NFTs have been the subject of a lot of discussion in the metal world lately, with some artists taking advantage of the demand for them to offer exciting exclusives to their fans and other artists loudly protesting the concept altogether. As of this morning, both sides of the argument seem to be in agreeance with one thing, though, the new HitPiece NFT marketplace seems super shady.
Musicians from across the metal and rock world (as well as the extended music universe) have spoken out against the new website, which apparently 'lets fans collect NFTs of their favourite songs', for offering up NFTs of their entire catalogue, without their knowledge or any form of official permission or authorization.
A description on the HitPiece website explains their concept:
"Each HitPiece NFT is a One of One NFT for each unique song recording. Members build their Hitlist of their favorite songs, get on leaderboards, and receive in real life value such as access and experiences with Artists."
What the description doesn't do is explain how they are able to offer this up for what appears to be quite literally EVERY song currently available on Spotify, without permission from the rights holders.
Unsurprisingly people are PISSED with artists ranging from experimental hip-hop outfit Clipping (fronted by film, theatre and television star, Daveed Diggs) to Wolf Van Halen to your mates high school band that released three tracks eight years ago speaking out publicly against HitPiece's approach.
The best of these takes from an entertainment perspective belongs to Wolf Van Halen and you can see his response below.
You can also mint this interaction, auction it, and then shove it up your ass. You have my full permission. pic.twitter.com/prVXdAAQGT
— Wolf Van Halen 🐺 🚐 🙌 (@WolfVanHalen) February 2, 2022
HitPiece has been trending across the web all day as more and more artists catch wind of what's occurring with many of the biggest acts in metal and emerging Aussie artists impacted equally, the companies website has gone down multiple times, with all active buttons now removed.
HitPiece have responded to the uproar with a singular tweet, which appears to indicate they believe this is all a big misunderstanding of their intentions.
— HitPiece - Music NFTs (@joinhitpiece) February 2, 2022
That this statement came after several users pointed out that there was no minted, blockchain wallet connection possible, and all the bids on the website also appeared to be fake, doesn't seem to have instilled much confidence in musicians, who continue to protest loudly about the sites conduct.
With music present from some of the biggest artists in the world and the likes of entertainment giants Disney and Nintendo we'll find out soon enough if HitPiece is actually legitimate and if they are, how they'll go about building industry and consumer confidence in their marketplace following what appears to have been at best a poorly thought out roll out.
In the meantime if you're an artist with tracks on Spotify, chances are your music is on this platform, so stay informed!
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