The Snoop Dogg-backed NFT music service recently secured $20 million in funding, placing it at the top of the crypto funding industry. 

Meanwhile, both the NFT music marketplace and the liquid staking developer are attracting attention, generating $94 million in weekly revenue. See below for all the details. 

Hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg joins the NFT race

This week, as many as sixteen crypto startups raised over $94 million, with the Web3 music marketplace Sound leading the pack. 

Specifically, Sound secured $20 million in a Series A funding round led by a16z crypto and featuring well-known investors such as Palm Tree Crew, Scalar Capital, and Coinbase.

Celebrities from the music world, including rapper Snoop Dogg, singer-songwriter Ryan Tedder, and record producer Tay Keith, have also lent their support to the project. 

It is worth recalling that, founded in 2022, Sound’s goal is to provide artists with a better model for earning money.

Currently, the traditional method for artists is to release a song on platforms such as Spotify or Apple Music and hope to get enough listens to earn money. 

However, according to a 2021 Business Insider survey, Spotify pays artists only $0.0033 per stream. Under that system, artists would have to garner over 300 streams to earn $1.

Sound, on the other hand, offers artists the opportunity to sell their music as NFT songs. However, some musicians seem to prefer something else. 

Owners of such NFTs can publicly comment on the song linked to the digital asset, essentially using it to brag.

According to information provided by Sound, users can verify that they are “longtime fans.” The platform makes use of Ethereum and a layer 2 network.

We also see that the number of NFT songs minted on Sound has more than doubled, exceeding 130,200 since January 2023, according to data from Dune. 

Indeed, in a press release announcing the recent fundraising, Sound stated that it had generated “revenue for a select group of creators” of $5.5 million over the past year.

Now, following this significant increase, Sound announced that anyone can post their music on the platform and start earning money through NFT sales.

Other NFT projects: the collaboration between Roc Nation and Puma 

Recently, Puma and Roc Nation, two influential giants in the entertainment and fashion worlds, joined forces to create an extraordinary sneaker collection that celebrates the cultural impact of hip-hop and embraces advanced non-fungible token (NFT) technology.

The RS-XL Mixtape sneaker collection, a collaboration of the talented designers Alexander-John and Emory Jones, pays homage to the evolution of mixtapes that have played a pivotal role in shaping the hip-hop movement over the past half-century.

However, this collection does more than just offer fashionable footwear. Indeed, it seamlessly unites the physical and digital worlds through the innovative integration of Legitimate’s proprietary “LGT Tag” technology and blockchain-supported NFTs.

Composed of three distinct styles – Cassette Tape, Disc and Playlist – each pair of sneakers features a discreet LGT tag hidden under the tongue of the left shoe. 

By simply scanning the NFC (Near-Field Communication) chip inside the tag with a smartphone, the sneaker wearer can access an exclusive digital experience.

The integration of blockchain technology takes this experience to the next level. Indeed, each NFC chip is connected to an NFT minted on the Avalanche blockchain by Legitimate. 

These LGT tags connected to the NFTs have a dual function: they not only provide access to digital content, but also serve as an authentication mechanism, ensuring the authenticity of the physical product, including sneakers and other related apparel.

Calvin Chan, CEO of Legitimate, emphasizes the startup’s confidence in the potential of blockchain, which is clearly manifested through this partnership, demonstrating how blockchain can improve user experiences. 

In addition, Puma’s decision to launch the Mixtape collection coincides with the celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, demonstrating the brand’s commitment to cultural appreciation and innovation.

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Snoop Dogg, the American rapper also popular in the NFT world, has launched the new Passport Series, a collectible that will allow his fans to go on a digital tour with the star, thanks to Web3. 

Snoop Dogg Passport Series: what is the digital tour with exclusive Web3 content?

Rap icon, singer-songwriter and producer, actor, and entrepreneur Snoop Dogg has launched the Snoop Dogg Passport Series, the first-of-its-kind, evolving digital tour collectible.  

Basically, with the Snoop Dogg Passport Series, concert-goers will get an exclusive glimpse into the star’s touring life by getting exclusive content. Videos and behind-the-scenes images uploaded directly from Snoop Dogg. 

Not only that, fans who win the digital tour collectible will also gain access to the rapper’s future concerts, events and experiences but also exclusive artwork, merchandise and special surprises from Snoop Dogg himself. 

This was all made possible through a partnership with Transient Labs, the leading creative and engineering platform dedicated to empowering creators and building the future of web3. 

Both Snoop Dogg and Transient Labs have partnered with the talent agency WME, of which they are clients. 

