Back in March, we reported on the return of Limewire — but an updated, NFT-focused version of the once beloved “file-sharing service”. And today, the refurbished Limewire has officially relaunched as a marketplace for them.
Resurrected by Paul and Julian Zehetmayr, a pair of entrepreneurs from Austria, Limewire now plans to “bring digital collectibles to everybody”. The launch of the platform in its new and improved (?) state, comes alongside the announcement of some pretty big artists releasing NFTs on the platform including Blink-182 drummer (and Mr. Kourtney Kardashian) Travis Barker.
Others in the lineup include musician Dillon Francis, singer and actor Nicky Jam, Grammy-winning singer Brandy, A$AP Mob’s A$AP TyY, and British rapper Aitch. The foray of celebrities and personalities into the crypto world is no new thing, but Limewire’s announcement just goes to show that the trend isn’t slowing down.
Focusing on music (in a strange nod to the former company’s not-so-legal downloading history), the new marketplace is offering a range of original songs, visual artworks, backstage passes, and other in-person opportunities. Barker’s NFT, for instance, is a real drum kit, while Brandy is offering a “collaborative flower bouquet NFT with accompanying spoken word.” The possibilities are really endless.
The first drop will be on July 7, with a release from Grammy-winning producer 7 Aurelius.
The company is placing emphasis on its “Originals”, which is a limited collection of 10,000 original NFTs living on the Ethereum blockchain. Owning one of these will provide access to invite-only events, token rewards, and early access to NFT drops. These NFTs are minted in stages and there’s a waitlist to join. From our understanding, Limewire Originals is aiming to act as some level of membership to the Limewire community.
According to Limewire, the company wants to appeal to a wider range of consumers by removing the need for a crypto wallet. Instead, potential buyers will be allowed to use credit card payments. The alleged focus on user experience is behind other features on the site: Limewire will handle the NFT gas fees, or the fees required to compensate for the computational energy needed to process transactions when it comes to blockchain. Phew.
Limewire will also handle any “technical hurdles on behalf of users” — whatever those may end up being.
It’s not quite like the Limewire of the 2000s, but it is here…for as long as NFTs are, that is.
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