Metaversal is a Bankless newsletter for weekly level-ups on NFTs, virtual worlds, & collectibles

Dear Bankless Nation,

Launched early last year, Async Art has since become the leading programmable art platform in the NFT ecosystem.

Now the Async team continues to rev up and has next set its sights on programmable music with today’s launch of Async Music.

Through this novel system, artists and fans will be able to redefine what is possible with songs and create unprecedented musical memorabilia via NFTs.

For the 101 on how this interesting new release works, my latest Metaversal write-up has you covered! 👇

-WMP

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Async Music Has Arrived!

Async Art fosters “living art created to change over time.” This art has so far centered around programmable visual masterpieces, though today the Async team’s notably widened that focus to programmable musical hits, too, via the launch of Async Music. 

First announced back in March, the Async Music system is another trailblazing effort that will offer collectors novel experiences like being able to collect and influence musical components of Async songs and letting fans mint limited-edition iconic “snapshots” of these songs’ states. 

Specifically, musicians using Async Music will upload Stem Layers, i.e. variations of musical components like vocals, drums, etc., and the eventual and changing collectors of these layers will pick their desired versions of these Stems, leading to a Master Track that’s ever evolving and collaborative. Moreover, changes in Stem Layers affect the appearance of a Master Track’s album cover artwork!

Out of the gate, Async Art is notably limiting Master Tracks to 9 Stem Layers each and 9 variants per Stem, though these limitations are ultimately arbitrary and can be raised over time. And even with these initial checks in place, the possibilities are musically massive as Master Tracks can already have +360,000 unique combinations. 

Async Music Limited Editions

Another major element of the Async Music system is its new Limited Edition Recordings feature, which starts with fans buying what the Async team calls Blank Records. 

These ERC-1155 NFTs can thereafter be burned to mint an ERC-721 audio-visual snapshot of a particular Master Track at a specific point in time. The result? Unique musical memorabilia. 

These Blank Record NFTs can be purchased along three tiers — Silver, Gold, and Platinum — and all have their own respective rarities and prices, so there’s a little something for everyone. Even cooler is that all recordings made from a Master Track are forever available to view through Async’s new dedicated music player. 

Inaugural Lineup

Async Music is kicking things off with an extremely talented and genre-spanning bunch of musicians and creators. These pioneering artists include:

• Connie Digital + Mighty 33

• RAC

• Verdigris Ensemble + Bryan Brinkman

• HMLTD

Zooming Out

The NFT ecosystem and frankly the music world in general has never seen anything like Async Music. The system provides unprecedented ways for artists to compose and release music, and it offers unprecedented ways for ways for fans to enjoy and collect that music. There’s certainly a cultural revolution afoot, and I think programmability is and will continue to be one of its biggest drivers.

Action steps

• 💽 Head over and check out the new Async Music dashboard!

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Not financial or tax advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This newsletter is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.

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