Celebrating 10 years since the private release of the most expensive piece of music ever created, Wu-Tang’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is finally being offered to the public by the digital art collective Pleasr. Pleasr acquired the artifact in 2021 for $4 million dollars, and has spent millions more on commercial rights and clearances. Once Upon a Time in Shaolin was recorded in secret over six years, and pressed onto a two-CD copy. As a single work of art, Wu-Tang Clan’s intention was to redefine the meaning of music ownership and value in a world of digital streaming and commodification of music. The album was originally bound by a legal agreement with the purchaser, which stipulates that the album cannot be commercially available until 2103, although it has been played at private listening parties for a handful of people around the world, including recently at the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Tasmania.
Pleasr now continues that investigation of the meaning of digital ownership. The album has been digitized and encrypted and is available for sale for $1 on www.thealbum.com, with new artwork designed by Hassan Rahim. Each sale will bring the album’s release closer from the original date of October 8th 2103 and will immediately unlock exclusive access to an album sampler created by the album’s co-producer, Cilvaringz. Additional music from the album will become available as Pleasr works with the original artists to deliver it to the owners of the encrypted album over the coming weeks.
With this new innovation in the album’s decade–long journey, Pleasr is working to accelerate the original release date through collective participation and posing a simple question: are we willing to pay artists for new works in the digital age? The encrypted album is distributed in partnership with Privy, Crossmint, and Holograph and is built on Base. Users will not need cryptocurrency to participate, and all major credit cards will be accepted. Proceeds will go in part to the original Wu-Tang Clan, the album producer, and performing artists.
To participate in the historic release of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, visit https://www.thealbum.com.
© 2024, Seth "Digital Crates" Barmash. All rights reserved.
