UPDATED:Late rapper Nipsey Hussle’s last EP will be released via a limited 1000 NFTs with exclusive music rights to the project.

RAIRTECH,the decentralized digital rights management platform it the tech partner behind theJanuary 6thNFT drop. More info atnipseyverse.com.

RAIRTECH’s multichain NFT minting engine,RAIRMINT, which powers digital scarcity and autonomy for creators, was used to mint the NFTs. Using middleware encryption to create a secure digital stream, “RAIRTECH makes it easy for creators to publish and distribute media while retaining full ownership and earnings for their work.”

UPDATE:We just got word that the Nipsey Hustle NFT project is being delayed while some legal issues are being worked out.

• Digital asset curatorMetaversalhas completed a$50 million funding roundto expand its investments in NFTs and the metaverse.

The Series A funding round was co-led by investment firms CoinFund and Foxhaven, with additional participation from Collab+Currency, Dapper Labs, Digital Currency Group, Franklin Templeton, Rarible, Theta Blockchain Ventures, Galaxy Vision Hill and others.

• Milan basedMelodityhas started to build Web 3.0 monetization infrastructure to support musicians in new ways.

The startup is building an ecosystem that consists of play-to-earn (P2E), listen-to-earn (L2E) and Metaverse based on a proprietary blockchain that will empower opportunities for music artists, professionals, fans and music lovers. Three of the integrated platforms are DoMeta, DoDuet and DoMart.

DoMetais an almost completely music oriented metaverse, where users can enjoy their time playing, learning, creating and interacting with each other or participate in live events. It intends to draw communities by combining music, DeFi, blockchain and NFTs — as well as a play-to-earn model — into one package.

DoDuet,with a listen-to-earn model, will create an innovative experience like no other. It is a user-friendly contest platform that gamifies Music and provides visibility and easy-access prizes for artists. It will reward participants in the contest just by listening to tracks and voting.

DoMart, the NFTs marketplace, will provide not only songs distribution, but al

• ASeattle based NFT Museumis close to opening.

“Seattle NFT Museum founders Jennifer Wong and Peter Hamilton hope to create an appreciation for the limitless potential of digital art with their Belltown space that will display the work of artists and collectors for those who want a more tactile interaction with what’s largely an ephemeral art form,” according to theSeattle Times.

• Sydney based Fintech firmNFTMUSIC.STREAMis launching an NFT music streaming app.

‘STREAMER’is pairing with the ETHEREUM Blockchain and launching on Uniswap on January 7th at 11.00am UTC. as well as via Android and iOS apps.

Bruce Houghtonis Founder and Editor ofHypebotandMusicThinkTankand serves as a Senior Advisor toBandsintownwhich acquired both publications in 2019. He is the Founder and President of theSkyline Artists Agencyand a professor for theBerklee College Of Music.