A previously unreleased version of David Bowie's "Let's Dance" has surfaced as part of a limited-edition series of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Gala Music, a subsidiary of Web3 startup Gala Games, has teamed up with music producer Larry Dvoskin and publisher Warner Chappell Music to release an unreleased version of David Bowie's 1983 song "Let's Dance" as part of a limited-edition NFT collection. The announcement was made on Thursday, March 6. David Bowie produced an impressive discography during his lifetime, including 27 studio albums, 11 live albums, 4 soundtracks and 128 singles. Yet despite his death in 2016, the singer-songwriter still has at least one unheard track.
Gala Music plans to launch 3,003 NFTs featuring Bowie-inspired artwork on April 14, 40 years after the original release of "Let's Dance." Each NFT will grant its owner exclusive access to an unreleased version of the song, which Dvoskin co-produced with Bowie in 2002. NFTs can be purchased on a “pay as you go” basis, with initial profits from sales going to support MusiCares, a charity that provides health and human services to individuals in the music industry. The release coming next week will not be the first foray into blockchain technology by the Bowie estate. In September 2022, the Bowie estate partnered with the OpenSea NFT marketplace to launch a series of NFTs called "Bowie on the Blockchain" to raise funds for charity. However, the series was met with strong criticism from Bowie supporters, who felt that dabbling in the blockchain was at odds with the artist's principles and beliefs.
Gala Games is primarily recognized for its Web3 gaming initiative, which allows developers to create crypto and NFT games that earn money by playing, but it has also expanded its interests to include music and movies.
