金牌音樂人助陣,，一支由虛擬猿猴組成的搖滾樂隊(duì)誕生
Lucas Shaw, 彭博社
2022-09-20
音樂制作人詹姆斯·方特勒羅伊已經(jīng)開始為一支由虛擬猿猴組成的樂隊(duì)制作專輯,。圖片來源：ROBERT OKINE—GETTY IMAGES2021年,，在加密貨幣熱潮最鼎盛的時(shí)期，一支由虛擬猿猴組成的搖滾樂隊(duì)橫空出世,。如今,，真正的音樂人正在塑造該樂隊(duì)的樂風(fēng)。聯(lián)袂助陣的,，是一對炙手可熱,、與碧昂斯和蕾哈娜合作過的金牌制作人。
詹姆斯·方特勒羅伊和小昌西·霍利斯（也被稱為Hit-Boy）已經(jīng)開始為Kingship樂隊(duì)制作新專輯,。環(huán)球音樂集團(tuán)（Universal Music Group NV）組建該樂隊(duì),，意在通過出售與藝人相關(guān)的虛擬商品和服務(wù)來獲得收入。聘請樂壇大咖標(biāo)志著該項(xiàng)目進(jìn)入了一個(gè)新階段,。憑借與布魯諾·馬爾斯和賈斯汀·汀布萊克合作的音樂作品,，方特勒羅伊斬獲了多項(xiàng)格萊美獎（Grammy）；Hit-Boy合作過的歌手同樣星光熠熠,，其中包括著名說唱歌手Jay-Z和Nas,。
“唯有延攬最好的創(chuàng)作者、制作人和詞曲作者才有意義,?！杯h(huán)球音樂旗下的10:22唱片公司創(chuàng)始人席琳·喬舒亞說?！霸谖铱磥?，詹姆斯和Hit-Boy是擔(dān)當(dāng)此任務(wù)的不二人選?！?/p>
喬舒亞是Kingship的締造者,。該樂隊(duì)由4個(gè)數(shù)字角色組成，而這些數(shù)字角色來自一個(gè)名為“無聊猿猴游艇俱樂部”（Bored Ape Yacht Club）的非同質(zhì)化代幣（NFT）集合,。她為這些猿猴構(gòu)思了一個(gè)持續(xù)多年的進(jìn)階弧線,，其中包括發(fā)行專輯和元宇宙表演。如果一切遂意,，這支樂隊(duì)將風(fēng)靡全球,，并證明加密貨幣和NFT是音樂行業(yè)的可行工具。
長期以來,，技術(shù)樂觀主義者一直在宣揚(yáng)Web3的燦爛前景,。Web3是當(dāng)今互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的去中心化版本。在那里,，藝人可以通過出售NFT作品來籌集專輯制作資金,。拜區(qū)塊鏈技術(shù)所賜，支付變得更加透明,。音樂團(tuán)體能夠讓他們的粉絲真正成為其音樂事業(yè)的利益攸關(guān)方,。
所有這些都可以讓粉絲與他們喜愛的藝人建立更緊密的聯(lián)系,。擁有Kingship樂隊(duì)NFT作品的人，享有一個(gè)Discord服務(wù)器的特別訪問權(quán),。在那里,，他們能夠彼此交流，或者第一時(shí)間獲悉該樂隊(duì)的新資訊,。還有一些與未來音樂和演出相關(guān)的額外福利,。
加密貨幣崩潰
加密貨幣和NFT市場的崩潰讓這個(gè)造星計(jì)劃變得復(fù)雜化。喬舒亞透露稱,，該計(jì)劃目前尚處于至少七個(gè)階段中的第二個(gè)階段,。
去年11月，在世人對加密貨幣的樂觀情緒接近頂峰之際,，環(huán)球音樂推出Kingship樂隊(duì),。2021年，NFT的銷售額接近250億美元,；作為NFT市場上備受歡迎的加密貨幣,，以太幣（Ether）的價(jià)格達(dá)到近4,800美元的峰值。這個(gè)新的投機(jī)市場讓無數(shù)投資者,、收藏家和整個(gè)社會為之傾倒,。但好景不長，根據(jù)CoinMarketCap的數(shù)據(jù),，以太幣的價(jià)格今年已經(jīng)暴跌了55%以上,。NFT的銷售額目前徘徊在一年來的最低點(diǎn)。
這導(dǎo)致喬舒亞推遲了她為這支樂隊(duì)銷售NFT的計(jì)劃,，并下調(diào)了他們首次銷售的NFT數(shù)量,。但她已經(jīng)重整旗鼓，今年早些時(shí)候通過銷售5,000件Kingship樂隊(duì)的NFT作品獲得了150萬美元的收入,。她還與瑪氏公司（Mars Inc.）達(dá)成協(xié)議,，推出一款特別版的M&M巧克力豆。
