BANGKOK, Aug. 6, 2021 — HotPlay has finalized it’s listing on the NASDAQ stock market, one of the largest stock exchanges in the United States based on market capitalization, under the new name "NextPlay Technologies Inc." This change was effective June 30th 2021.
HotPlay announces the completion of a merger with Monaker Group as it begins trading on NASDAQ under the name “NextPlay” (NXTP)
After HotPlay has completed a merger with a NASDAQ-listed company, Monaker Group, the company’s name will be changed to NextPlay Technologies Inc. The Company’s stock will be traded on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol "NXTP", having Nithinan Boonyawattanapisut as the new CEO. This will make Nithinan the first female executive in Thailand to be chief executive officer of a NASDAQ-listed company.
HotPlay is an in-game advertising (IGA) platform provider driven by AI-powered advertising technology and online-to-offline couponing solutions with a hyper-local insertion capability. By successfully listing on NASDAQ, HotPlay marks a historical milestone for the Thai startup community as it became the first Thai startup to be listed on the world’s leading technology-heavy stock market.
NextPlay is confident that this acquisition will further expand it’s growing digital ecosystem that now includes AI-powered AdTech, Digital Connected TV (with a reach to more than 50 million end-users), travel, gaming, FinTech and cryptocurrency banking. Unlike any other solution available in the market today, NextPlay leverages it’s powerful digital platform to connect companies and brands with consumers across multiple interactive media channels including SmartTVs, PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
Nithinan Boonyawattanapisut, CEO of NextPlay, commented that, "This transformative combination brings together Hotplay and Monaker’s recently acquired media and fintech platforms. This integration provides us with more refined and specific information about user demographics through the overlay of geographic information about their neighborhood, subscription choices and spending patterns. All these help us to identify who should be served with which ads more accurately. We believe we are now able to make several game-changing moves to create tremendous synergies across our digital platforms and take advantage of the vast opportunities for the growth and expansion we see ahead of us." She also reiterated that this achievement can be seen as one of the important jigsaws that will help the Company to complete the puzzle in regard to it’s international expansion strategy.
The Company’s stock has already begun trading on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol "NXTP" since July 9, 2021. Please visit the Company’s new website at www.nextplaytechnologies.com for more information.
SINGAPORE, Aug. 6, 2021 — Oraichain, the world’s first AI-powered data oracle and ecosystem for blockchains, has announced a new strategic partnership with Imba Games Studio, a leading game development studio with over 14 million customers.
Oraichain x Imba brings a new simulation game Kawaii Islands to life with advanced blockchain and innovative AI technologies. Available this August.
This incredible partnership marks Imba’s venture into crypto space and Oraichain’s first step to delivering its advanced technology to the world of GameFi – the gamification of financial mechanisms, including the emerging play-to-earn concept. Imba has been in the game industry for over 6 years and has produced several premium and enjoyable games that serve a wide variety of customers. Their most famous Kawaii series including Kawaii Home Design, Kawaii Mansion, and Kawaii Puzzle has more than 12M downloads on Google Play and App Store.
Imba will be the first game development studio to rely on innovative Blockchain and on-chain AI technologies that Oraichain provides to assist their players with a more dynamic and advanced gaming model and increased transparency of game assets. A new simulation game, Kawaii Islands, will come to life out of this collaboration, promisingly embracing all the companies’ high-quality and cutting-edge features.
An exclusive NFT Marketplace for Kawaii Islands game assets will be on aiRight, a complete system for AI x NFT x DeFi powered by Oraichain.
Facilitating GameFi as an oracle, Oraichain provides Imba and future partners a complete set of AI Oracle features that enrich gaming experience, such as:
Verifiable random function (VRF): securing and verifying issuance of rare items or determination of rarity rates.
NFT issuance and verification: minting and verifying NFTs for game assets with AI-based watermarking as origin proof.
AI price feeds: updating real-time price and exchange rates for cryptocurrencies and NFTs.
AI-based features: customizing AI models to enhance gaming experiences such as profile and character creation and strategy recommendation.
Oraichain also acts as an L1 blockchain with high transaction throughput and low transaction fees and helps bridge assets to Ethereum, BSC, Cosmos-based, and Substrate-based networks.
