Sony Music Publishing Japan is leveraging its parent company Sony Group’s blockchain technology to create exclusive digital collectibles for J-pop group Sandal Telephone, despite waning interest in NFTs over the past few years.
The initiative uses Soneium, Sony’s blockchain platform announced in August 2024, to distribute digital memorabilia to superfans of the soon-to-disband girl group. Sandal Telephone announced in December that they will be disbanding on April 30, 2025.
Sandal Telephone said on February 23 that fans who spend about 5,000 yen ($33) on merchandise will receive digital collectibles from the band’s limited-edition collection.
The Sandal Telephone campaign also includes a partnership with retailer Entaba Akihara, allowing collectors who acquire three or more NFTs to unlock exclusive video content.
“NFTs filled with memories of the members’ activities will be distributed at events, and fans will be able to receive NFTs with the purchase of merchandise. The NFT will be distributed using Fan Marketing Platform, a NFT issuance platform provided by @SonyGroupGlobal,” Soneium said in a February 25 post on X.
“NFTs filled with memories of the members’ activities will be distributed at events, and fans will be able to receive NFTs with the purchase of merchandise.”
Soneium
For Sandal Telephone, which formed in 2017 under the name Shuuengo Buppan before undergoing several lineup changes and its 2019 rebranding, the NFT collection offers a chance for fans to memorialize the group’s history before it disbands.
Soneium was developed by Sony Block Solution Labs, a joint venture between Sony (90%) and Startale Labs (10%) established in October 2023 with a capital of SG$1 million ($740,780). The platform is described as an “infrastructure network that forms the basis of Web3.”
When Soneium was first announced, Sony said Sony Block Solution Labs developed the technology to overcome Web3’s current limitations. While Web3 offers decentralization and new opportunities, adoption has been slow due to low usage and a complex user experience, according to Sony.
“By developing blockchain, which is the basic infrastructure of Web3, we will be able to provide comprehensive Web3 solutions from the infrastructure to the application layer, rather than just providing partial services,” the Sony joint venture said.
The company also plans to explore how Soneium can help protect content creators’ rights, offering new revenue opportunities while enhancing fan engagement.
Sony first hinted at plans to distribute limited-edition NFTs for Sandal Telephone in January. It is one of several Web3 initiatives Sony is pursuing across its entertainment portfolio. In the same January announcement, Sony disclosed plans for NFT distributions through Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan and Sony Music Entertainment France.
In 2022, after jointly buying Bob Dylan’s copyrights with Universal Music Group, Sony and Universal announced that they would partner on an NFT project with direct involvement from Bob Dylan himself. However, no updates on the project have been shared since.
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