TORONTO, CANADA (Top40 Charts) Multi-platinum Canadian alt-rock band
Our Lady Peace (OLP), today announced the successful sell-out of all 500 non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of its forthcoming album, Spiritual Machines 2. Each unique NFT, guaranteed by the blockchain, sold for $39.99, proving the ongoing viability of NFTs as a means of exchange for art and music.
The new album continues many of the themes from the band's critically acclaimed Spiritual Machines (2000), which was inspired by the book "The Age of Spiritual Machines" by Raymond Kurzweil, who appears on both albums. It includes the song "Stop Making Stupid People Famous," featuring Nadya Tolokno of the iconoclastic feminist Russian group Pussy Riot, several members of which have been arrested for their public opposition to the Russian government.
"We just had 500 fans lean into the future of web 3.0 with us and be the first to purchase our forthcoming album, Spiritual Machines 2, as an NFT," says Raine Maida, lead singer and co-founder of Our Lady Peace. "We have firmly embraced this critical intersection between music and tech and are leveraging the power of the Blockchain to build better communities and change the way we distribute music. This is a first and we thank all our fans for taking this step with us."
OLP is also the first band to deliver NFTs to fans in real time at live events. Using Maida's, newly launched Drrops app, fans at their recent USA shows were able to redeem exclusive music, merchandise and live moments based on their Geo located presence at the venues. "Understanding our fans better and giving them access to exclusive digital and physical goods is yet another powerful way to reward and talk to the fans that pay to come see us live."
Spiritual Machines 2 will be released by Shelter/BMG in traditional formats (physical, digital, and streaming) worldwide on January 28, 2022.
Consisting of Raine Maida, Duncan Coutts, Jason Pierce, and Steve Mazur,
Our Lady Peace is one of Canada's most successful bands. They have toured the world and sold over 5 million albums, won four JUNO Awards and 10 Much
Music Video Awards. In 2020, OLP and their fans celebrated the 20th anniversary of their critically acclaimed "Spiritual Machines" which arguably is one of the most influential Canadian Alt-Rock albums of the 2000s as it firmly re-established OLP as a dominant force in modern rock. 2021 continues the celebration of "Spiritual Machines" with the release of "Spiritual Machines II" produced by Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio) and featuring once again audio clips from futurist/author Ray Kurzweil. The album is a return to form, both musically and lyrically, as OLP embraces their early guitar-driven, rhythmic roots and cryptic lyrics.