The Snoop Dogg Passport Series, our latest collaboration with @SnoopDogg, offers fans an evolving digital tour collectible and exclusive experiences like never before. Read all about it here:https://t.co/3STNx8h87a

— Transient Labs (@TransientLabs) June 13, 2023

Snoop Dogg Passport Series: rapper takes his fans on digital tour thanks to Web3

Snoop Dogg is renowned for pioneering emerging technologies; he has already demonstrated this with NFTs and the metaverse. 

Now, the new project will allow him to take his fans on a digital tour, thanks to Web3. 

Here is what Snoop Dogg had to say:

“Throughout my career, I’ve always pushed things forward. With the passport series, I can give my fans the opportunity to travel the world with me – no one else has ever done that. I’ve always been a pioneer, and digital merchandising is part of the future. I hope other artists can see what I’m doing and continue to innovate on their own.”

But the story doesn’t end there. On 7 July, Snoop Dogg will also introduce Snoop Selects in the Snoop Dogg Passport Series. 

This is a collection curated directly by the rapper featuring NFT works by selected artists such as Coldie, Terrell Jones, and Alien Queen. Snoop Dogg will share unique copies of their works via airdrop to all Passport owners. 

The Ledger Nano X customized with black diamonds and gold

Last April, Snoop Dogg attended WWE’s biggest annual event, WrestleMania 39, in Hollywood, taking the stage with something special. 

The famous American rapper somehow publicized a special item he was holding around his neck: a Ledger Nano X customized with black diamonds and gold. 

It was a way to advertise the entire cold-wallet industry, pioneering the ones designed by Ledger. 

Of course, Snoop Dogg’s Ledger Nano X was custom-created, with the piece curated by Talia Coles and designed by renowned jeweler Eliantte. 

Not only that, Snoop Dogg’s cold-wallet was inspired by “Death Row Records,” the label that relaunched in 2022 and became a digital platform offering expressions of music, cannabis, NFTs, and fashion.

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In today’s NFT News, one cannot miss Cordell Broadus (Snoop Dogg’s son) launching The Champ Medici Lounge for the first time in Asia, inspired by his Champ Medici, Bored Ape’s Non-Fungible Token.

Not only that, fashion giant Hugo Boss is in the throes of launching its first “Embrace Your Eyes” (EYE) NFT collection this November, while Gala, Universal Games, and Digital Platforms have launched the new Trolls VOX, NFTs inspired by characters from DreamWorks Animation films. 

NFT News: Snoop Dogg’s son launches The Champ Medici Lounge in Asia

Cordell Broadus, the son of Snoop Dogg and owner of Champ Medici, the Bored Ape NFT, partnered with Gushcloud to bring The Champ Medici Lounge to Asia last weekend.

It was a five-day event focused on Web3 (and therefore also on NFTs), which took place in Singapore right in conjunction with Token 2049 and the F1 Singapore weekend from 28 September to 2 October.

Broadus invited some of the world’s leading cryptocurrency investors and sponsors, such as hip hop icon Russell Simmons, the DJ, record producer, and music executive Steve Aoki, and the founders of leading NFT companies. 

During the Lounge sessions, Broadus and Simmons shared their journey from music to Web3 to becoming business tycoons. 

In addition, Broadus and Aoki discussed some of their plans for the next 18 months as they venture more into Web3, music, and entertainment. Here is the commentary on Twitter:

Last night we took over the Mandala Club Singapore for the #ChampMediciLounge thank you to all who showed up and showed out I hope the real builders and creators got to leave with a deal pic.twitter.com/xY5sCTYQTW

— Champ Medici (@champmedici) October 1, 2022

“Last night we took over the Mandala Club Singapore for the #ChampMediciLounge thank you to all who showed up and showed out I hope the real builders and creators got to leave with a deal.”

On that note, Althea Lim, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Gushcloud said: 

“The Champ Medici Lounge proved to be a great networking event for our partners and guests to discuss their innovations and solutions in the crypto and NFT space. It is aligned with our goal at Gushcloud to help our creators, partners, and brands to maximize the opportunities present in Web3 to help their businesses and investments grow. We’re thankful for the valuable insights from Cordell and the other movers and shakers of Web3.”

Hugo Boss enters the metaverse and launches its NFT collection “Embrace Your Emotions”

Hugo Boss has also succumbed to the allure of NFTs and metaverse, to the point of collaborating with Imaginary Ones to create not only its first NFT collection, but also a 360-degree metaverse experience. 

[1/8] We are honored and thrilled to announce an official partnership with international fashion giant @HUGOBOSS!

