Here Are the Biggest Music NFTs in September: David Bowie, OMGKirby and Blocktones

There are signs of life in the music NFT space again after a slow summer.

Several Grammy Award-winning producers entered Web3 in September while the late David Bowie made his debut on the blockchain. Meanwhile, a number of new projects tested the waters with bigger collections (more than 2,000 NFTs) after a few months of caution following the crypto crash. And the leading NFT marketplace, OpenSea, leaned heavily into music, launching an exclusive drop experience for lo-fi generative music project OMGKirby. OpenSea also announced a partnership with Warner Music for an exclusive drop in early October.

Total volume across the top 10 in September topped out at 1,434 ETH ($1.95 million) — a 71% increase in crypto (838 ETH) terms and a 50% improvement in dollars ($1.3 million), compared to August. (Note: crypto values saw declines through the month.)

Based on analysis of sales data from 19 different NFT platforms, independent releases and secondary sales volume on OpenSea, here are the 10 biggest-selling music NFTs and collections in September 2022.

1/ SAN Origin
Total volume traded: 425 ETH ($575,875 at month-end conversion rate)
Primary sales (September): Free mint
Secondary sales: 425 ETH
Drop date: Sept. 16

SAN Sound is a project that aims to launch a Web3 music streaming service, using a “listen-to-earn” model where holders will earn crypto tokens while streaming. Founded by Asian DJ Jon Kaku, it also utilizes a new concept in crypto called ‘soul bound tokens.’ Holders of the NFT can choose to ‘soulbind’ it to their wallet, which means it will be permanently attached and cannot be sold.

By doing this, holders unlock access to the streaming service, as well as live events, music hardware and future airdrops. The initial NFT mint of 10,000 was free but it quickly racked up more than 400 ETH volume on secondary markets.

View the collection on OpenSea.

2/ Blocktones
Monthly volume traded: 314 ETH ($425,470)
Primary sales: 275 ETH
Secondary sales: 39 ETH
Drop date: Sept. 24

Blocktones is an ambitious Web3 music project founded by Grammy-winning producer Gino the Ghost and Michael Mauro — a live music veteran who has worked on shows for Diplo, Future and A$AP Rocky. The project tapped hip-hop royalty in the form of Timbaland and a string of A-list producers and songwriters to create a generative music soundtrack. Every NFT comes with a unique piece of music created via an algorithm. The 2,500 Genesis NFTs unlock access to an immersive virtual world with a sci-fi storyline.

View the collection on OpenSea.

3/ Bowie on the Blockchain
Monthly volume traded: 233 ETH ($315,715)
Primary sales: N/A
Secondary sales: N/A
Drop date: Sept. 30

David Bowie spent his entire career experimenting with music, identity and technology — he famously predicted the “unimaginable” impact of the Internet — and on the last day of September he made his debut into the NFT space. Bowie on the Blockchain is the first collection from the David Bowie estate with all proceeds donated to the CARE charity. The project invited nine leading artists in the Web3 space to create artwork based around Bowie’s legacy. The collection includes a unique one-of-one by FEWOCIOUS — widely regarded as one of the breakout names in cryptoart.

View the collection on OpenSea.

4/ KINGSHIP
Monthly volume traded: 154 ETH ($208,670)
Primary sales: N/A
Secondary sales: 154 ETH
Drop date: July 15

The Bored Ape supergroup made it into the top ten for the third month running thanks to continuously strong secondary sales on OpenSea. In September, KINGSHIP announced the Grammy Award-winning artists that are working on the band’s music — Hit-Boy and James Fauntleroy. The team also added a “music” trait to the NFT metadata. It’s a unique way of crediting the musicians involved in a music NFT project.

View the collection on OpenSea.

5/ OMGKirby x CT
Monthly volume traded: 91 ETH ($123,305)
Primary sales: N/A
Secondary sales: N/A
Drop date: Sept. 23

OMGKirby is a lo-fi YouTube channel-turned-Web3 music project. The anonymous team has already released two popular NFT collections but they return to the top 10 through a new collaboration with Channel Tres — RCA’s latest signing. Holders get the master and publishing rights to the music in their NFT, allowing them to remix it, sample it, use it as a podcast intro or even upload it to Spotify. It’s another Web3 experiment with permissive licensing.

View the collection on OpenSea.

6/ Dannyboi Styles — “Acquainted” (The Weeknd)
Monthly volume traded: 56 ETH ($75,880)
Primary sales: 34 ETH
Secondary sales: ~22 ETH
Drop date: Sept. 22

Fans of The Weeknd can now own a small part of future streaming royalties in his track “Acquainted,” via one of the song’s producers Dannyboi Styles. The songwriter offered a portion of his ownership as an NFT collection, totaling 1% of the song’s streaming rights. The 400 tokens sold out in minutes, granting each holder 0.0025% of future streaming royalties. Released on Anotherblock, the platform estimates that holders will get a 9% – 15% return in the next year based on current projections.

View the collection on OpenSea.

7/ Amari Artist Pass
Monthly volume traded: 48 ETH ($65,040)
Primary sales: 11 ETH
Secondary sales: 37 ETH
Drop date: Sept. 22

Amari is a new virtual artist with a bouncy debut pop single called “Deeper.” She’s not just a virtual singer, she’s also an NFT from the CyberBrokers collection created by legendary crypto artist Josie Bellini. Amari is the first artist from a new metaverse label called Player Zero co-founded by Dr. Luke. The Amari Artist Pass NFT allows holders to vote on the future of Amari’s career and get access to future experiences and collectibles.

View the collection on OpenSea.

8/ The Orbs
Monthly volume traded: 43 ETH ($58,265)
Primary sales: N/A
Secondary sales: 43 ETH
Drop date: Feb. 14

The Orbs are a series of 3,333 audiovisual NFTs created by DJ and producer BT. Each NFT has a musical soundtrack designed to play forever without looping or repeating. The collection was released back in February and has generated consistent secondary sales since.

View the collection on OpenSea.

9/ Hume Genesis
Monthly volume traded: 39 ETH ($52,845)
Primary sales: N/A
Secondary sales: 39 ETH
Drop date: July 21

Hume Collective is a metaverse record label home to a roster of virtual artists. In September the label announced it had raised $11.7 million in a round led by TCG Crypto, which also included participation from Winklevoss Twins (aka the “Bitcoin Billionaires”). The news triggered a flurry of secondary buying on OpenSea ahead of the record label’s next single release. Holders of the Hume Genesis NFT will get the chance to vote on which track is released.

View the collection on OpenSea.

10/ PLS&TY
Monthly volume traded: 31 ETH ($42,005)
Primary sales: N/A
Secondary sales: 31 ETH
Drop date: Aug. 8

PLS&TY made his name as an electronic producer with over 100 million streams across YouTube, Soundcloud and Spotify. In August he dropped a collection of 15 different audiovisual collectibles on GameStop’s brand-new NFT platform. With each priced at a different entry point — ranging from $9 to $620 — PLS&TY the collection continues to attract buyers into its second month. PLS&TY was one of the earliest musicians to experiment with Web3. He first released 1/1 audiovisual art on SuperRare — the leading high-art NFT platform — back in October 2020.

View the collection on Gamestop.

Methodology: The chart was compiled using data from primary music NFT sales across 19 different NFT platforms, independent releases and secondary volume data from OpenSea. Data was captured between Sept. 1 – Sept. 30, 2022. Conversion rates from Ethereum to US dollars were calculated on Sept. 30.