Wu-Tang Clan's only album, Once upon a time in Shaolin, has been in the news a lot lately. First, at the end of May, it was announced that it would be played publicly in an exhibition at the Museum of Old and New Australian Art (MONA). The exhibition runs from June 15-24.
The album's owner, digital art collective PleasrDAO, then filed a federal lawsuit against former owner Martin Shkreli for copying the album and playing it for online audiences without permission.
Now, PleasrDAO is selling partial ownership of the album. Once upon a time in Shaolinas noted in a press release, it has been “digitized and encrypted,” meaning it has been turned into a non-fungible token (NFT) that can be purchased for $1 at www.thealbum.com.
Buy an NFT of Once upon a time in Shaolin gives buyers access to a sample album and also increases the album's circulation 88 seconds at a time. As it stands, the album will be available to the public on Monday, October 8, 2103.
In a press release, Once upon a time in Shaolin Producers RZA and Cilvaringz stated: “Mass reproduction has fundamentally changed the way we view a piece of recorded music, while digital universality and vanished physicality have broken our emotional connection to a piece of music as a work of art and a deeply personal treasure.” .
Matt Matkov, spokesperson for PleasrDAO, added, “This album sale is not just about the music. it's about redefining the way we think about music ownership and fan engagement in the digital age.”
PleasrDAO bought Wu-Tang Clan's Once upon a time in Shaolin for $4 million in 2021. The new digitized version of the album has new artwork designed by Hassan Rahim. Encrypted Album is distributed in partnership with Privy, Crossmint and Holograph and is built on Base. No cryptocurrency required to buy NFT.
