Sony Unveils World's First Music NFT Collection

Sony, a global leader in consumer electronics and entertainment, has ventured into the realm of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in the music industry. The company has unveiled the world's first-ever music NFT collection, which it plans to integrate into its Soneium blockchain. This marks a significant step towards the integration of blockchain technology in the music industry.

Coop Records, an on-chain record label, has partnered with Sony to disrupt traditional methods of monetization and distribution by providing exclusive content through blockchain-based ownership. Coop Records has already facilitated the migration of over 600 tracks to the blockchain. The NFT music library is hosted on Sonova, the official NFT market, where users can mint these NFTs for 0.000777 ETH until the end of the month. As of now, over 644 copies have been minted from the total supply of 999,999.

One of the standout pieces in the debut collection is a 22-minute unreleased track by NUU$HI, an emerging producer from Tokyo. This launch is part of a series of NFTs set to be released through Sonova, positioning Soneium as a hub for blockchain music content. Sony's blockchain project, Soneium, is growing rapidly, with the mainnet scheduled to launch in January 2025 and already surpassing 245,000 active accounts.

Soneium began with a four-month testnet phase in August 2024, during which it saw over 14 million user accounts and processed transactions totaling about 47 million. Despite this growth, Sony has not yet expressed any plans to integrate Soneium with its broader entertainment business. However, the potential for blockchain-powered music distribution remains open-ended with ongoing NFT releases.

The launch of music NFTs on Soneium represents a shift in how people think about digital ownership of songs. By partnering with Coop Records and unveiling exclusive tracks, Sony demonstrates its interest in applying blockchain technology to reshape the music availability landscape. While it remains uncertain whether Sony will expand the scope of Soneium within the entertainment sector, the company has set a high bar for future innovation in music distribution with its initial step.

Sony Music Group, which owns major labels such as Columbia and RCA, has not yet