"Oraichain’s advancements in on-chain AI and blockchain have created a perfect environment for GameFi. The potential is unbounded," said Oraichain CEO, Dr. Chung Dao, who will also be a strategic advisor of Kawaii Islands.
Available soon on Kawaii Global, Google Play, and App Store.
The app debuts on the large screen overlooking New York’s Times Square, showcasing its outstanding AR special effects
SHANGHAI, Aug. 6, 2021 — The iOS version of ToFe, an augmented reality (AR) technology-based mobile short video effecting app developed by Shanghai Lab Systems Co., Ltd. was launched in the App Store in mid-July following the availability of the Android version in the Huawei App Gallery. On July 26, the app made its debut on the large screen overlooking New York’s Times Square, showcasing its amazing interactive special effects powered by AR technology to the world.
Video Effect App ToFe Debuts on the big screen in New York Times Square
With multiple AR-based special effects, ToFe delivers a brand-new interactive video shooting experience to users. Most notably, the app can create a virtual world simply by randomly scanning the real-world environment and virtualizing what is captured, while enabling the motion tracking effects as soon as a human being enters the app’s field of vision.
Unlike the AR effects available on traditional cameras, ToFe takes the special effects up several notches by fully leveraging LiDAR technology, which can scan a specific object and the environment surrounding it by determining the distance of the object from the camera and capturing detailed information through targeting the object with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected laser beam to make the return trip. In addition, the app delivers a truly magical, in-depth interactive experience by allowing users to interact physically and directly with the AR special effects.
Video Effect app ToFe is availabe in the App Store
By integrating LiDAR technology into ToFe iOS version (compatible with iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max), Shanghai Lab Systems has led the way in the depth sensing camera sector and leveraged the ways in which a time of flight (ToF) sensor can be applied to its products.
LiDAR technology for ToFe is likely to see wide application in a number of dynamic scenarios, including 3D scanning, hand gesture and human body tracking as well as motion sensing gaming. The company plans to collaborate with more partners to develop AR-based interactive special effects that are applicable to additional scenarios.
The Developer of ToFe: Shanghai Lab Systems Co., Ltd.
BEIJING, Aug. 2, 2021 — Hello Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MOMO) (the "Company"), a leading mobile social and entertainment platform in China, today announced that it has changed its name from "Momo Inc." to "Hello Group Inc.," effective August 2, 2021. The American depositary shares of the Company, each representing two Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, will begin trading under the new corporate name on August 2, 2021.
About Hello Group Inc.
We are a leading player in China’s online social and entertainment space. Through Momo, Tantan and other properties within our product portfolio, we enable users to discover new relationships, expand their social connections and build meaningful interactions. Momo is a mobile application that connects people and facilitates social interactions based on location, interests and a variety of online recreational activities. Tantan, which was added into our family of applications through acquisition in May 2018, is a leading social and dating application. It is designed to help its users find and establish romantic connections as well as meet interesting people. We also operate a number of other applications to serve different social and entertainment demands from our users.
LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2021 — Transaction was negotiated for IWEB by their Business Development Partners Global Fintech Trading Limited Led by Craig Marshak an experienced Fintech Specialist investment banker who formerly ran a Nomura bank Venture Technology fund in London with considerable success in online gaming, Software and Cybersecurity investments.
Tingo International Holdings, Inc., is the parent company of Tingo Mobile, PLC, a Nigerian limited company. Tingo is a device and a service technology company focused on creating digitally inclusive ecosystems in the AgriTech and FinTech sectors in Africa.
TINGO has posted total revenue figure of $616 million dollars in 2020 and an EBITDA of $220 million dollars (figures based on NGN/USD exchange rate of 360), IWEB is confident that these figures will be exceeded going forwards with expansion and natural upwards progression of the TINGO business
IWEB have agreed to pay $4.00 per share with an issuance of 928 million new shares valuing TINGO at $3.7 Billion USD
Tingo is Nigeria’s leading technology and Device as a Service platform aimed at accelerating digital commerce, especially in Agri-Tech & Fin-Tech verticals in Nigeria. Tingo helps farmers acquire mobile phones through a unique mobile phone leasing scheme, connecting them to mobile and data networks through its virtual mobile network and connecting farmers to markets, services, and resources via Nwassa, its digital AgriTech marketplace platform. Beginning in April 2021, Tingo also launched a beta version of Tingo Pay – a B2C FinTech app aimed at providing financial services including mobile wallets, payment processing and access to specialist lenders and insurers to users inside and outside of the agriculture value chain.
