Serenade Launches New ARIA Chart-Eligible Format

Serenade, the eco-friendly music web3 marketplace, has designed the first U.K. and Australian chart-eligible music format since album streams in 2015.

The limited edition and collectible music format is called Digital Pressing.

It is a stand-alone digital release – as opposed to a wider release “bundle”—designed to cater for a superfan’s appetite for scarcity and exclusive content.

Living on the blockchain and offering web3 capabilities such as verifiable ownership and the ability to trade on secondary markets, a Digital Pressing will also accrue accurate, perpetual royalties for copyright holders and content owners.

After striking a deal with Warner U.K., the format debuts with Muse’s ninth studio album “Will Of The People”, out August 26.

Serenade has worked with the U.K.’s Official Charts Company and ARIA in Australia to become the first chart-eligible NFT marketplace.

ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd welcomed the new format.

“Congratulations to Serenade and Muse on the first release of many, and for delivering what promises to be a new and exciting way,” she said.

Pictured: Muse / Photo by: Nick Fancher / Supplied

One Digital Pressing sale is equivalent to one album unit.

To date, no NFT-based album has made the two official charts.

Serenade founder Max Shand said Digital Pressings will be a game-changer.

“We wouldn’t have been able to achieve this without the support of the visionary teams at Warner Records, the OCC and ARIA, who all want to give artists every opportunity to bring creativity and innovation into their campaigns,” he said.

“I have always been a huge fan of Muse, so I am beyond excited that they will be the first artist to release a Digital Pressing with Serenade.”

Pictured: Serenade founder Max Shand / Supplied

Following the Muse release, Serenade will set out to support and empower any artist campaign, from emerging talent to established icons and legends.

Unlike vinyl production which demands significant overheads and long lead times, there is no cost associated with creating a Digital Pressing and the turnaround time can be less than two weeks.

Digital Pressings have a low carbon footprint equivalent to 1/10th of a tweet (44,000x more efficient than a standard NFT release), and will be retailed for a fan-friendly £20 (equivalent to AU$34.90).

Since its launch in the first half of 2021, Serenade has worked with numerous artists, from emerging independents to household names including Young M.A, The Kooks, Jungle, Super Furry Animals and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes.