Async Art, NFTs and the Programmable Media Movement

To display the capabilities of this new technology, Async Art launched with the first-ever programmable artwork—a collaborative piece that features the work of 13 different artists, aptly titled First Supper. The artists involved include: Shortcut, Josie Bellini, Sparrow, MLIBTY, Vans Design, Alotta Money, Twisted Vacancy, Coldie, Hackatao, XCOPY, Matt Kane, Rutger van der Tas, and myself, Connie Digital.

In October 2020, Async Art collaborated with the world’s leading auction house Christie’s to auction-off Robert Alice’s programmable NFT - Block 21. This marked the first time in history that an NFT was sold by any major auction house, fetching a price of $131,250. Since then, Async Art has gone on to release a browser Tab Extension to showcase artworks, an Apple TV app for displaying works on larger screens, and the team also secured a $2M+ round of funding.

With new funding secured, the next focus for the platform appears to be onboarding more creators—including musicians. In the same way smart contracts and programmability have forever changed art, these tools also have the ability to forever change music. And my bet is that it will.

Programmable music will work similarly to programmable art with each piece being composed of a single Master Track NFT and multiple Stem NFTs. Stem NFTs are effectively the same as Layer NFTs. They have the ability to alter what the Master Track both looks and sounds like.

This is because the Master Track cover art is also an Async artwork. Activating different Stems means the cover art will change according to the artists’ programmed design. Stem NFTs also give their owners the power to determine which variant of that Stem is being played in the Master Track (the current live song).

Imagine vocal Stems with up to 9 different lyric variants that collectors can mix and match against 9 different beat variants. Each possible combination of the Stems adds a richer meaning to the full track, while at the same time providing a fun experience of ‘unlocking’ different versions of the song.

With programmable music, fans can now become active participants in the listening experience. They can interact with the sound and the musician in ways that were not possible before. They effectively have the power to decide which version of the Master Track the world hears.

Greater utility gives NFTs greater value.

Async Music will launch in late April with a diverse spectrum of musical genres, including works from Verdigris Ensemble, HMLTD, Connie Digital and Mighty33, and one yet to be announced artist. You can get all the launch details by following Async on Twitter.