Billboard partners with Universal Music on new NFT platform

The news comes on the heels of UMG’s announcement that it had partnered with NFT-trading platform Snowcrash this week.

ChartStars will house a collection of artist-focused digital artwork that commemorates achievements and milestones on Billboard Charts. The collections will comprise licensed art and creative content such as visual clips from music videos, album photography and more.

The first products expected to be available for purchase in May. ChartStars has selected Unblocked as an NFT partner, which will allow the company to accept credit card payments for digital collectables and to run on the Flow Blockchain platform.

The partnership will see UMG spotlight songs from its roster of artists and labels that debut in the Top 25 or reach other milestones on the Billboard charts such as length of time on the chart, several songs on the chart simultaneously and historic chart records, among others.

“For the first time, music fans will now have an opportunity to be forever linked to their favourite artists, by sharing ownership of a moment in time,” Billboard president Julian Holguin said. “These digital collectibles will celebrate and commemorate special chart achievements with visually stunning creativity. “We could not have asked for a better launch partner than UMG, a company who like Billboard, places artists and fans at the centre of everything they do.”

UMG’s executive vice-president of digital strategy Michael Nash said: “By harnessing its iconic charts for these compelling digital collectibles, Billboard is creating a ground-breaking new way for artists and fans to celebrate unique achievements and cultural moments. We’re excited to collaborate on this product innovation and open even more avenues for our artists to maximize their creative and commercial potential, all while forging stronger bonds with their fans. These projects, which will be completed with our artists’ creative direction, will be unique assets that every fan will want in their collections.