UK music exec Mike Walsh on joining NFT expert Serenade

Serenade, the newly launched company aimed at making NFTs a viable opportunity for all artists, has made its first executive hire in the shape of former Radio X head of music, Mike Walsh.

Walsh joins the company as senior strategic partnerships manager for Serenade in the UK, where he will focus on managing existing UK industry relationships alongside new artist acquisition by further developing key stakeholder relationships with artists, managers, labels, publishers, merch companies, ticketing companies and other key industry players.

He will also look to establish partnerships with like-minded brands across all relevant industries and will oversee brand activations, collaborations, events and festivals, as well as being the company’s spokesperson in the UK.

"As an eco-friendly NFT marketplace, that already has deep roots in the music industry, we are in a unique position to simplify and grow the space for both artists and fans - whilst they have the confidence of knowing that making an NFT with Serenade uses one tenth of the energy of sending a Tweet," Walsh told Headliner.

"I am excited to be working with Max, Clare and the rest of the team in Sydney to help artists, and other music partners, to unlock the boundless potential that NFT’s offer – creatively, connectively and commercially.

"It is still a very new space for many artists and fans but it is increasingly apparent that NFT’s will be a huge part of the future of many music businesses across a range of use cases.

“From doing some work with [CEO] Max Shand late last year, I knew he was an exceptional entrepreneur who would use his deep passion for music to create something truly meaningful, future focused, and of very high value, for artists and fans,” Walsh continued.

"NFT’s will not be an overnight revolution but it is increasingly clear that blockchain technology will have an enormous positive impact on artists, and everyone in the music eco system over the coming years. Making this nascent space as user friendly for artists and fans, as it is exciting, is what Serenade is all about.”

Shand added: “It was absolutely crucial that we made the right appointment for our first senior UK hire and in Mike Walsh, who is universally respected throughout the music industry, we definitely have the right man to lead us forward in this important market.

"His passion for music and enthusiasm for innovative technology, alongside his deep knowledge of the NFT sector gives us enormous confidence that Serenade is in safe hands in the UK.”

Serenade is an eco-friendly platform, which produces 1/44,000th of the carbon emitted by a standard NFT (or 1/10th of the energy usage of a tweet,) uses a 'Proof of Stake' authentication method that is more efficient than a direct-to-Ethereum 'Proof of Work' approach and eliminates expensive ‘gas’ fees - the prohibitive costs that can be a barrier to entry for anyone wanting to create affordable NFTs.

You can read our interview with Shand, in which he explains how the company works and how it benefits artists across the board, here.