“我們已經(jīng)見證了市場的波動和以太幣的衰落,，有太多項(xiàng)目的表現(xiàn)不及預(yù)期,。”喬舒亞說,，“消費(fèi)者的情緒發(fā)生了變化。但我們決定,，或者說我決定,，我們要有一個(gè)發(fā)展規(guī)劃?！?/p>
然而,，她的滿腔熱情引起了方特勒羅伊的注意,。這位音樂人自稱是“技術(shù)迷”，第二職業(yè)是數(shù)字藝術(shù)家,。在比特幣的價(jià)格還是9,000美元的時(shí)候,，他開始收集——現(xiàn)在的交易價(jià)格是19,000美元。他還收藏了30多件NFT作品,。
“我買了一堆到頭來一文不名的東西,。”方特勒羅伊說,?！暗@個(gè)社區(qū)一打眼就讓我萌生了興趣。它將不可避免地過渡到基于粉絲的互動,?！?/p>
最初會見方特勒羅伊和Hit-Boy時(shí)，喬舒亞播放了傳奇搖滾樂隊(duì)范·海倫的代表作《Jump》,，以激發(fā)創(chuàng)作靈感,。這首1984年發(fā)布的歌曲登頂美國Billboard排行榜，并被《滾石》雜志（Rolling Stone）評為有史以來最偉大的200首歌曲之一,。
現(xiàn)在,，方特勒羅伊和Hit-Boy正在思考他們究竟想要這支樂隊(duì)呈現(xiàn)怎樣的樂風(fēng)。圍繞樂隊(duì)成員的個(gè)性討論數(shù)周后,，他們至少已經(jīng)確定了每位成員的首選樂器,。Hud，一只長著激光眼的猿猴,，是樂隊(duì)主唱,。Arnell，一只變異猿猴,，是DJ兼鼓手,。King是貝斯手和主唱。Captain是主吉他手,。
“他們是一支帶有搖滾個(gè)性的搖滾樂隊(duì),。”方特勒羅伊說,，“我們?nèi)匀辉跇?gòu)思他們究竟將以何種方式表達(dá)自己,。”（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）
譯者：任文科
2021年,，在加密貨幣熱潮最鼎盛的時(shí)期,，一支由虛擬猿猴組成的搖滾樂隊(duì)橫空出世。如今，真正的音樂人正在塑造該樂隊(duì)的樂風(fēng),。聯(lián)袂助陣的,，是一對炙手可熱、與碧昂斯和蕾哈娜合作過的金牌制作人,。
詹姆斯·方特勒羅伊和小昌西·霍利斯（也被稱為Hit-Boy）已經(jīng)開始為Kingship樂隊(duì)制作新專輯,。環(huán)球音樂集團(tuán)（Universal Music Group NV）組建該樂隊(duì)，意在通過出售與藝人相關(guān)的虛擬商品和服務(wù)來獲得收入,。聘請樂壇大咖標(biāo)志著該項(xiàng)目進(jìn)入了一個(gè)新階段,。憑借與布魯諾·馬爾斯和賈斯汀·汀布萊克合作的音樂作品，方特勒羅伊斬獲了多項(xiàng)格萊美獎（Grammy）,；Hit-Boy合作過的歌手同樣星光熠熠,，其中包括著名說唱歌手Jay-Z和Nas。
“唯有延攬最好的創(chuàng)作者,、制作人和詞曲作者才有意義,。”環(huán)球音樂旗下的10:22唱片公司創(chuàng)始人席琳·喬舒亞說,?！霸谖铱磥恚材匪购虷it-Boy是擔(dān)當(dāng)此任務(wù)的不二人選,?！?/p>
約書亞是Kingship的締造者。該樂隊(duì)由4個(gè)數(shù)字角色組成,，而這些數(shù)字角色來自一個(gè)名為“無聊猿猴游艇俱樂部”（Bored Ape Yacht Club）的非同質(zhì)化代幣（NFT）集合,。她為這些猿猴構(gòu)思了一個(gè)持續(xù)多年的進(jìn)階弧線，其中包括發(fā)行專輯和元宇宙表演,。如果一切遂意,，這支樂隊(duì)將風(fēng)靡全球，并證明加密貨幣和NFT是音樂行業(yè)的可行工具,。
長期以來,，技術(shù)樂觀主義者一直在宣揚(yáng)Web3的燦爛前景。Web3是當(dāng)今互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的去中心化版本,。在那里,，藝人可以通過出售NFT作品來籌集專輯制作資金。拜區(qū)塊鏈技術(shù)所賜,，支付變得更加透明,。音樂團(tuán)體能夠讓他們的粉絲真正成為其音樂事業(yè)的利益攸關(guān)方。
