Music NFT site HitPiece responds after mass outrage from artists & labels
A site listing NFTs for sale of songs from a ton of artists, HitPiece, launched recently to mass condemnation from musicians, labels, and fans. While the site claimed to give people the opportunity to “own a song,” the many artists who found their work listed, from big names to small, all said they hadn’t given permission for their songs to be “sold” in this way. Veteran rapper MC Serch was quickly discovered to be one of those behind the behind the venture, although his response on Twitter to people asking for an explanation and their music to be removed was limited to a single reply, “DM me please and let’s chat if that’s cool.” Rory Felton Sr. of The Militia Group/Sony Music, A2IM, etc, was also revealed to be a co-founder, and Pitchfork points out that in an interview with the Business Builders podcast, he says he built HitPiece on Spotify’s API, giving him access to their entire catalog.
The site went offline following the uproar and is currently only displaying a beta logo, links to social media, and the following text: “We started the conversation and we’re listening.” They also released a statement on Monday night (2/1). “Clearly we have struck a nerve and are very eager to create the ideal experience for music fans,” it reads. “To be clear, artists get paid when digital goods are sold on HitPiece. Like all beta products, we are continuing to listen to all user feedback and are committed to evolving the product to fit the needs of the artists, label, and fans alike.”
As you can tell by browsing the 2,000+ quote tweets and 3,000+ replies, HitPiece’s statement has only caused further condemnation of the platform.
— HitPiece – Music NFTs (@joinhitpiece) February 2, 2022