Tingo have over 9 million subscribers and has supplied almost 30 million mobile devices since 2014.
Mobile Phone Leasing: Tingo has distributed almost 30 million mobile handsets since 2014 and will continue to replace the devices of its installed customer base every three years.
Mobile Voice and Data Service: Through a Mobile Virtual Network, Tingo provides its customers with voice and data services.
Nwassa Platform: Tingo’s proprietary AgriTech platform, Nwassa, supports Nigeria’s agricultural value chain with market access. Tingo processes 500k daily transactions with a value of over $8 million, which provides its installed customer base with access to agricultural markets for their crop. Farmers and cooperatives are also supported with packaging, warehousing, and cargo logistics Tingo provides its customers with digital wallet services, which enable them to send and receive domestic payments, monitor cash flow in real time and securely hold money. Tingo provides access to other third-party services such as utility bill payment, virtual airtime top-up, insurance services, and alternative lending solutions.
Tingo Pay: Since the launch of Nwassa platform Tingo has been a dominant player in the B2B FinTech vertical. Tingo has entered the B2C FinTech vertical to extend our B2B play to mass market use cases beyond agriculture.
Market Opportunity
Africa is the second-largest continent by land mass and population. The continent is also the youngest by far, with a median age of 18 years for its 1.3 billion people. Tingo believes the building blocks for growth in Africa’s agriculture industry are in place and that Tingo is well positioned in this space to participate in the upside.
Compelling fundamentals
Strong demographic potential: Sub-Saharan Africa’s population is growing at 2.7% a year, which is more than twice as fast as South Asia (1.2%) and Latin America (0.9%). That means Africa is adding the population of France (or Thailand) every two years. At the current growth rate, the continent’s population will double by 2050. The median age across the continent is 18 years, thirteen years younger than the median age in South America the next youngest continent according to the World Bank. Africa’s youthfulness represents a significant opportunity for material growth in demand for agricultural commodities. This younger generation is also being born into a "networked" world and is more comfortable using technology to achieve their goals.
Improving business conditions: Africa’s governments are paying more attention to improving business conditions for entrepreneurs and small businesses on the continent. Sub-Saharan Africa’s World Bank Doing Business rank has improved by c.20 points from 45 in 2004 to 65 in 2020. Tingo believe this trend will continue and encourage establishment of more new ventures across all economic sectors including the agriculture industry.
Investor appetite remains robust: Africa attracted $407 billion of Foreign Direct Investments between 2014 and 2018 (c.$80 billion per annum on average). Investments are increasingly focused on services and industrial sectors. Only 20% of investments are in extractive industries – a clear reversal from as recently as 2008 when 55% of FDI was aimed at resource extraction, Tingo believes FDI into Africa will help resolve significant infrastructure constraints and position the Agric value chain for value creation.
Nigeria is the largest economy and the most populous country in Africa and is therefore central to the continent’s growth story.
Agriculture is central to African lives and livelihoods. 60% of sub-Saharan Africans are small holder farmers and Agriculture accounts for 23% of the region’s GDP. In Nigeria, Agriculture employs 66% of the workforce and represents 26% of GDP.
Nigeria’s suboptimal agriculture productivity is driven by several factors including broken linkages with demand centres, inefficient capital allocation for purchase of inputs, and underdeveloped and fragmented access to services. Tingo aims to play a key role in resolving each of these issues.
Access to technology: Tingo is a key access point to the digital economy for millions of rural farmers in Nigeria, by providing affordable access to mobile devices and the internet.
Access to markets: Tingo users can connect with vendors and suppliers for affordable access to inputs and services. Tingo also connects farmers with buyers who purchase crops every year.
Access to Financial Services: Through Tingo Pay, its proprietary mobile wallet application, users can execute several transactions. These include credits into the Tingo Pay wallet, and transfers from the Tingo Pay wallet for bill payments and P2P (peer to peer payments). Tingo will continuing to add services to this application to meet customer needs.
