220 Kid and Billen Ted, who created the No.1 remix of Nathan Evans’ Wellerman, have joined forces again to celebrate the song's global success with a series of limited edition Wellerman VIP Collection NFTs.
Following its release three months ago by Polydor, the track has amassed 120 million Spotify streams and 1.5 million global sales. It achieved No.1 in 7 countries and continues to hold the top spot in four countries: Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium.
With 200 cards available in each of the seven countries that Wellerman reached No. 1 (UK, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium), the Wellerman VIP Collection collectibles include a unique digital artwork, exclusive new 14-second dance track and an unlockable password-protected asset only available upon purchase. In addition, one unique VIP collectible card, featuring its own individual track, will be up for auction.
The track became a viral TikTok sensation during the European lockdown. This is the first release for the duo as part of a long-term ambition to collaborate on further tracks and projects.
Major players from the electronic music industry have been making moves into the NFT market, including Deadmau5, Calvin Harris, Diplo and Disclosure, along with acts including Gorillaz, Lewis Capaldi and Mick Jagger. Nathan Evans, the artist behind the original Wellerman single, has created limited edition artworks for fans and NFT users to own.
Billen Ted said: "We've always wanted to be at the forefront of technological advances and disruption within the music industry and being involved with and creating these collectible NFTs is allowing us to do just that. We wanted to celebrate the success of the Wellerman Remix by creating a collectible, with a unique piece of music for each country where the record has reached No.1, which upon purchase will unlock a unique password (which will be able to be redeemed in the future for something quite special). We also thought it would be great to contribute a percentage of profits to 220 Kid's scholarship and also the RNLI, both of which are close to our hearts!”
Creating a collection of NFTs is a really exciting way to bring Wellerman to life visually
220 Kid
220 Kid added: “Creating a collection of NFTs is a really exciting way to bring Wellerman to life visually. As the world has been closed, it’s also an important way for us to feel connected with the fans it’s created and those who have enjoyed the music in countries we can’t currently reach. Having done several charity projects too, it’s become a lot harder to fundraise in this current climate; being at the forefront of new and exciting ways to use our positions to make a positive impact really is brilliant. The Wellerman movement felt like a rare musical cultural shift and it brought a lot of joy to people globally, so to have this NFT to celebrate it forever is wonderful!”
A portion of proceeds from funds raised will be donated to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Furthermore, a portion of sales will go towards the 220 Kid Scholarship fund, which supports minority ethnic high achievers in a three year placement at Exeter University.
Two hundred editions of each Wellerman VIP Collection collectable card will be available in all seven countries that The Wellerman Remix peaked at No.1, and are able to purchase for ETH 0.2 each via the OpenSea platform at 10am from Friday April 23.
London-based fintech investor Viktor Prokopenya commented on the rise of NFTs in music: “NFTs as elite art-forms are definitely here to stay: this is the beginning of a huge new trend. The NFT boom will bring innovation to art and creativity, which can only be of benefit to the world. As soon as society develops another business model to make money for creative people, we can have more creative people - they are one of the key drivers of human progress. Invest for love of art not money.
“NFTs create scarcity online; a quality only possible offline before. All kinds of online art could easily be replicated before NFTs - you could download a file with music with no loss of quality, for instance. NFTs are essentially digital collectables, they make something unique and therefore highly prized. Scarcity creates opportunities for new forms of digital art to exist and can create an entirely new market for artists.”
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