A historic digital music auction in Memory of Samir Bangara!

Qyuki & WazirX announce “Jammin” NFT Drop  at All About Music 2021

 

Mumbai, 29th September 2021: Qyuki Digital Media, home to India’s superstar online creators, has announced the release of an exclusive musical NFT collection in memory of its late Founder, Samir Bangara. At the 2021 edition of the industry’s premier annual conference All About Music, the company has announced that 9 tracks from its inaugural season of “Jammin” and a bonus video of Samir speaking at the event’s finale will “drop” on the WazirX NFT Marketplace over the next few weeks in the run up to the festive season. The entire initial proceeds of this auction will be shared with Cuddles Foundation, the award-winning NGO providing holistic nutritional support to kids fighting cancer.

NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are unique digital certificates of ownership of art works that are authenticated on a blockchain or similar ‘decentralised ledger’ based digital network. The long term value of an NFT arises from the inherent artistic and historical importance of the asset. Qyuki has chosen to donate its entire Season 1 library of “Jammin” which was a landmark initiative in the recent but exciting history of India’s creator economy. A musical “collab” of a special kind, Jammin was conceived by Qyuki, in collaboration with Youtube, and represented Samir Bangara’s passionate belief in digital creators. It was the very first time in India that a crop of amazing singers such as Arjun Kanungo, Sanam, Shraddha Sharma, Jonita Gandhi, Maati Baani, Sanah Moidutty, Raaga Trippin’ and Siddharth Slathia, who’d built their audience and fame entirely online, got the chance to collaborate with leading mainstream composers Salim-Sulaiman, Mithun and Clinton Cerejo. Their tracks were released on Youtube through the second half of 2016 and the season concluded with a massive concert finale in Mumbai where Samir’s impassioned speech fired up the capacity crowd.

The ten NFTs will be exclusively available on the WazirX NFT Marketplace, starting the 15th of October and will reside on the Binance smart chain network. Each will have a reserve price of Rs 1 lakh (in cryptocurrency equivalent on the day) and will represent a unique digital artwork that will be irreplaceable thus immortalizing Samir’s legacy. The ability of the Binance network to incorporate “smart contracts” will also enable 10% of the proceeds of all future secondary sales of these assets to continue being donated to Cuddles Foundation in perpetuity.

Commenting on the tie-up, Abhimanyu Radhakrishnan, Managing Director, Qyuki said, “We are thrilled to announce this initiative at All About Music 2021 and to be collaborating with Vishakha and her team from WazirX NFT Marketplace to honour Samir’s memory. We miss him every moment and thus wanted to pay  tribute in a way that cemented his legacy of being a visionary at the intersection of creativity and technology. This NFT auction isn’t just a collection of whimsical profile picture jpegs but represents a seminal moment in the evolution of India’s creator ecosystem. We hope that more creators and artists explore the possibilities of new technologies that promote their work in the future, and towards that goal, we are delighted and proud to be contributing our Intellectual Property to a worthy cause administered by our inspirational friends led by Purnota at Cuddles Foundation.”

Qyuki Digital Media is India’s original and leading “Creator Economy” startup, which over the past decade has used tech and data to identify, enable & grow digital superstars across platforms such as Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Josh & other leading social media destinations. It is also the pioneer in incubating creators as entrepreneurs by investing in their businesses ranging from D2C brands to academies. Qyuki was Founded by noted entrepreneur & investor Samir Bangara along with legendary composer AR Rahman and globally acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur.

Speaking about the collaboration, Vishakha Singh, VP WazirX NFT Marketplace said Samir Bangara was a legend and he was helping and empowering creators with his company Qyuki by challenging the status quo. Since our NFT Marketplace launch, we have been focused on building launchpads for Indian creators. Sharing his vision to empower creators and honouring the legend himself, this collaboration is personally very close to my heart. What makes this drop even more special is that all the proceeds from this auction will go to a noble cause. We are proud to release these historic NFTs on WazirX. NFTs are a great tool for fan engagement and WazirX has been supporting emerging creators in the passion economy by providing them with a platform  to not just show their talent but also celebrate icons in the industry.”

Launched by WazirX, India’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, WazirX NFT Marketplace is South Asia’s first NFT marketplace that provides a credible space for creators and collectors to acquire and trade unique, exclusive artwork in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Pioneering the NFT segment in India and South Asia, WazirX NFT Marketplace launched on June 1, 2021.

Establishing itself as India’s most trusted NFT marketplace, WazirX NFT marketplace uses the fastest and cheapest solutions with the lowest gas fee featuring digital collectibles across visual arts, music, sports and gaming. Bringing together artists, creators and crypto enthusiasts from around the world, WazirX NFT Marketplace is creating an inclusive community featuring exclusive NFTs. WazirX uses Binance smart chain network.

Commenting on the social impact of the initiative, Purnota Dutta Bahl, Founder & CEO, Cuddles Foundation said, “It’s great to see new technologies being used to promote both artists and charities like ours. We’re most grateful to Qyuki, WazirX NFT Marketplace and the artists for allowing us to be a part of this initiative. The money raised here will help us provide nutrition and care to children fighting cancer at SRCC Children’s Hospital in Mumbai. Most cancers in children are curable, and nutrition is crucial in getting children closer to a cure. With 50,000 children being diagnosed with cancer every year in India, that even future secondary sales of these creative assets will be donated to Cuddles Foundation is a big win for the fight against childhood cancer.

Cuddles Foundation is on a mission to change that through their FoodHeals program. They give children undergoing cancer therapy, at over 30 government and charity hospitals, access to trained clinical paediatric nutritionists, expert dietary counsels, supplements, in-meals, hot meals, monthly ration baskets and caregiver support. Good food helps medicine work! Childhood cancer is mostly curable across the world. But in India, with up to 40% of children with cancer being malnourished at diagnosis, survival is a huge problem. Besides the love and affection of the patients, their families, and the supporters, Cuddles Foundation has won some awards along the way too. This includes the National Award for Child Welfare in 2015-16 from the Hon’ble President of India and the Special Jury Mention at the Outlook Poshan Award in 2019.

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