Have you ever wished you could own your favourite song, like you would a painting or sculpture? You could flaunt your good taste in music and earn money through its re-sale or royalties as the rightful legal owner. If yes, your wish has come true. Vancouver-based Indian-origin filmmaker Uzair Merchant has launched the world’s first NFT music video for his song ‘Stardust’, and he’s inviting you to own a piece of history.
The advent of the NFT marketplace has changed the world of art as we know it. Non-fungible tokens or NFTs put creative assets like digital images, music, videos, movies, in the same mould as traditional stocks and securities. This means people can own parts of these digital creative works and derive the benefits linked to ownership, while giving artists a chance to earn money for their hard work, as well as greater exposure. Thus far, the NFT space has attracted varying forms of art, however, Merchant’s Stardust is the first ever music video to enter this domain. They have done this by partnering with Finhaven Private Markets—a security token marketplace based in Canada, which offers a regulated trading environment for investors.
Even before earning the tag of being the world’s first NFT music video, Stardust had garnered many accolades. It was released in July 2021 by the collaborative group of musicians known as Kri8.labs, which is a constantly changing collective of many artists from around the world. This particular song was made by four artists from Vancouver and Dubai, of Indian, Arabic, and Canadian descent. They are Salim, the first-ever Emirati hip-hop artist from the UAE; Aaron Drew, a prolific Canadian musical entrepreneur; Sian Flanagan, an award-winning performer; and Uzair Merchant, a production designer and director who has worked on films like Deadpool 2, and The Misfits, as well as TV series like Superman & Lois.
The unique bilingual rap song was also directed by Merchant. ‘Stardust’ is the theme song for the upcoming sci-fi show Black Rose directed by James Bamford of Arrow fame, which makes the deal for the owners of its NFT even sweeter—they will also be executive producers of the show. “Till now no music video has gone through a legal securities channel to be made into an NFT. This music video was shot on an iPhone and has already won eight international awards at film festivals. We believe it is the uniqueness of the track that has got us attention,” shares Merchant.
Works of art based on personal grief often become crowd-pullers, and Stardust is no different. This soulful lament was inspired by Merchant’s experience during the pandemic when his father was in a state of immobility after a cardiac arrest. He shares, ‘Stardust’ is a tussle between two worlds where the character is desperate to find answers, only to learn that life has a flow of its own. It is to be observed, not fought—the idea is that we all come from Stardust and to Stardust we shall return.” There is no doubt that this music video is paving the way to the future—one where the worlds of NFT, traditional finance, and art meet in a sustainable manner.
Good to know
Artists: Uzair Merchant, Salim, Aaron Drew, Sian Flanagan
Director: Uzair Merchant
Securities Trader: Finhaven Private Markets
Soundtrack for: Black Rose TV Show
Stream on: Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Saavn, and others