[YouTube/JYP Entertainment]
JYP said it has signed a strategic business alliance with Dunamu, the operator of South Korea's major cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, to produce and distribute NFT-linked digital goods while working for a platform business that develops and operates additional services. Dunamu will acquire JYP's old shares and establish a new corporation for joint business.
A non-fungible token (NFT) is a unit of data stored on a blockchain network of interlinked virtual ledgers. It is similar to warranty certificates that come with luxury goods. Each NFT is certified by a blockchain as a unique digital asset that is not interchangeable. NFT can be used to represent different types of digital media such as video clips and digital files.
A COVID-19 pandemic has caused a slump in South Korea's performing arts industry. Almost all offline performances have been canceled. Only a small number of popular artists earned income through online concerts while many other artists remain inactive or find new jobs.
In May, South Korea's leading telecom company KT formed a consortium with Gyeonggi Province to develop a blockchain-based media platform using NFT technology that would help artists make a profit and claim rights to their content. Gyeonggi operates an online concert service to help artists, but it is hard to protect their intellectual property and content ownership.