所有這些都可以讓粉絲與他們喜愛的藝人建立更緊密的聯(lián)系,。擁有Kingship樂隊(duì)NFT作品的人,，享有一個(gè)Discord服務(wù)器的特別訪問權(quán),。在那里，他們能夠彼此交流,，或者第一時(shí)間獲悉該樂隊(duì)的新資訊。還有一些與未來音樂和演出相關(guān)的額外福利,。
加密貨幣崩潰
加密貨幣和NFT市場的崩潰讓這個(gè)造星計(jì)劃變得復(fù)雜化,。喬舒亞透露稱，該計(jì)劃目前尚處于至少七個(gè)階段中的第二個(gè)階段,。
去年11月,，在世人對加密貨幣的樂觀情緒接近頂峰之際，環(huán)球音樂推出Kingship樂隊(duì),。2021年,，NFT的銷售額接近250億美元；作為NFT市場上備受歡迎的加密貨幣,，以太幣（Ether）的價(jià)格達(dá)到近4,800美元的峰值,。這個(gè)新的投機(jī)市場讓無數(shù)投資者、收藏家和整個(gè)社會為之傾倒,。但好景不長,，根據(jù)CoinMarketCap的數(shù)據(jù)，以太幣的價(jià)格今年已經(jīng)暴跌了55%以上,。NFT的銷售額目前徘徊在一年來的最低點(diǎn),。
這導(dǎo)致喬舒亞推遲了她為這支樂隊(duì)銷售NFT的計(jì)劃，并下調(diào)了他們首次銷售的NFT數(shù)量,。但她已經(jīng)重整旗鼓,，今年早些時(shí)候通過銷售5,000件Kingship樂隊(duì)的NFT作品獲得了150萬美元的收入。她還與瑪氏公司（Mars Inc.）達(dá)成協(xié)議,，推出一款特別版的M&M巧克力豆,。
“我們已經(jīng)見證了市場的波動和以太幣的衰落，有太多項(xiàng)目的表現(xiàn)不及預(yù)期,?！眴淌鎭喺f，“消費(fèi)者的情緒發(fā)生了變化,。但我們決定,，或者說我決定，我們要有一個(gè)發(fā)展規(guī)劃,?！?/p>
然而，她的滿腔熱情引起了方特勒羅伊的注意,。這位音樂人自稱是“技術(shù)迷”,，第二職業(yè)是數(shù)字藝術(shù)家,。在比特幣的價(jià)格還是9,000美元的時(shí)候，他開始收集——現(xiàn)在的交易價(jià)格是19,000美元,。他還收藏了30多件NFT作品,。
“我買了一堆到頭來一文不名的東西?！狈教乩樟_伊說,。“但這個(gè)社區(qū)一打眼就讓我萌生了興趣,。它將不可避免地過渡到基于粉絲的互動,。”
最初會見方特勒羅伊和Hit-Boy時(shí),，喬舒亞播放了傳奇搖滾樂隊(duì)范·海倫的代表作《Jump》,，以激發(fā)創(chuàng)作靈感。這首1984年發(fā)布的歌曲登頂美國Billboard排行榜,，并被《滾石》雜志（Rolling Stone）評為有史以來最偉大的200首歌曲之一,。
現(xiàn)在，方特勒羅伊和Hit-Boy正在思考他們究竟想要這支樂隊(duì)呈現(xiàn)怎樣的樂風(fēng),。圍繞樂隊(duì)成員的個(gè)性討論數(shù)周后,，他們至少已經(jīng)確定了每位成員的首選樂器。Hud,，一只長著激光眼的猿猴,，是樂隊(duì)主唱。Arnell,，一只變異猿猴,，是DJ兼鼓手。King是貝斯手和主唱,。Captain是主吉他手,。
“他們是一支帶有搖滾個(gè)性的搖滾樂隊(duì)?！狈教乩樟_伊說,，“我們?nèi)匀辉跇?gòu)思他們究竟將以何種方式表達(dá)自己?！保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng)）
譯者：任文科
A rock band made up of virtual apes, created last year at the height of crypto mania, now has actual musicians putting together its sound—a pair of sought-after producers who have worked with Beyonce and Rihanna.
