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BY Langston Thomas
November 15, 2022
Few artists have achieved staying power at Snoop Dogg’s level. A name synonymous with rap music and hip-hop culture, the LBC legend has remained at the forefront of trends far beyond the original scope of his career. That, of course, now includes trends in the metaverse.
A prominent player in the NFT space, Snoop is considered a seasoned veteran of blockchain-based music endeavors. With major feats like a multi-million dollar ($45 million by some accounts) collection with Gala Music, numerous NFT mixtapes, and the reconstruction of iconic Death Row Records as a Web3 label under his belt, when Snoop makes NFT moves, people take notice. This is precisely why his latest venture with Billy Ray Cyrus and The Avilla Brothers has started to gain traction with NFT enthusiasts and general consumers.
By way of interactive metaverse concert company Animal Concerts, Snoop, Billy Ray, and The Avilla Brothers are bringing their celebrated 2022 collaboration “A Hard Working Man” to the blockchain in a unique fashion. Constructed as a multifaceted project, the trio’s single has been transformed into a PFP collection, a gamified NFT experience, and a tokenized incentives program.
In contrast to other music NFT releases — including those from Snoop — “A Hard Working Man” was created for the explicit purpose of fan interconnectivity. Separated into a three-tiered drop, the collection touches on community building and asset utility through a gamified drop experience that yields exclusive redeemables.
Connecting with the messaging found in the song “A Hard Working Man”, the overarching PFP collection itself speaks to the virtues of quintessential Americana. In each NFT, Snoop and Billy Ray are depicted in attire associated with hard-working jobs. From electricians, construction workers, and farmers, to doctors and firefighters, Snoop and Billy Ray are thrust into skilled labor positions, wearing the clothing and expressions you’d expect from their blue-collar alter-egos.
While signing up to participate in the three-tiered drop can be done via Discord, Animal Concerts — the true mastermind behind this venture — has taken things a step further by introducing an interactive, gamified platform for fans to earn points and win prizes. By joining the “A Hard Working Man” allowlist, users have the opportunity to complete various quests to earn points that place them on a communal leaderboard. Those at the top of the leaderboard can win more than 100 free NFTs. At time of writing, this unique feature was already live, bringing fans into the fold long before the primary sale (date TBA) has been announced.
Of course, the “A Hard Working Man” collection emphasizes more than the potential profitability of NFTs, since participants in the drop will have the opportunity to obtain vastly more than a single token. In fact, those who collect a Snoop x Billy Ray piece can choose from a broad variety of incentives.
Everything from live concert tickets and backstage passes to flyaway packages to party with Snoop will be up for grabs to a select few who collect an NFT from the forthcoming collection. Similarly, holders will also gain access to Snoop and Billy Ray’s Animal Concerts powered metaverse performance, subsequent giveaways, member events, and more.
While such a high-profile celebrity-involved collection is surely a strong step toward mass adoption of NFTs, there’s more to “A Hard Working Man” than meets the eye. As possibly the most ambitious endeavor to come from Animal Concerts thus far, the project speaks to Web3’s innate ability to help creators and IP owners build a deeper and more engaging community in collaboration with fans.
We’re not just talking about the various unique ways IP is brought onto the blockchain. NFTs are helping to revolutionize fandom as we know it. And this Snoop, Billy Ray, Avilla Brothers, and Animal Concerts collab illustrates how Web3 affords artists a more robust way to engage with their fans and followers while also allowing fans more access to their favorite artists.
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On speaking to the power of the Web3 artist-fan connection, Animal Concert’s CEO Colin Fitzpatrick noted that fans can now place a palpable bet on underrated artists they believe have potential. “Everyone who’s hardcore into music is discovering new bands. You see a band, and you go, ‘they’re gonna be huge,’” Fitzpatrick said in an interview with nft now. “Isn’t it amazing to have that opportunity? To say, ‘I’m gonna buy in now, and they’re going to blow up. And I have proof that I was right in the beginning, and maybe I can even benefit financially from royalties.’ That’s a complete game changer.”
Going beyond the interconnectivity features of NFTs, Animal Concerts is tapping into a market less traveled by many within the Web3 music space. Called a “next-generation traditional/metaverse record label” by Fitzpatrick, the company aims to redefine what live shows could be in a digitally-native era.
“We’re democratizing concerts because we can bring them to everyone all around the world on any device. Not just the few who were lucky to get a ticket to their favorite band in a small city,” said Fitzpatrick. “And I think that’s a really cool thing. Because we enable artists to deliver once-in-a-lifetime fan experiences online and in the metaverse, and then we work with them to create and launch [NFTs] on their behalf.”
As many NFT purists will tell you, there’s room for everyone in the metaverse. Yet those, like Animal Concerts, who are actively working to make entertainment accessible for everyone, are undoubtedly among the most valuable. To learn more about “A Hard Working Man”, the $ANML token, and the quickly growing Animal Concerts ecosystem, visit the company’s official website here.
