Ghostface Killah, the famous American rapper and member of the Wu-Tang Clan, has revealed his plans to release exclusive music as Bitcoin Ordinals. Taking to the social media platform X, Ghostface announced that there will be a limited supply of 10,000 Ordinals available through a free mint. He also stated that holders of the Ordinals will have Creative Commons Zero (CC0) rights to the music, which means that the copyright interest is waived, allowing others to freely use and build upon the works.
This collection of Bitcoin Ordinals was made possible through a collaboration with the Ordinals Bot, Rare Scrilla, and NakaPepes, according to Ghostface. This isn’t Ghostface’s first foray into the cryptocurrency industry, as he previously attempted to launch his own cryptocurrency company called Cream Capital back in 2017. The company aimed to raise $30 million through an initial coin offering (ICO), which was a popular trend among celebrities at the time.
Bitcoin Ordinals are similar to nonfungible tokens (NFTs), but they are inscribed using the Bitcoin blockchain and require Bitcoin (BTC) as the minting token. As of now, there have only been 1,290 audio files inscribed to Bitcoin, as stated on the Ord.io website.
While releasing exclusive music as NFTs has become increasingly popular among new musicians, using Bitcoin Ordinals for this purpose is less common. Platforms like Sound.xyz and Audius have been utilizing blockchain-powered solutions to give musicians more control over their content.
Notable artists such as thrash metal band Megadeth and Michael Jackson’s estate have also released exclusive music and offerings to their fans. However, the use of Bitcoin Ordinals as a means for musicians to release exclusive music drops and fan perks is still relatively uncommon.
Although the popularity of Ordinals has declined since their initial introduction in 2023, recent reports indicate that they have made a comeback in weekly sales, even surpassing Ethereum (ETH). SuperRare, an NFT marketplace, announced its expansion into Bitcoin Ordinals in March, unveiling a brand-new Ordinal collection called “No Brainers.”
In February, as part of a campaign for the preservation of classic video games through blockchain technology, an emulator for the Nintendo 64 (N64) console was inscribed in Bitcoin.
Overall, while Ordinals have seen some traction with prominent brands, the use of Bitcoin Ordinals for exclusive music releases remains a unique and exciting development in the crypto space.