47 artists won prizes in Optimism’s 'We <3 the Art' contest.
300k OP (∼ $1.2M) are being distributed across four tiers, with each winner receiving at least 1K OP.
The winners, coming from diverse communities, represent a wide range of genres and styles, highlighting the diversity in onchain music.
We've previously highlighted the contest winners, and now are excited to dive into each one of the Top 17 artists. You can learn more about the contest here and see the full list of winners here.
This post will be included in Invest in Music's Retroactive Public Goods Funding proposal for Optimism.
Grand Prizes (50k OP)
BLOODY BAG [GOODIE BAG VOL.1]
By: Aly & Bloody White
7 songs in one. From 2 onchain artists who have been dropping for 2+ years. Tracks like these are cultural cannon.
It marks the start of Aly’s "Goodie Bags," on which he experiments with the medium of time in music blending entire albums into single songs in collaboration with other artists.
See Aly’s reaction to winning the prize here and Bloody White’s here.
Becky V2
By: The Park + shwento
The Park aims to foster and support music and arts as public goods through onchain collaboration, showcasing technologies, and inspiring new artists.
On ‘becky v2’, part of the “Fridays at The park” series, The Park brings artists from Kampala Uganda and craft a beautiful african pop song you shouldn’t miss.
See the artist’s reaction to winning the prize here.
2nd Tier (20k OP)
Willow Heart Beat (Scene 1)
‘Willows Heart Beat (Scene 1)’ is a highlight from ‘SCENES,’ an interactive album by Sound of Fractures.
The project invites fans to contribute photos of their memories, which then become part of the album's artwork.
Scene 5 is now open for submissions. Don’t miss your chance to have your photos featured!
See the artist’s reaction to winning the prize here.
Pretty Traumatized
By: Sadye
“Pretty Traumatized” is an infectious pop song.
Underneath its happy sound, the dark lyrics cover Sadye’s origin story of going through painful surgeries. As she says: “This song is at the root of my escapism approach to music”.
This is Sadye’s first drop on Sound since “Freak like me”, dropped in October last year.
See the artist’s reaction to winning the prize here.
real
By: vaarwell
The England-based duo Vaarwell delivers a beautiful alternative electronic ballad that serves as an 'ode to London's nightlife and clubbing scene.'
This track is their first release since last year’s 'changing' from their EP 'quarter-life crisis,' and hopefully, it's the beginning of more to come.
As they mentioned on a thread: “We can finally make music and invest in our releases without being stressed about making ends meet”.
See the artist’s reaction to winning here.
BCN
By: Oval
"BCN" is an introduction to Oval, a new collective and concert series from Barcelona.
The track encapsulates the essence of Barcelona through its music, accompanying visualizer, and artwork, offering a multi-sensory tribute to the city.
Oval plans to launch a mix of events, including concert nights, club gatherings, and communal dinners driven by a vision to create new connections and documenting the results onchain.
See the artist’s reaction to winning here.
IDYLLIC
By: Soulquest
"Idyllic" marks the debut release from Soulquest, an experimental onchain music collective featuring illcamille, Iman Europe, Swarvy, iamnick, and V.C.R.
Drawing inspiration from the legendary Soulquarians, Soulquest aims to explore new collaborative models, creating music that captures unique moments in time onchain.
See Iman’s reaction to winning here, Swarvy’s here, and iamnick here.
3rd Tier (7k OP)
Believe It
By: Covex
Covex is an LA based electronic artist who joined Sound in April of 2023. He has 8 releases so far, and chose to mint his We <3 the Art submission on the platform.
The song is one of three off his Solis EP. All of the tracks were minted onchain. It first appeared on traditional streaming five months earlier, before being minted in January of this year.
WAVE (Visual)
By: LATASHÁ
This is LATASHA’s first new song in months, and her latest video since “LALA LAND (2020)” dropped on Zora last year.
“WAVE” is a testament to what’s coming next from the founder of Zoratopia, and former community lead at Zora.
Beyond music, she’s also working on her upcoming new media project, TOPIA.
See the artist’s reaction to winning here.
Do It For You
By: Mia Lailani
The song unfolds as a heartfelt message to the artist's past, present, and future selves, promising perseverance and dedication to their dreams.
“Do it For You” marks the third onchain release by the 18 year old New York based artist on Sound in 2024.
LOYAL
By: 33 Below
33 Below has been consistently dropping onchain since his Genesis drop in April last year.
He’s worked closely with our sponsor Coop Records Music to offer OP rewards for collectors, and this track is no exception.
Loyal is the third and final track on his PUSHER EP which was fully minted onchain.
out the cold
By: reespect
“out of the cold” is one of the three onchain releases by Lagos based artist reespect.
The track blends house music, amapiano and hip-hop into a magnificent mid-tempo ballad that talks about “finding love in between internal turmoil”.
The artist who released the “Mood Swing Finale” album on DPS last year, is currently working on a new EP.
See the artist’s reaction to winning here.
love you forever, new york city, april 7, 2023
By: VÉRITÉ
VÉRITÉ returns with her first onchain release since “SEED 01” in 2023, with a live rendition of “love you forever” that highlights her stunning vocal range, dynamic stage presence, and fan dedication.
For a deeper dive into VÉRITÉ’s work, check out our podcast episode 42.
See the artist’s reaction to winning here.
RELIEF (SOLO)
By: Heno
"Relief (Solo)" is the ninth track off NOISE’s HIGH FREQUENCY Volume 2.
A standout track from Heno.'s upcoming album "I'm Tired Of Being Hypersurveilled," it explores themes of surveillance, escape, and freedom.
Heno.'s album transcends music, offering a rich multimedia narrative that includes a three-part film featuring 'Neybors' and 'SIMMER DOWN,' culminating with a scene in the RELIEF pixel game.
See the artist’s reaction to winning here.
I Just Need (Stripped)
By: Lyrah
I Just Need was a defining track this year. It shot both Daniel Allan and Lyrah to over 1M monthly listeners on Spotify for the first time.
The track highlights Lyrah’s vocals along with a more relaxed backing track. It complements the original and the VIP remix, which were also minted on Sound.
See the artist’s reaction to winning here.
On The Other Side (w/ Trey Smith)
By: TK
TK delivers yet another captivating track, addressing themes of frustration, breakthrough, and enlightenment.
TK takes the reins as the writer, performer, and co-producer, with Trey Smith also lending his production skills.
According to the song’s description on Sound, it serves as a rallying cry for unity, urging humanity to transcend challenges and build a future of freedom and peace for all.
Expect more songs from TK, as he’s currently working on a new album.
See the artist’s reaction to winning here.
MESSAGE!
By: Carla The Poet
Carla The Poet returns with 'MESSAGE!,' her first release since 2022, delving courageously into the complexities of mental illness, unemployment, and depression.
The track stands out as a testament to overcoming adversity through the transformative power of art.
We’re excited for the next chapter in Carla The Poet's artistic journey.
See the artist’s reaction to winning here.
Conclusion
The winners of this contest paint a great picture of the emerging scene of onchain music.
With a combination of onchain-native artist and established artists, Optimism succeeded in allocating tokens to a wide variety of different players.
There’s been a lot of feedback on how to improve the contest next time around - and we’d love to hear from you. Join the feedback group on Telegram here.
Here’s to many more onchain art contests to come!
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This post will be included in Invest in Music's Retroactive Public Goods Funding proposal for Optimism.
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