Chris Cleverly, President of TINGO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS – "TINGO is Africa’s largest digital agricultural ecosystem and is a highly successful payment gateway. It is important that we embrace emerging technologies as they are necessary to solve the issues that burden the world such as food security and financial inclusion. We make no secret of our intention to uplist this group, or to use this platform to rapidly build our customer base in Nigeria and other African markets we will roll-out our unique offering. Global Food Security is a significant priority and our unique model will enable that priority and deliver Food Security in Africa, which powered with Coinfield will make us a very compelling proposition"
Anthony Moore, CEO of IWEB – ”It has been noted in recent years the rapid adoption and deployment of Blockchain by the Telecoms Industry and the global announcements almost weekly of the acceptance of Crypto, we feel the marriage of TINGO with Coinfield leads us into perfect position for this natural evolution in Africa. Africa is a Continent that is showing great readiness and willingness to adapt and adopt to new technologies.
With its young demographic, high smartphone penetration, lack of legacy infrastructure Africa has the greatest potential for blockchain and cryptocurrency of any region. Coinfield provides the know-how and has the history to deliver on this. TINGO with an already huge customer base will expand rapidly and will become the dominant digital payment platform in the world’s fastest growing economy”
About iWEB
IWEB, Inc., is a technology development and services company, provides coding services in various industries and markets primarily in Thailand. The company focuses on image, audio, web, and security coding technologies. Its technology enables governments and enterprises to imbed or imprint invisible digital identities to media and objects. The company’s coding technology provides the means to infuse persistent digital information to computers and digital devices into various forms of media content; and permits smartphones, tablets, industrial scanners, and other computer interfaces to identify relevant data from media content. IWEB has entered a letter of intent to acquire regulated global crypto exchange "Coinfield" which was established 2018, which was announced as an IWBB Acquisition on 26th July 2021.
IWEB, Inc. Headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand for additional information visit: www.iweb.company
About Global Fintech Trading Limited
A group specialising in Institutional Financial, FinTech and Crypto who are to develop acquisition and investment opportunities in these fields. This is on a Global basis with their international team
Safe Harbor Statement: This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and as such are by definition subject to risks and uncertainties.
Authorized by Fung Hok Wai, President Contact the company: Fung Hok Wai, President, Email: kevinwai@i-l-a-g.com
Anthony Moore, CEO, TEL 90-542-332-7666 Investor Relations and Press contact: Alex Lightman in Los Angeles Email: Alexlightman@me.com
Tingo Mobile Contact: Rory Bowen, Chief of Staff Tingo International Email: rory.bowen@tingogroup.com
SHENZHEN, China, July 30, 2021 — Huion announces three big screen pen displays today, Kamvas 24, Kamvas 24 Plus, and Kamvas Pro 24(4K). Two from its Kamvas series and one from its Kamvas Pro series. Featured with upgraded performances, these pen displays are designed for creators specialized in animation, gaming, industrial design, etc.
Kamvas Pro 24(4K)
Kamvas Pro 24(4K)
Kamvas Pro 24(4K) with premium design and performance is a flagship product of Huion. 4K UHD resolution, quantum-dot technology, 140% sRGB color gamut, 1200:1 contrast ratio, and HDR technology are making Kamvas Pro 24(4K) an ideal pen display for immersive visual experience. Like most Huion pen displays, Kamvas Pro 24(4K) also adopts the full lamination technology and anti-glare etched glass for minimized parallax and natural pen-on-paper drawing experiences.
Additionally, Kamvas Pro 24(4K) is embedded with two foldable feet with which users can enjoy the creation at an angle of 20 degrees. But for those who want more diversity and flexibility, monitor arm ST410/ST420 or the adjustable stand ST100A may be more suitable, as they can support more angles for users to find the most comfortable postures when drawing.
Kamvas 24 & Kamvas 24 Plus
Kamvas 24 & Kamvas 24 Plus
Kamvas 24 and Kamvas 24 Plus are the sixth products of Kamvas series. Compared to their predecessors, Kamvas 24 and Kamvas 24 Plus not only boast the largest 23.8inch screen but also feature 2.5K QHD resolution. Kamvas 24 Plus even adopts the quantum dot technology which enhances the color gamut to 140% sRGB and the contrast ratio to 1200:1, enabling more vibrant and vivid picture presentation.
Create more with the digital pen
These three pen displays all come with the digital pen PW517. Developed based on Huion PenTech3.0, PW517 enables more natural and stable drawing experience. Huion also introduced the felt pen nib for the first time, which will come with Kamvas Pro 24(4K).
