Who We Are

Nvak Collective is a next-generation record label and artist advocacy collective that fully embraces web3 to uplift creators. We believe that the operating system of the music industry is broken, and our mission is to make the music industry more equitable, profitable, and diverse. Our small team has already discovered talent from remote regions around the globe and launched them to billions of streams and hundreds of thousands of fans, all while providing artist-friendly deals and artist care.

So…You want to drop a music NFT? Here’s why you should:

Today’s music industry is at the brink of a major paradigm shift.

We’re in an era marked by the proliferation of digital platforms, rapid and constant content consumption, and algorithmic music discovery.

Consumers have millions of tracks at the touch of their fingertips, and in an oversaturated market, TikTok and editorial playlists are overcoming the influence of the industry’s age-old methods of artist promotion and discovery.

Without editorial or TikTok algorithms on your side, it can feel impossible as an artist to find your fans, or as an artist’s team to grow that fanbase. Even industry veterans are lamenting in Billboard - “Nobody knows how to break music right now,” noting society’s shift to fleeting “moments,” and struggling to find artist case studies that can stand the test of time.

It’s no surprise that creators are turning to new tech to find innovative solutions to these issues, and blockchain has proven to be a game-changer for artists and labels hoping to break the mold.

Over the last two years, Nvak Collective has put blockchain at the forefront of a more artist-friendly system, helping our roster to develop new revenue streams, build a sustainable fan community from the ground up, and form greater extensions of their artwork.

Artists all over the world are discovering the beauty in putting their craft onchain, enabling real ownership of their art, more collaborative revenue shares, direct connections with their fanbases, and more.

For artists looking to take the leap into “onchain”, we’re here to break down the basics for you.

For our next Mirror series, we’ll be exploring why blockchain is so impactful, the major tool sets, marketplaces, and terms you should know about as a creator, and how Nvak Collective has utilized them in our own work.

Onchain Collectibles: Empowering Artists & Fans

“NFT” needs a new publicist. The term is plagued with bad PR from years of scams, misinformation, and bad actors. The jargon can be tough to break through, and “crypto bros” are often the first to come to mind when you think of the NFT movement. It’s no wonder that new users frequently meet the space with doubt and skepticism.

We’re here to argue that what’s more important than the jargon, the culture, or the PR -  is the technology.

As a music artist - or creator of any kind for that matter - blockchain technology can have a major impact on your financial stability, career sustainability, and well-being. Here’s how:

Immediate Payments: Have you ever released a track, garnered millions of streams, and then had to wait 6-12 months to see any money from your work? Thanks to blockchain, payments happen in real time at point of sale. No waiting required.

Revenue Sharing: Not only do those actually credited on a track have to wait months to see funds, but often collaborators who made a major impact on the success of the project don’t receive the credit that they deserve. It takes a village to release music - from the producers to the writers to the music artist to the photographer or designer who created the cover artwork. Onchain revenue sharing means that all (and we mean all) collaborators can be credited for their work, and also receive royalty payments in real time at point of sale.

• The Nvak Collective x Annika Rose “Bruises” Music Video Game had 30 team members from around the world working to bring the project to life. Unlike the traditional music, movie, or gaming industries, all 30 team members received royalties for their work on the project thanks to our partners at R3vl.

Value is in the hands of the creator: The streaming industry is notorious for under-valuing their greatest asset - the music. The major platforms decided that 1 stream was worth 0.003 cents, leaving hundreds of thousands of artists unable to earn a living wage. When you put your music onchain, you decide what the value is.

Fan Data: If you’re an artist that does manage to garner streams, it’s impossible to understand who your listeners are. Do you know their names? Do you know what they're interested in? Can you reach out to them directly and communicate with them? To put it frankly - nope.  And if you don’t know who your audience is, it becomes tough to sustain or grow that audience. Blockchain is transparent. You can see who is collecting your work, what else they are collecting, and even communicate with them in token-gated channels.

Reward Systems: Like we just mentioned, if you know who your audience is, you can engage with them. You can thank them, reward them, and build a sustainable relationship over-time. Nvak’s roster has incorporated reward systems on a number of different levels. For example, anyone who collected Annika Rose’s free POAP received discounts and pre-sale access to her music NFTs. Those that collected Talia Lahoud’s music video received a private collector performance. A lucky collector of Rosa Linn’s “Hallelujah” R3hab Remix received a special merch package shipped to their house. There are a variety of creative ways to reward your collectors, all of which can be molded to fit the artist and their particular fanbase.

Provenance: When a piece of work becomes popularized, someone out there will attempt to forge it and capitalize on it. When you bring modern AI into the mix, it becomes even more complicated to understand if what you own or what you’re listening to is authentic. When you mint your track on the blockchain, you are verifying that it’s yours. When you collect a verified track from your favorite artist, you can trust that it’s authentic.

Social Signaling: Sick of hearing your great uncle brag about seeing a band at the local hole in the wall bar before they were playing stadiums? Ever wish you could show others you found everyone’s favorite artist before they did? Thanks to blockchain, you can. Collecting an artist’s track timestamps your transaction on the blockchain, proving you supported them at that specific point in time - yep, actually before anyone else.

Fans grow with you: Lastly, finding and supporting your favorite artist early on now has merit. As the artist grows, so does the value of their work. That track that you collected for a couple of bucks a few years ago simply because you connected with the young artist -  grows in value as the artist grows. The fans win when the artist wins.

Conclusion

To wrap up, “onchain” isn’t a tech buzzword. Putting your music onchain has real benefits for your project, your team, and your fans. Whether it’s transparent ownership, or autonomy over your own pricing structures, blockchain can give rise to a healthier, more sustainable system.

For more information on Nvak Collective, our roster, or ethos, follow along with us on any of the platforms below: