The high-value sale on OpenSea continues a trend of celebrity estates minting postmortem memorabilia on the blockchain.
A non-fungible token (NFT) in The Bowie Estate’s exclusive collection with OpenSea sold on Monday night for 96.5 ETH, or about $127,000.
The David Bowie estate partnered with top NFT marketplace OpenSea to sell “Bowie on the Blockchain,” a 15-piece NFT collection to commemorate the British pop legend and the colorful motifs used throughout his career. The collection, initially listed on the marketplace on September 30, features artwork from nine artists across the NFT landscape.
The collection highlight, created by 19-year-old NFT artist FEWOCiOUS, features an animated video clip paired with a physical seven-foot-tall sculpture wearing one of Bowie’s custom suits from his archive.
“I thought it was so cool that he was always what he wanted to be. And created a world that he wanted to live in. That’s really the feeling I try to capture in my art,” said FEWOCiOUS in the collection description.
According to OpenSea, the collection will carry out Bowie’s legacy of reshaping the nature of musical performances, empowering digital communities and being a proponent of new technologies within the span of his career.
Other NFTs in the collection have so far sold for between 3 ETH ($4,000) to 7.5 ETH ($9,800).
The NFT that sold for the second-highest amount is titled “It Became A Myth Land” by NFT artist Defaced. The unique digital work runs on a 12-hour clock that travels through six different segments of Bowie’s life and career. Upon purchase, it comes with an Atomic Form digital frame to display the work.
Bidding for some NFTs began on September 30 and the final NFTs in the collection will be sold on November 3. After all collection sales end, 100% of the profits will be donated to CARE, an organization that aims to end global poverty and hunger. Bowie’s wife Iman is a global advocate for CARE.
Celebrity Estates on the blockchain
The Bowie Estate’s entry into digital collectibles follows a growing trend of celebrity estates using NFTs to continue their legacies postmortem.
In July, Biggie Smalls’ estate partnered with music NFT marketplace OneOf to release “Sky’s the Limit,” a 3,000-piece collection of generative art profile pictures (PFPs) with exclusive access to license his unreleased track “Fulton Street Freestyle.”
Wayne Barrow, the manager of Biggie’s estate, told CoinDesk that NFTs are a way for him to give back to fans who have supported him over the years.
“Giving them the opportunity to decide how Biggie’s freestyle is used is something we know he would be proud of by seeing his work shared with the people who cared about it the most in this unique way,” said Barrow.
OneOf has also helped other celebrity estates venture into the web3 space. Last December, they partnered with Whitney Houston’s estate to sell an unreleased track as an NFT for $1 million.
“I’m excited to see Whitney’s legacy and her wonderful music expand into the bold new technology of this era,” said Pat Houston, the Executor of Houston’s estate, in an email. “It was a joy…watching the artistry of Whitney’s music influence a new generation.”
Another NFT platform, LTD.Inc, launched a collection with the late photographer Chi Modu to sell physical and digital prints of artists like Mary J. Blige, Method Man and Nas. Each physical print comes with a chip that features scannable access to digital perks.
Elvis Presley Enterprises, the corporate entity created by the performer’s estate, also airdropped NFT wigs and jumpsuits for a Decentraland metaverse event in January as a part of a larger “Elvis-On-Chain” NFT release.