James Fauntleroy and Chauncey Hollis Jr., better known as Hit-Boy, have begun work on a new album for Kingship, a band Universal Music Group NV formed as part of a bet it can generate revenue from selling virtual goods and services built around acts. The hiring of artistic heavyweights marks a new phase of the project. Fauntleroy has won Grammys for his work with Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake, while Jay-Z and Nas have collaborated with Hit-Boy.
“It only made sense to bring in the best creators and producers and songwriters,” said Celine Joshua, founder of Universal’s 10:22 record label. “For me, that process led to James and Hit-Boy.”
Joshua is the architect of Kingship, which consists of four digital characters from a collection of nonfungible tokens known called the Bored Ape Yacht Club. She has conceived a multiyear story arc for the apes, including album releases and metaverse performances. If all goes according to plan, they’ll take the world by storm and prove cryptocurrencies and NFTs are viable tools for the music industry.
Techno-optimists have long been outlining the promise of so-called Web3, a decentralized version of today’s internet. There, artists can raise money to fund production of an album by selling NFTs. Payments are more transparent, through the use of blockchain technology, and musical groups can give their fans a literal stake in their business.
All of it allows fans to forge a greater connection with their favorite acts. The people who own NFTs for Kingship get special access to a Discord server where they can talk with one another, or learn new information about the group first. There are also perks associated with future music and performances.
Crypto collapse
A collapse in the market for cryptocurrencies and NFTs has complicated the plan, which Joshua said is now in its second of at least seven phases.
Universal unveiled Kingship last November when optimism about cryptocurrencies was near its peak. NFT sales neared $25 billion in 2021 and the price of Ether (a popular currency for NFTs) peaked at almost $4,800. Investors, collectors and society at large were enamored with the new speculative market. The price of Ether has plummeted more than 55% this year, according to CoinMarketCap. Sales of NFTs are currently around their one-year lows.
That caused Joshua to delay her plans to sell NFTs for the band, and reduce the number of NFTs they first sold. But she has regrouped, generating $1.5 million by selling 5,000 Kingship NFTs earlier this year. She also struck a deal with Mars Inc. for a special edition M&M’s.
“We have seen the fluctuations in the marketplace and the decline of Ether and so many projects not fulfilling promises,” Joshua said. “Consumer sentiment changed. But we decided, or I decided, that we have a development plan.”
Yet her enthusiasm helped attract Fauntleroy, a self-professed nerd who has a second career as a digital artist. He started collecting Bitcoin, now trading at about $19,000, when it went for $9,000. He also has a collection of more than 30 NFTs.
“I bought a bunch of things that ended up not being worth” anything, Fauntleroy said. “But when I saw this community, I was like, ‘Oh.’ This is an inevitable transition to fan-based interaction.”
In an early meeting with Fauntleroy and Hit-Boy, Joshua played Van Halen’s “Jump” as an inspiration for the sound. The 1984 song topped the Billboard charts in the U.S. and was ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the 200 greatest songs of all-time.
Fauntleroy and Hit-Boy are now in the middle of working out how they want this group to sound. After weeks debating the members’ personalities, they’ve at least settled on their instruments of choice. Hud, an ape with laser eyes, is a lead singer. Arnell, a mutated ape, is the DJ/drummer. King is the bassist and vocals, and Captain is on lead guitar.
“They are a rock band with rock ‘n’ roll personalities,” Fauntleroy said. “We are still building out exactly how they’ll express themselves.”
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