Decentralized music streaming platform Audius has announced the implementation of a new gating feature that allows artists to release exclusive content to holders of specified NFT collections.
Audius said artists that have issued NFTs could "gate" their music or any other content so that only holders of an item from their collection can access it. Moreover, listeners can link their crypto wallets to the Audius platform to confirm they possess the artist's specified collectible and access B-sides, unreleased songs, and content.
Meanwhile, artists without their own individual NFT releases are not left out. Audius will enable those artists who own other items from popular collections, such as Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), to token-gate their content using those collectibles.
According to the streaming platform, artists can use Ethereum-based NFTs or any verified Solana digital art to gate access to their tracks. Audius, however, noted that not all collections would work as NFT metadata quality can vary.
Forrest Browning, co-founder and chief product officer of Audius, said the latest feature aligns with the platform's efforts to enable deeper connections and "interactions between the fans and the artists directly."
"In the future, there will be many other ways that you could demonstrate to an artist that you're a superfan, but if you purchase one of their NFTs, that feels like a fairly strong signal," he said.
It is worth noting that Audius has been working on the newly-launched feature since early 2022, joining the likes of rival Spotify, which recently announced it was testing token-gated music playlists.
NFT-based gated content, which acts as a digital access key, is gradually becoming a trend in the digital asset industry as platform owners and content creators want to create unique and secure community experiences. The move also ultimately introduces digital collectibles to mainstream music audiences and may be a primary contributor to NFT adoption for the foreseeable future.
