Coinbase-powered blockchain BASE announced a partnership with the blockchain music platform Sound.xyz on Dec. 19, which now allows artists to mint music via the BASE ecosystem. 

Sound posted on X, formerly Twitter, that with the BASE ecosystem being an Ethereum layer 2, the gas fees for minting tracks as nonfungible tokens (NFTs) are cheaper, and transactions are fast. It said these factors will also allow artists to upload and withdraw without needing to purchase crypto or bridge their funds.

The first track was minted on BASE by artists Reo Cragun and Heno, which is a blockchain-themed song called “Based.” Its lyrics include, “we’re bringing a billion on-chain. Some people leave whenever there’s tough times but shout out to the real ones that stuck by.”

Sound said the most significant benefit to the Web3 music scene will be “tapping into” the over 100 million users on the BASE network. It highlighted how music is a great entry point for “a whole new generation of users to get on-chain.”

Related: Grimes’ collaboration with music platform makes 200+ AI songs available for creators

In the last year, the music industry’s crossover into the Web3 space has been picking up speed, with some of the biggest names in the traditional scene trying out blockchain-based releases.

The American thrash metal band Megadeth, with millions of fans worldwide, released a new NFT collection in early December, allowing their community new ways to connect in both physical and digital reality.

Around the same time, the late pop legend Michael Jackson had his first-ever studio demo released on the blockchain as digital vinyl through the blockchain music platform Anotherblock. This happened five decades after the recording was made and 14 years after Jackson died.

Earlier this year, Cointelegraph spoke with entrepreneur and son of legendary rapper Snoop Dogg, Cordell Broadus (Champ Medici), who explained what it takes to bring legacy artists into Web3 and build a new legacy in the future of music using tools like blockchain and NFTs.

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