CryptoPunk DJ Seedphrase Signs to WME, Plans to Release Music

By Ali Shutler

Seedphrase, a DJ known for spinning while wearing a helmet based on his rare CryptoPunks NFT, announced today that he’s signed to talent agency WME with plans to release original music later this year.

The pseudonymous Seedphrase, whose real name is Daniel Maegaard, gained prominence in the broader crypto community by pairing NFT culture and music with high fashion and digital art.

He’s best known for owning and using CryptoPunk #8348, which is considered the rarest Punk as it’s the only piece in the entire 10,000-NFT collection with seven unique attributes, while all others have between zero and six visual attributes.

A photo of Seedphrase during a DJ set. Image: Seedphrase

Since then, Seedphrase has DJed a series of high-profile events alongside the likes of Steve Aoki and Diplo, all while wearing a helmet based on his pixel CryptoPunk avatar.

“Signing to WME is a huge opportunity to expand the Seedphrase brand through partnerships in luxury fashion, music and fine art,” said Seedphrase in a statement. “With the support of their incredible team, I hope to create deeper connections across multiple industries, and within my growing community, as we push the boundaries of digital identity and modern-day IP usage.” 

Following the partnership, Seedphrase plans to release his first original music later this year, alongside a merch collection. There are also plans to launch a new community project.

“Seedphrase is meant to embody this sacred mentality of what each of us holds dear in this emerging tech space,” continued Maegaard. “Your seed phrase, your actual wallet seed phrase, is a gateway, a key to what you hold dear. That’s what I’m trying to create now with the Seedphrase brand itself. Someone you can look to as a guiding light in the community.”

CryptoPunks, created by Larva Labs and deployed on Ethereum in 2017, is one of the most valuable NFT projects of all time. It has generated nearly $2.2 billion worth of trading volume to date, per data from CryptoSlam, and has yielded numerous seven-figure sales—including one for $23.7 million worth of ETH.

He’s among numerous musicians who have turned to their NFT profile picture (PFP) characters to stand out, as well as resonate within the broader crypto world.

Late last year, DJs Steve Aoki and Justin “3LAU” Blau formed the CryptoPunks-inspired duo Punx and then released their first single “Concentrate” in April via NFT music rights platform Royal. The platform, co-founded by Blau, gives music fans the chance to support their favorite artists with NFTs that grant them rights to a percentage of a song’s royalties.

Punx gave away half of the royalties for “Concentrate” via 99 tokens gifted to 3LAU’s NFT holders, Aoki’s A0k1verse Passport NFT holders, and CryptoPunks owners.

In 2021, popular hip-hop producer Timbaland created a record label built around Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT avatars, following Universal Music Group’s signing of Bored Ape-based virtual group Kingship.

The following year, OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder teamed up with DJ Kygo to launch their Bored Ape-inspired metaverse duo, Bored Brothers, with their first track released exclusively on blockchain music platform Sound.

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