8192 levels of pressure sensitivity and >220PPS report rate enable instant reproducing of natural and delicate lines. ±60° tilt recognition supports the realization of various drawing techniques such as shading, sketching, and edging.
With the aim to bring digital ink solution to more people around the world, Huion has always been committed to offering better products to creative professionals as well as beginners.
For more information about Huion products, please visit www.huion.com.
LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2021 — Uplive, the global live social video app from Asia Innovations Group (AIG), today announced a special month-long League Battle talent competition through July to coincide with Worldstage’s one-year anniversary. The competition is organized by Uplive USA in collaboration with Uplive’s offices in Malaysia.
Contestants around the world, including the United States, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Russia, and the UK, took part in auditions July 7-11 to show the world their talents. Following the auditions, there will be the quarter finals (July 16-18), semi-finals (July 24-25), and then the finals on July 31 and August 1, all available to watch on the Uplive app by following the host (Uplive ID: bojio_88). The top three winners will be given significant in-app rewards.
The contestants are being judged by a lineup of some of the most famous names in the entertainment industry, including Zandy Storm, a US recording artist; Lisa Chen, President of Hollywood Media Group; and various executives from US and Brazilian talent agencies.
Uplive Worldstage, first created by Uplive streamer Calvin (a.k.a. RapDooood) on the app, has become the home to hundreds of performers and music streamers from around the world who gather to compete, collaborate, and inspire at online music events exclusively on Uplive. The Worldstage now organizes a wide variety of online events, from monthly talent competition to weekly themed music parties, and numerous virtual nightlife events and charity fund raisers. In addition, the Uplive Worldstage Livehouse is a monthly showcase of Worldstage Legends (winners of the monthly competitions) performing back-to-back in a concert on Uplive.
"It has been an honor and pleasure to host Worldstage and bring together musicians and music enthusiasts from around the world. Letting streamers share their talents and network with musicians around the world, especially during the pandemic where many would seek comfort through music and performing, is so important. And it is all made possible through the Uplive livestream app," Calvin commented on the successful launch of the anniversary competition.
Other independent sponsors of the competition include Bidoo who was excited to see musicians from his home country of Malaysia able to "compete and network with many other musicians from around the world."
Asia Innovations Group (AIG) is a leading live social company with over 400 million registered users located in over 150 regions worldwide. It has built a comprehensive and diverse portfolio as it seeks to achieve its mission of enriching people’s lives worldwide through innovative and enjoyable live social products, which foster meaningful human connection. In addition to Uplive, which allows video social hosts to broadcast to the world, and Lamour, the top dating app in global emerging markets, AIG owns SupreFans, a fan-centric live social app. It includes operations in twelve offices around the globe that integrate local live social knowledge to foster individual market development and penetration. Focusing on major emerging markets, AIG leverages its track record of innovation, cutting-edge technology, a scalable global infrastructure, and global insights with local expertise to deliver user and shareholder value based on the most exciting growth opportunities in the live social marketplace.
HONG KONG, July 24, 2021 — The Fusion NFT™️ blockchain company, Coinllectibles™️, a fully owned subsidiary of Cosmos Group Holdings Inc. (OTC: COSG), has announced its acquisition of collectibles from Dr. Herbert Lee at an aggregate value of more than HKD 10 million, which will be minted into Fusion NFTs™️.
The minted Coinllectibles™️ Fusion NFTs™️ will each contain a smart contract that unequivocally describes the ownership of, and the rights in, the collectible.
The collectibles are from Dr. Herbert Lee’s private collection, which reflects his interests in arts and collectibles all over the world including China. They will be minted into Coinllectibles™️ Fusion NFTs™️ after the acquisition.
At the request of the buyer, each of these collectibles may be exhibited in Coinllectibles™️ Fusion NFT-art gallery at the Victoria Dockside, home also to K11 Musea, one of the most prestigious art real-estate in Hong Kong. For pre-purchase inquiries on these Fusion NFTs™️, please visit Coinllectibles™️ website. In addition, Coinllectibles™ will also cooperate with the world’s leading cryptocurrency spot and derivatives exchange, OKEx, in the Fusion NFTs™️ field in the near future.
