Mandolin Enters NFT, Crypto Space

First crypto-enabled event will feature live NFT song creation by Jake Cinninger of Umphrey’s McGee, 4/23

Mandolin expands its mission to increase digital monetization and fan connection opportunities for artists

Mandolin, the premiere livestream platform, is entering the world of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and blockchain. NFTs give fans an opportunity to support their favorite artists by purchasing a one-of-a-kind or limited edition item, which is minted, verified, and secured using blockchain technology. NFT capabilities are the next addition to Mandolin’s tech-first platform which aims to increase artists’ opportunities for digital monetization and deepen fan connections. The first NFT offered by the platform will be created in partnership with Jake Cinninger of Umphrey’s McGee.

Read Mandolin's blog post HERE

On April 23rd, Mandolin and Cinninger will foray into NFTs with a special event, “The Boondock Build.” Cinninger will create a limited music NFT in real-time live on the Mandolin platform, during which fans can exclusively reserve the NFT. Within days fans who purchase the NFT will receive a fully mixed music track and a one of a kind piece of art available only to those who purchased this NFT to their crypto wallets. This is a wholly unique event in both the music industry and evolving NFT space. NFTs will be available for sale prior to the show and end afterward, with other NFTs being added during the onsale timeframe. The event will also have a raffle component where a few lucky fans will walk away with NFTs for free. Festival Land will also show the event in real time in one of their virtual venues in Decentraland - the first ever virtual world owned by its users.

RSVP HERE

And, keeping with the crypto “theme” of the night, no tickets will be sold to the show: fans can only gain access by connecting their MetaMask wallet to their Mandolin account.

The April 23rd event will be the first of many coming examples of NFT integration with Mandolin. As part of its overall artist marketing and monetization service, Mandolin is creating an end-to-end blockchain enabled experience for artists and fans. In addition to helping facilitate the creation and sale of NFTs, Mandolin can also integrate artists’ existing NFTs within the livestream experience, similar to the way the platform currently integrates merch, sponsor links, donations and more. 

"We founded Mandolin with the idea of providing artists with the opportunity to connect with their fans - first in a world without touring and now in a brave new hybrid world,” said Mary Kay Huse, Co-Founder and CEO of Mandolin. “Our goal is to lead the industry with a platform that focuses on innovation and NFTs are the next big milestone for digital engagement. We’re excited to be partnering with a band like Umphrey’s McGee whose long-standing fan base will be in for a very special event.”

Steve Caldwell (Co-Founder and CTO, Mandolin): “At Mandolin, we’re obsessed with building best in class experiences that are both cutting-edge and scalable, and we’re excited to continue to push the boundaries of digital engagement by combining our unparalleled expertise in UX, cloud architecture, integrations, and blockchain.” 

“Umphrey’s McGee is constantly innovating both within the music itself and the experience we can deliver our fans,” said Kevin Browning, Manager of Umphrey’s McGee and Producer of the Event. "Mandolin shares that perspective and we appreciate their desire to push the boundaries of what can be done to super-serve the audience."

In less than a year, Mandolin has established itself both as the go-to for musicians looking to give their fans the best “live music” experience, and as the go-to platform that gives artists unprecedented access into insights about their fans that only digital interactions can provide. The new NFT capabilities join other features such as Video-on-Demand (VOD) services to answer artists’ need to easily create and release monetizable content. Several other partnerships and features, such as the ability for artists to publish and monetize full live albums (directly from their Mandolin streams to DSPs), will be coming soon.

About Mandolin 

Mandolin helps artists and venues create connections with fans and prosper through the music they produce. We intentionally push the boundaries of livestream, giving artists the right tools to create content, share it widely, and then better understand how fans engage. Mandolin gives artists the ability to build a digital strategy, all while giving fans unprecedented access to the artists they love. To learn more about how Mandolin is bringing live music back to the stage, visit mandolin.com or Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.