Ben Caesar. Picture: The Barcoe Studio/Arslan visuals
Fresh off winning Musivv’s Music’s Artist of the Year and Artist of the Month award for April, music producer, artist and DJ Ben Caesar is now leveraging his platform to show artists how to take ownership of their creations, and make a living, through the world of NFTs (non-fungible token).
Caesar, who used to live in South Africa but is now based in Dubai, UAE, explained: “I was fortunate to be in the biggest community in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that was leading in NFTs.
“So, I got to learn from the very best and see traders, venture capitalists, founders, artists and collectors all build in the space.
“But I didn't see any musicians that I knew in the NFT space and I think artists should understand that it offers direct ownership to your work and the ability to build an ecosystem with your audience.”
Explaining NFTs, Caesar said they allow for the verification of assets in digital form, which is something that’s proved incredibly significant for artists in other sectors in the art space over the past few years, as creators across digital art, fashion and entertainment seek to take control of their craft and protect their intellectual property.
Musicians haven’t quite taken the technology on in SA as yet. Caesar explains why NFT adoption in music is so important.
“This means we can now name the price of their work in a digital format which wasn't efficiently possible before.
“What used to happen was people could copy-paste work without crediting the artist, but now an artist can make an NFT that shows this is my certified copy of the work,” he says.
Locally, Anatii and Major League DJz are some of the prominent acts that have taken to NFTs.
Last year, Anatii took the bold step of removing his music from all traditional Digital Streaming Services (DSPs). Shortly afterwards, he released a new single titled “Punisher” as a Non-Fungible Token (NFT).
“removed my solo albums from STREAMING PLATFORMS,” he shared. “it’s been good. ndiyabulela.”
removed my solo albums from STREAMING PLATFORMS. it’s been good. ndiyabulela.
— ANATII.eth (@ANATII) June 13, 2022