"We are truly honoured by Dr Lee’s decision to entrust us with these precious porcelains from his private collection." Said Toby O’Connor, the CEO of Coinllectibles™️. "We hope our professonalism in handling the entire process will lead to more acquisitions, which will help Coinllectibles™️ build a diverse portfolio of both historical and modern art, to be minted into Coinllectibles™️ Fusion NFTs™️." Added Toby.
About Cosmos Group Holdings Inc. Cosmos Group Holdings Inc. (OTC: COSG) was formerly a television network and multimedia information and distribution company focused on serving the homeland security and emergency preparedness industry. The group’s future will focus in the development of blockchain NFT technologies and platforms to facilitate the global trading of arts and collectibles.
About Coinllectibles™️ "Coinllectibles™️" is an ACT (Arts and Collectibles Technology) company, which is redefining how the world thinks about art and collectible ownership in the digital age.
Their minted curated Fusion NFTs™️, capture all the rights and independent valuation and ownership of physical arts and collectibles securely underpinned by smart contracts stored on the blockchain.
Coinllectibles™️ Fusion NFTs™️ bridge the physical and virtual dimensions of the arts and collectibles market, providing a pleasurable, transparent, and frictionless experience to customers from all walks of life.
JOE BONAMASSA’S GROUNDBREAKING UPCOMING NFT AUCTION OFFERS THE RARE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN THE MASTER AND PUBLISHING OF ONE OF HIS SONGS
GUITAR HERO WRITES NEW SONG "BROKEN RECORD" AS NFT TO ENCOURAGE GREATNESS FOR THOSE WHO CHALLENGE THEMSELVES TO BE BETTER
LOS ANGELES, July 23, 2021 — For over 30 years now, acclaimed guitar hero Joe Bonamassahas paved his own path in the music industry. Now Bonamassa is teaming up for his latest venture with Heritage Auctions, where he and longtime business partner Roy Weisman are changing the rules of the NFT game to offer one of the most intriguing, high value offers out there. The truly unprecedented lot sets Joe as the first musician to sell his music publishing in an NFT as part of this digital + physical collection, which also features his own "Holy Grail" 1959 Gibson Les Paul Sunburst guitar and 1963 Fender Vibroverb amp that were used to record the song. What truly raises the stakes in the world of art and music, is the value. Here the reserve bid is worth the gear alone, yet Bonamassa is giving a once in a lifetime opportunity to ALSO become the owner of the master and publishing for one of his songs, "Broken Record." It’s an innovative move that shows just how ahead of the game Joe’s team is. Always on the quest to evolve artistically while simultaneously challenging the infrastructure of the music industry, and a true musical pioneer, Joe has done it again.
Bonamassa went to Oceanway Studio in Nashville in May 2021 to record a special song that he wrote just to be used for this special NFT. The song "Broken Record" is an ode to taking control, just as Bonamassa is doing with his NFT concept. He shares of the song’s origins, "it’s the same complaints. I’m going to lose weight. I’m going to do something with my life. I’m going to make changes. And they never do… and they sound like a broken record. I do that too. I decided to write a song about it. I’ve wanted to do this for a while, and when the idea came up for this project with Heritage, I thought ‘I should write that broken record song,’ and I did."
"Broken Record," along with the NFT auction, is a movement that’s meant to inspire not only artists and creators, but the everyday person. It’s a reminder for people to hold themselves accountable, stand up against the status quo, and make strides to be the best that they can. With this NFT, Bonamassa and Weisman didn’t want to sound like a broken record doing the same thing as everyone else who had jumped on the bandwagon. Instead, they wanted to take hold of the reigns, make it their own, and make it the best offering out there.
Bonamassa calls this lot "the one-song record company" because it totally transforms the way musicians can make a business from their intellectual property. Weisman elaborates: "That is what this NFT concept gives artists — the opportunity to raise capital on an independent basis that will allow them to overstep the so-called gatekeepers of the music industry."
"One of the things that I like about being an independent artist is that Roy and I came up with this idea," Bonamassa says. "We didn’t have to run it up any sort of chain of command. It was like, let’s do this because it feels right. And it’s the next logical step in how independent artists are going to be on equal footing with major labels."
