Artis Loudness is making a big come back with the rise of NFT

Grimes isn’t the only artist to have made out big on NFTs already. The world renown Artis Loudness makes their come back with their NFT drops in Aug through The NFT Records.

Loudness is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Akira Takasaki and drummer Munetaka Higuchi. They were the first Japanese metal act signed to a major label in the United States, releasing 26 studio albums (five in America) and nine live albums by 2014 and reaching the Billboard Top 100 in their moment of maximum international popularity, as well as charting on Oricon dozens of times.

The band continued their activities throughout the 1990s, finally reuniting the original line-up in 2001.

We had been preparing to record for our 40th anniversary since early spring last year, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and not only our European tour, which was supposed to start in April, but also our domestic tour and overseas summer festivals were postponed. We believed in the voice of the people around me that said, “Let’s release it at the right time and in the right way,” and we proceeded with the recording, but I never imagined that it would get even worse in 2021.
At that time, We received a presentation that said, “I think a new style called NFT is perfect for LOUDNESS,” and although We didn’t know what it was, We instinctively felt that it would be interesting. And we thought it would be interesting for a band like us, who have been doing this for 40 years, to take the lead in releasing music in this new style.

We don’t know much about cryptocurrency, but The NFT Records in Japan accepts credit card payments, and fans from all over the world can buy the music. When we tried it, our fans were very interested in buying it, and it was great to hear the immediate response to the songs.

Of course, we’d like to keep physical products such as vinyl and CDs, but it takes about two months from the time they are completed to the time they are released to the world.

We hope to continue to release our work on NFTs in some interesting ways. The band shared their comment on their new NFT drop.

As the NFT wave gains momentum, it is no brainer that the industry will see more creative ways for artists to capitalize on NFTs. NFTs could have a huge effect on streaming platforms that simply don’t earn artists enough. We could see an era when artists are able to do business directly with music retailers and sell their NFTs like they used to with self-produced CDs.

For more than two decades, we’ve been told that the internet was going to save music. It would directly connect artists to their fans, create meaningful communities around art and allow musicians to take control of their music and it is refreshing to see we are now witnessing the evolution in front of our eyes. Rising artist like MARCHING OUT who are rolling out their new project is now eyeing the possibility the digital solution holds for music distribution and building relationship with their fans.

Kazuhiro Nakayama comments, I see the uniqueness our band’s music is that although we started from Japan we are far more flexible in terms of our music production and performance ability. Which also allows us to easily produce collaborations with musicians world wide. Another part of our uniqueness lies in our ability to deliver a song writing that include irony or messages of our political environment.

I believe that Rock music is one of the only music that allows people to express themselves in the best way.
And personally with the power of Rock music and our band, I would like to bring smile to people and provide people with a sense of power and courage for their lives. I want to leave a legacy, something of a proof to the world that I was hear and I am passionate to express who I am to our fans.

While there has been many challenges through out our journey, especially launching in Japan where the understanding towards Rock music is not as prominent as other countries, we have been able to grow and we are serious about influencing the current limited land scape within Japan in terms of enabling a path for coming up artist from Japan.

Hopefully, you’ve put away the Kleenex and picked your guitar back up. Because Rock isn’t dead, and it’s not going anywhere for the time being. In fact, I’d argue it’s never been in a better place.
It was said that 2020 was one of the greatest year for rock music — so let’s all toast to the future.

At first, it’s difficult to wrap your head around the concept of NFTs. But once you realise the benefits, you begin to understand why the technology will disrupt the music industry forever.

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