The BRIT Awards, in partnership with eco-friendly NFT platform Serenade, have announced their first ever NFT collection to celebrate the 2022 award winners, following the ceremony on February 8 at The O2 arena in London, broadcast exclusively on ITV and ITV Hub.
Designed by West Midlands-born digital artist MRE, who has worked with previous BRIT winners Dave and J Hus, this collection of unique NFTs will commemorate the 2022 winning artists of categories including Artist of the Year, Best New Artist, Mastercard Album of the Year and the four new genre awards Alternative/Rock Act, Dance Act, Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act and Pop/R&B Act.
This initiative will offer music fans the opportunity to own a piece of music history. The limited edition NFTs will cost £10 each, and fans who collect them will get the chance to win VIP tickets to next year's BRIT Awards.
An NFT, or non-fungible token, is a unique digital asset with an individual identity that can be purchased for collection, trading or public display.
NFTs cannot be faked or copied, giving each NFT intrinsic value for its owner. The BRITs will be the first ever UK awards show to partner with an NFT platform.
All proceeds raised from the sale of the NFTs will be donated to The BRIT Trust, the charity arm of The BRITs which distributes money raised from The BRIT Awards to organisations and charities that promote education and well-being through music, including The BRIT School and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy.
Nominations for this year’s BRIT Awards include Adele, Dave, Ed Sheeran, Little Simz, Sam Fender, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Central Cee.
The winner of the BRITs Rising Star award has already been announced as Holly Humberstone, who will perform at the ceremony, along with Dave, Doja Cat, Ed Sheeran, Liam Gallagher and Little Simz, with more names to be announced soon.
“Working with The BRIT Awards to create something special to celebrate this year’s BRITs winners is a great opportunity to bring digital art and NFTs to a wider audience,” said MRE.
“This collaboration is helping develop new creative possibilities and to push the boundaries of what can be done to make music fans part of a wider experience.”
“We wanted to find a new way for fans to commemorate their favourite artists winning a BRIT award,” added Luke Ferrar, innovation director, Polydor Records and co-chair of BRITs digital committee:
“Creating a unique NFT felt like an interesting and different approach, and by pricing them at a reasonable cost (£10 charity donation) it allows more people to enter the emerging space of blockchain/digital Art.
“MRE is an incredible digital artist and I hope these can be displayed and remembered for years to come and that it challenges conventional ways to own and share a moment with an Artist, at the same time raising money for charity.”
“NFTs are an exciting new space for The BRIT Awards, and we feel it is really important that we take this opportunity to help support charities such as Nordoff Robbins and The BRIT School through The BRIT Trust by pricing the collectibles at just £10,” added Giuseppe De Cristofano, director of digital, BRIT Awards and co-chair of BRITs digital committee:
“We’re really excited by the creative from MRE, and we can’t wait to see how fans engage with the collection and commemorate with artists after The BRITs on February 8th!”
“Serenade couldn't be more excited to extend The BRIT Awards' legacy of innovation and philanthropy into the NFT world with simplified eco-friendly digital collectibles, commemorating 2022's award winners with digital trophies designed by the wonderful MRE,” said Max Shand of Serenade, the NFT platform.
“It’s a pleasure to work with such a credible and forward looking institution as The BRITs, and we look forward to a long, strategic partnership.”
The NFTs will be available from Wednesday 9th February, with purchases through credit or debit card at serenade.co.
Image credit: John Marshall/JMEnternational.