Weisman says "we’re now truly in a unique time in the music business where it is completely just supply and demand. People can find artists online anytime, people can buy their music, investors can invest in them without an artist having to go through a typical major label or even large independent label system that is heavily weighted against artists from the start."
This history-making auction from the music-business revolutionary is far from routine; then, nothing Bonamassa does is ever ordinary.
Joe’s auction lot is filled to the brim with highly collectible items, including not only some of the most prized musical instruments on the planet, but pairing them with a series of certificates of authenticity as cutting-edge non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The type of guitar has been used by rock royalty such as Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield. The instrument with the "unmatched deep, throaty sound," as David Schiller writes in his book Guitar, was the ax that built rock and roll.
Non-fungible tokens are changing the business world and Bonamassa’s clever use of the new technology is now allowing other artists to build what is their own business. Bonamassa’s auction is unique and stands to reshape how musicians make and sell their art. This incredible lot includes 13 items individually tokenized on the Ethereum blockchain. Each physical item will have a digital NFT component. This lot is a dream come true for any serious collector of vintage gear or NFT investor looking to diversify their portfolio.
It should surprise no one who follows Bonamassa’s career that he’s leading this revolution. No guitarist has ever received as much coverage in the music and business media as the two-time Grammy Award nominee who has topped Billboard’s Blues chart 24 times – at only the age of 44, no less. Only last year, in fact, Forbes heralding the guitarist for "Taking Control Of His Business, Building A Brand And Investing In Himself."
Bonamassa, a wunderkind who opened for B.B. King when he was just 12 years old, learned early on never to trust the industry: His 2000 debut A New Day Yesterday, released on a Sony subsidiary, was a critical smash, with Billboard hailing the comer as "a bold talent who rises above narrow radio formatics." Problem was that major labels have no time for bold talents who don’t get played on the radio. Bonamassa and Sony parted ways.
For many musicians, that would have been the end of the story. For Bonamassa, it was only the beginning of the beginning: In 2002 the guitarist and his longtime manager and business partner Roy Weisman created J&R Adventures – a self-contained label, management, marketing and concert promotion company. Which has meant that for the last 20 years, they haven’t had anyone looking over their shoulder, anyone telling them what to do or where to go, anyone telling them no.
"We go against the grain by nature, and that’s how we’ve been successful," Weisman says. "I’m not really looking to get the input of the industry because quite frankly, I think the mainstream industry won’t like independence. And with this auction, we’re going to show the world how to merge their copyrights, their intellectual property and sell it directly to an investor without a middleman like a major record company taking a major piece of the money and leaving them without any core assets. Now with the NFT, artists have an opportunity to build capital for themselves to then build what is their own business. And that is a beautiful thing. It’s a game-changer."
The way both men tell it, the idea of selling the guitar and amp and the song in a single auction lot was an easy one, just another inevitable next step in the evolution of their revolution. It took Weisman and Bonamassa all of 20 minutes to settle on the concept and its eventual execution, which resulted in a full-blown studio session during which the guitarist recorded something of which he’s extraordinarily proud … which no one, outside of the winner, might ever hear.
Joe explains "if three people hear the song and that’s it, I’m still proud of the work. If it’s licensed for film or TV and everybody hears the song, even better. But the fact of the matter is, I’m proud of the song whether three people hear it or 30 million hear it. It doesn’t matter. My approach would not have changed."
"And in the end, we came to the conclusion that if we’re going to do this, let’s make a splash. This is going to be really cool."
To prospective auctioneers, Joe encourages people to get in on the action. "Enjoy your NFT and thank you very much for participating. And by the way, show this to all your friends. Hell, you own it!"
