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David Bowie — Sometimes an artist or musician passes away before they can unveil an upcoming projects.
For films, they can still be shown posthumously, while music is often archived until the artist’s family or loved ones allow for it to be released.
Recently, the music scene received some good news as another great artist’s voice will be heard again with some new content.
Ziggy Stardust
David Bowie is widely renowned as one of the most influential musicians in the 20th century.
He made massive contributions to the music world by producing the following:
- 27 studio albums
- 11 albums
- 4 soundtracks
- 128 singles
Although he has made a lifetime of songs for people to enjoy, there is still one track left to be released after his death in 2016.
Let’s Dance
On Thursday, Web3 startup Gala Games offshoot brand, Gala Music, announced it had reached a partnership with music producer Larry Dvoskin and publisher Warner-Chappell Music.
The partnership would allow them to release a never-before-heard version of David Bowie’s 1983 hit “Let’s Dance.”
The song will be released through a limited series of NFTs.
Let’s Dance debuted 40 years ago on April 14th.
The NFT
Gala Music will release 3,003 NFTs with a piece of Bowie-inspired artwork.
The NFTs provide holders access to the unheard version of Let’s Dance, which was produced by Dvoskin and David Bowie in 2002.
The NFTs will be sold through a pay-what-you-wish model.
Initial proceeds from the sale will go to MusiCares, a charity that provides health and human services in the music community.
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Turning the song into an NFT
As Let’s Dance closes in on its 40th anniversary, Larry Dvoskin sought permission from David Bowie’s estate to release the song as NFTs.
“When I first talked with the executor of the Bowie Estate, he told me he initially planned to listen to my pitch about releasing this as an NFT and then politely pass,” said Dvoskin.
“But when he pulled up the original 2002 email in which Bowie expressed his enthusiasm for doing the recording, that changed his mind.”
“This was a creative endeavor David never got to see released during his lifetime. We are honoring his wish by releasing it now.”
Another collection
The Let’s Dance NFT collection, while unique, would not be the first time the Bowie Estate tried their hand in the blockchain.
In September 2022, the Bowie Estate launched a series of NFTs in collaboration with marketplace OpenSea.
The collection was called “Bowie on the Blockchain,” and it sold NFTs to raise money for charity.
However, the collection received backlash from David Bowie’s fans, slamming the blockchain experiment for being inconsistent with Bowie’s ethos and values.
Many fans turned to social media to express dissatisfaction with seeing Bowie’s likeness associated with blockchain tokens.
David Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones, has also been critical of NFTs.
Music catalog
David Bowie’s music catalog is owned by a subsidiary of Warner Music Group called Warner Chappell Music.
Chappell Music bought the full collection in early 2022 for around $250 million.
In November 2022, the music label announced that it struck a deal with Defient, a Web3 entertainment incubator.
The deal would allow both parties to unlock the power of Web3 for singers and songwriters.
Dvoskin’s deal with Warner Chappell Music is described as the label’s first completely native NFT agreement for a song that has never been released digitally or physically.
Last week, Warner Music Group initiated a large-scale layoff.
The music label said it planned to keep employees involved in its upcoming slate of Web3 and AI initiatives, explaining that new tech initiatives are central to the company’s future.
Gala Games
Gala Games is a blockchain-based gaming platform that aims to revolutionize the gaming industry by providing a decentralized, player-driven ecosystem.
The platform allows developers to create and publish games, and players can earn cryptocurrency by participating in these games.
While the company is renowned for its Web3 gaming efforts, Gala Games has also delved into music and film as it explored other catalysts for NFTs and tokens.
