Wu-Tang Clan<\/a>\u2019s one-of-a-kind album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin<\/em><\/a>, has been in the news a lot lately. First, in late May, it was announced that it would be played publicly at an exhibition<\/a> at Australia\u2019s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). The exhibition runs from June 15-24.<\/p>\n Then, the album\u2019s owner<\/a>, digital art collective PleasrDAO<\/a>, filed a federal lawsuit<\/a> against former owner<\/a> Martin Shkreli<\/a> for copying the album and playing it for online audiences without permission.<\/p>\n Now, PleasrDAO is selling partial ownership of the album. Once Upon a Time in Shaolin<\/em>, as noted in a press release, \u201chas been digitized and encrypted,\u201d which is to say that it\u2019s been made into a non-fungible token (NFT) that can be bought for $1 on www.thealbum.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Purchasing an NFT of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin<\/em> gives buyers access to an album sampler and also bumps up the album\u2019s release 88 seconds at a time. As it stands, the album will be available to the public on Monday, October 8, 2103.<\/p>\n In a press statement, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin<\/em> producers RZA and Cilvaringz said, \u201cMass replication has fundamentally changed the way we view a piece of recorded music, while digital universality and vanishing physicality have broken our emotional bond with a piece of music as an artwork and a deeply personal treasure.\u201d<\/p>\n Matt Matkov, a PleasrDAO representative, added, \u201cThis album sale is more than just about the music; it\u2019s about redefining how we think about ownership of music and fan collaboration in the digital age.\u201d<\/p>\n PleasrDAO purchased<\/a> Wu-Tang Clan\u2019s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin<\/em> for $4 million in 2021. The new digitized edition of the album has new artwork designed by Hassan Rahim<\/a>. The encrypted album is distributed in partnership with Privy, Crossmint, and Holograph, and it is built on Base. Cryptocurrency is not needed to purchase the NFT.<\/p>\n
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