ITEMS IN THIS LOT:
1 Vintage Guitar from Joe’s Collection -1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, Serial # 9 0346
1 Vintage Amp From Joe’s Collection -1963 Fender Vibroverb, Serial # 00352
1 Original Song by Joe Bonamassa -Track name: "Broken Record" -Written and Produced by Joe Bonamassa -Mixed and mastered by Kevin Shirley -Executive Producer: Roy Weisman -(will include WAV file for digital playback and Master for Manufacturing) -Master Rights and Publishing included – Rules as stated on Agreement
4 Videos -1 Full Live Studio Performance Video -EPK Interview about Song -Guitar "Origin" Video -Amp "Origin" Video
Original handwritten Lyric Sheet – Signed by Joe
1 Original Cover Art design -1500×1500 digital JPEG image -J&R Retains Copyright of the design, NFT owner CANNOT use for Merch or Commercial use
1 Joe Bonamassa Hand-Signed Lithograph -Exclusive cover art printed and Hand Signed by Joe (1 of 1 original) -Framed, 21-inch X 21-inch
4 Concert Tickets & 4 Meet & Greet Passes to One Joe Bonamassa Show every calendar year. – Tickets and M&G passes must be used for the same show. – Where Joe Bonamassa is the sole headline artist (no festivals or special events). – Only if there is a scheduled Meet & Greet for the applicable show. – For as long as and until Joe continues to actively tour. – All costs to attend the show (travel, accommodations, etc.) other than the tickets and passes are the responsibility of the NFT owner.
1 Digital Photo Book – Includes 6 photos of Joe (in the studio and with the guitar & Amp) – These will be delivered digitally as JPEGs. – NFT owner will not own copyright of images
A Personal "Nerdville" Museum Tour and lunch with Joe Bonamassa – Choice of either Los Angeles or Nashville location – Date and Time Subject to Joe Bonamassa’s Schedule – Tour for Purchaser and 1 guest (2 people MAXIMUM) – Lunch will follow the tour at Joe’s residence – Subject to signature by Purchaser and guest of a confidentiality agreement – No filming or recording of any nature permitted – This is a ONE TIME ONLY event – All travel, accommodation and other expenses are the sole responsibility of the Purchaser
TOKENIZED ITEMS: (13 Different Minted items) -Song -Guitar -Amp -Tickets and Meet & Greet -Nerdville Museum Tour and Lunch with Joe -Full Music Video -EPK Video about Song -Guitar "Origin" Video -Amp "Origin" Video -Digital Cover artwork image -Litho Print -Hand-written Lyrics Page -Digital Photo Book
ABOUT JOE BONAMASSA: As a professional musician for over 30 years, Joe Bonamassa continues to blaze a remarkably versatile artistic trail, and amass an authentic, innovative, and soulful body of work. Bonamassa’s career began onstage opening for B.B. King in 1989 when he was only 12 years old. Today, he is hailed worldwide as one of the greatest guitar players of his generation and is an ever-evolving singer-songwriter with over 40 albums to date all under his own label, J&R Adventures.
Joe’s latest album, "Now Serving: Royal Tea Live From The Ryman" is available now for streaming, CD, DVD and Blu-Ray. It will also be released on Double LP July 9th. The DVD includes a film introduction narrated by actor Jeff Daniels. To order, visit shop.jbonamassa.com. The stellar performance from one of the world’s most legendary venues includes 12 incredible live tracks, featuring the best from his latest studio release Royal Tea, Joe’s 24th#1 record on the Billboard Blues chart, which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. It also includes 3 electrifying tracks from his 20th anniversary album A New Day Now.
Joe is also hitting the stage again, with a string of tour dates across the US for summer and fall, starting the end of this month in California, with two incredible nights set for the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in August before jumping back to the Ryman Auditorium to kick off the autumn dates in October. For tickets, visit https://jbonamassa.com/tour-dates/.
In addition to his music and shows, Joe continues to crank out weekly programming for his radio show "Different Shades Of Blue" for Sirius XM’s Bluesville channel. Last year, he kicked off a new at-home weekly video interview series "Live From Nerdville" which currently has over 50 episodes aired on his Facebook, YouTube, and podcast outlets. With a new episode each week, Joe has featured conversations with Neal Schon of Journey, John Oates of Hall & Oates, Glenn Hughes, Paul Stanley of Kiss, Warren Haynes, Keb’ Mo’, Walter Trout, Steve Lukather of Toto, Todd Rundgren, comedian Jeff Garlin, esteemed singer-songwriter Dion, Peter Frampton, and is currently booking new guests for his 3rd season. In June 2020, Bonamassa and his manager Roy Weisman debuted their new record label Keeping The Blues Alive Records by releasing music icon Dion’s critically acclaimed latest album Blues With Friends. In February 2021, KTBA Records released Chicago’s reigning Queen of Blues Guitar, Joanna Connor’s new album 4801 South Indiana Avenue, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues chart.
ABOUT HERITAGE AUCTIONS: Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet’s most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,400,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of five million past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit.
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