HUGO x IO will launch an exclusive NFT collection, Embrace Your Emotions. This will be HUGO’s first-ever NFT collection.

https://t.co/nJcE1fppwZ pic.twitter.com/6x6V295lAB

— Imaginary Ones (@Imaginary_Ones) October 4, 2022

“We are honored and thrilled to announce an official partnership with international fashion giant @HUGOBOSS! HUGO x IO will launch an exclusive NFT collection, Embrace Your Emotions. This will be HUGO’s first-ever NFT collection.”

According to reports, HUGO’s new collection for Imaginary Ones NFT of 1,001 3D animations, titled “Embrace Your Emotions” (EYE) will be launched early next November 2022. 

The idea is to encourage everyone to get in touch with their emotions and share the message that all feelings, positive and negative, are valid and should be embraced. And indeed, the 1,001 NFTs depict five characters representing joy, sadness, fear, anger and love. 

Not only that, on World Mental Health Day, 10 October, a special sixth character that brings together all five emotions will be auctioned off and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM). 

DreamWorks Animation’s new VOX Trolls

Also being announced is the new VOX Trolls: the collection of NFTs inspired by characters from DreamWorks Animation’s hit films. 

Available for purchase on Coinbase NFT from 14 October 2022, the new VOX NFTs bring multiple possibilities for future rewards for their owners, including the chance to play in the upcoming VOXverse metaverse.

The VOX NFT Trolls are the product of a collaboration of Gala, a leading innovator in Web3 entertainment, with Universal Games and Digital Platforms. 

In total, 8,888 unique VOXs of DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls will be released, including those inspired by Poppy, Branch, Guy Diamond and other dynamic characters. Not only that, fans will be able to purchase a mystery VOX Box that will be revealed to the owner when exchanged. 

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The new single by the two famous rappers, Snoop Dogg and Eminem, features a tribute to the NFT world with Bored Ape Yacht Club-style animation.

Bored Ape Yacht Club enters Snoop Dogg and Eminem’s music video

The two famous rappers, Snoop Dogg and Eminem, have just launched a highly anticipated new video together specifically mentioning the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs, the famous collection made by Yuga Labs.

Took too long to reconnect with @snoopdogg– you know we had to make a movie! https://t.co/087W2OZJOI #FromTheDToTheLBC #curtaincall2 @BoredApeYC pic.twitter.com/k443JqXHON

— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) June 24, 2022

The latest NFT.NYC and Ape fest 2022 featured a preview of the new video by the two rappers who have purchased work from the world-famous apes. Last December, Eminem paid $425,000 to acquire a Bored Ape piece, nicknamed “Eminem Ape”. Snoop Dogg not only bought a whole set of the famous apes, but in March he launched his own NFT collection on Cardano.

During the New York conference attended by thousands of passionate NFT fans, a Snoop Dogg impersonator also appeared, fooling hundreds of fans.

The video is to accompany a new song, “From The D 2 The LBC”, which is mainly about marijuana, and which constantly ties in with the images of the related animated-style characters from the famous collection, reproducing the two rappers as two Bored Ape apes.

Snoop Dogg broadens scope of NFT-related projects

According to rumors, Snoop Dogg is also planning to launch a Bored Ape-themed restaurant in Los Angeles, as tweeted on the profile of Food Fighters Universe, the company that is expected to partner with the rapper in the project.

Never in my life would I imagine having @SnoopDogg as our business partner. As we’ve got a lot of ideas in the tank, that we’re working to bring to life. And just so you know, he’s very involved in the entire process of what we’re developing. pic.twitter.com/iFDqVIH7Jf

— Andy Nguyen of Food Fighters Universe Bored&Hungry (@AndyTheNguyen) June 6, 2022

There are many artists who have been eyeing Bored Ape Yacht Club’s NFTs in 2021, such as pop star Madonna, who reportedly spent more than $560,000 to secure a piece from the collection.

However, the NFT market, after growing by more than 20,000% in 2021, declined in early 2022, perhaps dragged down by the entire cryptocurrency market as well. The ApeCoin token, in just a few months since its launch, has lost 39% of its value, coming in at $4.91, after hitting a high of $27 in April. According to Verge magazine, even the same NFT purchased by Eminem would now be valued at $150,000.

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A lookalike of the famous rapper Snoop Dogg hired by a well-known cryptocurrency company fools all attendees of the NFT convention in New York.

