FOR INDIE VENUES, NFT BENEFIT IS JUST THE TICKET

L.A.’s Troubadour, NYC’s Bowery Ballroom and D.C.’s 9:30 Club are among the independent venues teaming up with artist Young & Sick to launch a "Golden Ticket" NFT art fundraising event. The proceedings kick off today on digital-art marketplace MakersPlace, where the NFT art collection can also be previewed.

The fundraiser directly benefits 10 historic venues as well as the National Independent Venue Foundation, which raises money to assist independent live-music venues still struggling due to the ongoing challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other venues participating in the fundraising effort include the EXIT/IN, First Avenue, The Independent, Mohawk, The Metro, Neumos and Tipitina’s.

Starting at 6pm ET on 4/7, fans and collectors will have 48 hours to place bids to win a series of extremely limited Young & Sick-designed NFT crypto art objects. Each venue’s one-of-one NFT piece comes with a “Golden Ticket” granting VIP access and exclusive perks to future concerts and events.

All of the exclusive independent-venue NFTs were created by Young & Sick (aka Nick van Hofwegen), a touring musician and trailblazer in the NFT space whose debut collection grossed more than $1 million on Nifty Gateway last month.

Aside from the 10 unique NFTs depicting each participating venue, there will be a series of open-edition collectible NFT pieces available for a limited time, which will enable a broader audience to support the cause. Further details for each venue will be available at the auction launch.