For the past year, the phrase ‘Non-fungible token’ (NFT) has been repeatedly mentioned in the art community in Vietnam, especially when 9X art collectors gradually pay more attention to art values from online platforms.
NFT is understood as a kind of digital asset using Blockchain technology to create a unique code to represent an art work, be it a song, a painting, or a basketball card. NFTs are sold via online auctions and paid with US dollars or digital currency. All art pieces turned into NFTs have to ensure that the digital version is as unique as the real version. NFTs allow people to build their own digital collections with low cost, which is NFT’s main attraction to young people who are used to carry the whole world in their own small smart device.
21-year-old Phan Thanh Tri from Ho Chi Minh City shared that he does not favor art exhibitions or art galleries since there is not much to capture his interest there. Instead, he opts for NFT collections, which are online, simple, quick to buy, and can be saved on his smart phone.
“We aim to preserve the cultural – artistic values of Vietnam, yet still promote innovation among artists. Through Sky Gate, we want to find a better way to popularize art to the general public and provide a chance for domestic artists to enter the global market with the motto: Create Your Own Path – Promote the Vietnamese Culture”, stated Pham Toan Thang, founder of the project ‘Sky Gate’ – one of the first NFT platforms in Vietnam.
The Covid-19 pandemic has urged artists and producers to bring music shows online. From being afraid of having to deliver free shows online despite high investment in audio-visual effects, they now dare to offer those shows on the Internet when the audience are more willing to pay for a ticket to a livestream session or recorded clip.
Having to postpone her live show due to Covid-19 outbreaks, My Tam has decided to carry out her project ‘Acoustic & Lofi-Chill’ with a series of online night shows ‘My Soul 1981 Unstaged Live Music’. Similarly, singer Hoang Dung is going to launch his project ’25 Met Vuong’ to livestream his songs on YouTube. Other singers have planned to conduct their own online music series either on their official YouTube channel or Facebook page.
Another popular method to approach the audience of singers is via Extended Play records (EPs), which is forecast to be a hot trend in 2022. EP is a hard disk to contain 3-5 songs, fewer than a formal album. EP has existed in the global market for a long time. In Vietnam, EPs are used by singers to mark their milestones for a specific period on their artistic path.
“It’s impossible to precisely predict anything, but in my opinion, 2022 will probably be the time of EPs and online shows. Not as expensive as a formal album or a live show, a well-invested EP is fully capable of shaping the direction of an artist”, said musician Hua Kim Tuyen.
