Music tech company Serenade has announced the launch of a groundbreaking new artist/fan-centric platform, which aims to break down the barriers to entry surrounding Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and make them easily accessible and affordable for artists and their fans.

The eco-friendly platform, which produces 1/44,000th of the carbon emitted by a standard NFT (or 1/10th of the energy usage of a tweet,) uses a ‘Proof of Stake’ authentication method that is far more efficient than a direct-to-Ethereum ‘Proof of Work’ approach, and eliminates expensive ‘gas’ fees, the prohibitive costs that can be a major barrier to entry for anyone wanting to create affordable NFTs.

Purchases are made with a credit or debit card via Serenade’s innovative check out facility that has been designed to function like a standard e-commerce cart, where the creation of a digital wallet and the transfer of traditional payments into cryptocurrency is handled directly by the platform.

Fans join a community of like-minded music lovers where they can build a profile, showcase and chat about their collectibles, be confident they are not harming the environment, access affordable digital collectibles, and do all of this without knowing the first thing about NFT technology.

Founded by Australian tech entrepreneur and music fan Max Shand, Serenade’s mission is to enable artists to build closer relationships with fans while creating dynamic new revenue streams. This is accomplished via music-related digital collectibles including specially recorded tracks, limited edition artworks, intimate live performances, rare or unreleased gems, and unique documentary footage and material. Digital collectibles are purchased by fans as NFTs and can be collected and resold, with artists receiving an ongoing share of the revenues every time they change hands.

Serenade, which works collaboratively with record companies, music publishers, artist management companies and trade associations to ensure its platform respects rights and benefits all parties involved, will launch with an eclectic range of acclaimed artists who are offering exclusive and limited digital collectibles to their fans. These include, among others: Jungle, ArrDee, Kaiser Chiefs, Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip, The Game, Strawberries & Creem Festival, Young MA, Ride, Scouting For Girls, Ladyhawke, State Champs, Super Furry Animals, Ash, S1mba, Muki and more.

As part of the launch of Serenade, Mercury Nominated production duo Jungle made available a series of exclusive NFTs on August 13th to accompany their third album, Loving in Stereo.