perry, Sugar Minott, Sly And Robbie, Jah9, Jesse Royal, Bushman, Yaadcore, Ranking Joe, Michah Shemaiah, Winston McAnuff and Suns of Dub.
Ziggy Marley, 54, is the eldest son of reggae king Bob Marley and his wife Rita Marley. An eight-time Grammy winner, he founded U.R.G.E in 2007.