Country music star Dolly Parton is jumping into the metaverse, and bestselling author James Patterson is along for the ride.
Parton today announced that her “Dollyverse” is kicking off with the release of a co-branded book, album, NFTs, and a livestreamed musical performance at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. Patterson and Parton co-wrote the novel called “Run, Rose, Run,” and Parton wrote and produced the companion musical album.
Parton is doing “Dolly-inspired NFT artwork” as well as music NFTs tied to the new album, according to a statement. NFTs are unique, blockchain-based tokens that signify ownership over a digital asset.
FOX Entertainment’s Blockchain Creative Labs and blockchain company Eluvio are developing the Dollyverse. The Dollyverse NFTs and live-streamed performance at SXSW will be hosted on Eluvio’s Content Fabric proof-of-authority consensus blockchain. Parton’s NFTs are Ethereum-compatible.
“I’m almost always up for trying something new and different,” Parton said in a statement. “I'd say releasing NFTs at my first ever appearance at SXSW, with James Patterson by my side, definitely counts as new and different!”
The story of “Run, Rose, Run” follows an aspiring musician who goes to Nashville only to find that her past still haunts her. The novel has Patterson’s trademarks of mystery and suspense and is set in the country music scene Parton’s been a part of for decades.
Parton’s Dollyverse makes her the latest addition to the growing group of musicians launching NFTs and their own metaverse projects. DJ Steve Aoki recently said that he’s made more money in NFTs than from a decade of music advances, a statement that shows just how lucrative the Web3 space can be.