“Part of the crypto mindset is they know it’s chaos and bullshit and also they don’t care…” Same as the popular press in the UK?https://t.co/BGhTgZmcL9

— Joe Morgan (@jjoemorgan) June 24, 2022

A fake Snoop Dogg roamed the NFT convention in New York

At last week’s NFT conference in New York, a fake Snoop Dogg fooled the audience for hours by posing as the famous rapper who has also long seemed to have converted to the Non-Fungible Tokens business. 

Despite the market slump and a subsequent inevitable slowdown in the NFT market, which after a boom in 2021 in the early months of 2022 came to a screeching halt, the New York conference, pitched somewhat like the Superbowl for the NFT world, was attended by thousands of enthusiasts. These included several people of varying degrees of celebrity.

And that is why when the famous rapper Snoop Dogg appeared it must have seemed almost natural to many to see him there, since in the past few months the rapper had launched a collection of his own on Cardano. Except that it was simply a look-alike, hired by a company present at the conference for promotional purposes.

Jack Burke, 35, marketing director of Fair.xyz, the company that came up with the brilliant promotional idea, told the Guardian that their initial idea was to get a Justin Bieber lookalike, but they decided Snoop Dogg would be a better choice because:

“Snoop is actually heavily involved in the NFT space and so it’s very plausible that he would rock up to NFT.NYC”.

Doop Snogg https://t.co/tLy3vAhmqn

— Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) June 22, 2022

Celebrities help the expansion of the NFT market

Last year, the sponsorships of superstars including precisely Snoop Dogg himself, Paris Hilton and Floyd Mayweather certainly fueled a frenzy for non-fungible tokens, which grew by more than 20,000% with a turnover of about $17 billion.

And as a result, there has been increased interest from well-known faces in film music and sports in this new form of business. But as is often the case, a boom of this magnitude attracts also fraudsters. OpenSea has calculated that about 70% of the NFTs offered for sale on its platform would be fraudulent.

But this is not the case with Snoop Dogg, who amusedly commented on the incident that occurred at the conference with his doppelganger, who managed to fool hundreds of fans for hours as they ran to take selfies with him.

A week ago the rapper filed two patent applications covering digital retail stores and virtual cannabis NFTs.

The applications were filed under his name Calvin Broadus, and concern the registration of the trademarks “Uncle Snoop” and “Uncle Snoop’s.”  

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Snoop Dogg, along with Clay Mates, launched his new NFT collection on Cardano in early April, expanding beyond the Ethereum blockchain. 

Snoop Dogg joins Cardano Community with Clay Mates

A week after the initial launch, Clay Mates, the liaison between artist Snoop Dogg and the Cardano Community, has released some data on the sales performance of the new NFT collection created with the hip hop singer. 

(1/3)

The initial pitch sale is O.V.E.R – we minted:

Sonic Village: 8,488 / 10,000
Underworld: 8,163 / 9426
Baked Nation: 12,087 / 12,600

BOOM

Timelapse @joetheclayy @SnoopDogg @champmedici @JoelMadden pic.twitter.com/o5It2Ccowq

— Clay Nation (@The_ClayMates) April 12, 2022

“The initial pitch sale is O.V.E.R – we minted:

• Sonic Village: 8,488 / 10,000

• Baked Nation: 12,087 / 12,600

We’re reopening the mint for SV and UW for holders (same clay list) to give those who missed it or made a mistake another chance – call it a holder benefit, we got you. TODAY | 12 APRIL 22.00 – 24.00 UTC. Last chance don’t f it up. Other pitches will be reallocated manually with priority weighting given to clay holders, CLAY stake pool delegators and active members of the community. More info soon. Join our discord to stay up to date”.

A new chance for members of the Cardano Community and followers of the metaverse and hip hop star Snoop Dogg to purchase their NFTs from this new collection. 

And indeed, here’s the latest update from Clay with another tweet:

It all started with a ball of clay & a whole heap of love from the #CardanoCommunity.

Happy birthday to us and Charlie Birdkinson Clay Mate #00

Here’s to another wild one@joetheclayy @Shcheb @LallyMcClay @samihayes @JikaEdstrom @lenna_clay @ClayJoons

— Clay Nation (@The_ClayMates) April 17, 2022

“Last week we announced our official collab with @SnoopDogg & @champmedici. This week we sold out our 32k land sale. Yesterday we held our 2nd community meet up & reached 50k Twitter followers AND TODAY it’s @The_ClayMates 1st birthday. It all started with a ball of clay & a whole heap of love from the Cardano Community. Happy birthday to us and Charlie Birdkinson Clay Mate #00 Here’s to another wild one”.

