Sony’s Soneium Launches Inaugural Music NFT Collection in Collaboration with Coop Records’ NUU$HI Drop

Sony’s blockchain platform, Soneium, has launched its first-ever music NFT collection, which features unreleased tracks from Tokyo-based producer NUU$HI in collaboration with Web3 label Coop Records.
The collection is available on Sonova, Soneium’s NFT marketplace, and is priced at 0.000777 ETH ($2.11). The sale will run until the end of the month, and currently, 124 out of 999,999 NFTs have been minted.
Soneium, an Ethereum Layer-2 blockchain developed by Sony Block Solutions Labs, a subsidiary of Sony, aims to be a platform for digital content distribution, although its adoption is still in its early stages.
Coop Records, founded by crypto entrepreneur Cooper Turley, has previously released over 600 songs on the blockchain, collaborating with artists such as Zeds Dead, San Holo, and Barry Can’t Swim.
The label promotes NFT-based music ownership as an alternative to traditional industry models, despite the fact that Web3 music monetization has not yet gained mainstream adoption.
Music NFTs face challenges in the market
Turley has acknowledged the difficulties of creator monetization in the crypto space, especially in tokenized ecosystems.
“In today’s market, it is practically impossible for high-profile creators to launch a token without negative consequences for them,” he wrote in a post on X.
He also mentioned that sustainable token-based monetization models are still in the early stages of development, and the revenue expectations for creators in the Web3 space are not aligned with investor behavior.
While NFTs have been promoted as a way for artists to bypass record labels and have more control over their revenue, the sales have been fluctuating.
In 2021, music NFTs had some initial successes, such as Kings of Leon’s $2 million NFT album release, but the sector has since faced challenges in achieving consistent growth amidst a broader downturn in the NFT market.
Sony’s expansion into Web3
Sony has been increasing its presence in blockchain infrastructure, but Soneium’s focus remains largely experimental.
The platform officially launched its mainnet on January 14, 2025, following a four-month testnet phase that started in August 2024.
During the test period, Soneium reported over 14 million user accounts and processed 47 million transactions, but its long-term adoption is still uncertain.
The company has not announced any plans to integrate the platform into its wider entertainment or music business.
Although the NUU$HI drop is part of a planned series of releases on Sonova, it is unclear if Sony will expand its involvement in blockchain-based music distribution.
A representative from Soneium did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment on these matters.