Snoop Dogg celebrates one year of NFTs using Cardano

Clay Nation’s current NFT collection, developed on Cardano, is a new experience for the American rapper who wanted to make the move a year after entering this explosive industry. 

In fact, since his debut in the world of NFTs powered by the Ethereum Blockchain, with “a Journey with the Dogg”, Snoop Dogg has now expanded his technological horizons by using Cardano. 

The collection features a collection of 10,000 digital characters with algorithmically assembled and handmade clay traits. Each character is a unique NFT and recorded on Cardano’s Blockchain. 

For owners of Clay Mates NFTs, they will be able to use them to explore the Clay Nation metaverse and participate in various virtual events. 

The metaverse on the blockchain: Snoop Dogg featured in The Sandbox

At the beginning of this year, on the famous palindrome date 22/02/2022, Snoop Dogg entered the blockchain metaverse of The Sandbox. 

The entry was ushered in with the launch of his NFT Doggies designed in conjunction with The Sandbox. 

These as well are 10,000 unique avatars that can be used at virtual events in The Sandbox metaverse.

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Today, 22/02/2022, on the famous palindrome date, the new Doggies NFTs designed by rapper Snoop Dogg together with The Sandbox went on sale. 

It’s a collection of 10,000 unique avatars that can be used in the blockchain-based metaverse. 

Snoop Dogg, The Sandbox and the Doggies NFT collection

The pre-announced 10,000 NFTs from the Doggies collection were released today.

They are unique avatars designed by rapper Snoop Dogg and ready for use on The Sandbox’s popular blockchain-based metaverse. 

Here’s a video of the American rapper on Twitter, on the official account of The Doggies, describing the precious avatars per game in the Non Fungible Token version:

The Doggies – launching on 2/22/22! More than an #NFT collection.

10K Snoop Dogg Metaverse Avatars
Created by @SnoopDogg & @TheSandboxGame
Playable inside The Sandbox Alpha 2
Created with 150+ traits
Dope 1/1 avatars

Learn more:https://t.co/JmLtGscWm7 pic.twitter.com/0BDMkjtaz8

— The Doggies (@TheSnoopAvatars) February 17, 2022

“The Doggies – launching on 2/22/22! More than an #NFT collection.

• 10K Snoop Dogg Metaverse Avatars

• Created by @SnoopDogg & @TheSandboxGame 

• Playable inside The Sandbox Alpha 2

Learn more: https://sandbox.game/en/snoopdogg/”.

The dedicated website specifies that each avatar is completely unique, hand-created from over 150 traits by The Sandbox’s skilled voxel artists. 

Snoop Dogg and The Sandbox and the 10,000 unique NFT Doggies

The new unique NFT Doggies are avatars with human or blue faces, or alien or zombie faces, or even dog or robot faces, and they can also be gold. 

The Sandbox describes one in particular on Twitter. 

It is Snoop Dogg’s Doggie NFT for Gucci, one of 10,000 handmade avatars, dressed in an outfit inspired by the new Love Parade campaign of the famous Italian luxury fashion brand Gucci. 

Snoop Dogg x Gucci. Introducing the #GucciLoveParade Doggy.

A testament to timeless style, just one hand-crafted Doggy will come decked out in a suit inspired directly from @gucci’s new Love Parade campaign featuring @SnoopDogg himself.

A 1 in 10,000 chance to get it pic.twitter.com/kP5JnN5Seu

— The Doggies (@TheSnoopAvatars) February 21, 2022

“Snoop Dogg x Gucci. Introducing the #GucciLoveParade Doggy. A testament to timeless style, just one hand-crafted Doggy will come decked out in a suit inspired directly from @gucci’s new Love Parade campaign featuring @SnoopDogg himself. A 1 in 10,000 chance to get it”.

With this campaign, the American rapper joins the list of brands that have collaborated with The Sandbox’s blockchain-based metaverse, such as The Walking Dead, Adidas, South China Morning Post and many others. 

Cozomo de’ Medici and the first NFT of Fidenza most expensive in history

It was October 2021, when Cozomo de’ Medici, billionaire NFT collector who turned out to be Snoop Dogg himself, announced that he had bought Fidenza’s work, the first-ever declared most expensive in the history of the industry.

Dogg reportedly bought a large portion of the work for 2500 ETH, the equivalent of 8.5 million dollars at the time. 

The month before, the rapper had also revealed that he was Cozomo de’ Medici and had opened an account on OpenSea to buy NFT for $17 million as well. 

At the time, Dogg had also already begun his collaboration with The Sandbox to recreate his home in the metaverse, a project for the 10,000 Doggies NFT collection.

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