melanie martinez nfts :/

okay so, idk if anyone is talking about this on here but melanie martinez just finished her "auctions" for her new nft collection "CyberBaby Toy Shop" a few hours ago. sounds unreal, doesn't it? yeah well it's real! this announcement of nfts has been out for a while already (I believe there was an announcement about a week before the release).

here is the collection: https://makersplace.com/melaniemartinez/drops/cyberbaby-toy-shop/

the collection- as you can see- is a "vintage collection" that supposedly represents melanie's love for her vintage collectibles over the years. this is what the website says about it:

"Introducing "CyberBaby Toy Shop by Melanie Martinez," a very special digital collection inspired by her own vintage stuffed animals. This project was created to share Melanie's passion for vintage toys, giving her beloved animals everlasting life, while building a bridge between her universe and the metaverse. Enter the "CyberBaby Toy Shop" of animated digital art pieces of various animals outfitted for a futuristic nursery with an enchanting sinister twist."

there is also a melanie quote saying:

Melanie says, "Vintage stuffed animals have been there for me for over ten years, carrying the energy of ghosts who once loved them. These fluffy handmade creatures were all created purely to invoke joy in people's lives. I dedicate these animations to other like-minded, vintage toy nerds who share the same affinity!"

apparently the collection includes of five animations and maybe four stills/images (maybe one of them were sold out or just not available to sell idk atm). the characters are "Stoner Swan", "Emo Elephant", "Narcissistic Duck", "Claustrophobic Teddy Bear" and "Dairy Cow Mother". on the website, four stills/images are available of all the mentioned characters excluding "Stoner Swan". these cost $222. but that's not even the worst because the animations (that I believe were the auctions) are $2000+. REALLY? FOR A DIGITAL ANIMATION? look, as a little rookie artist I believe artists supporting themselves and being able to profit off their art is important. how else are they supposed to pay the bills? but nfts are not the way to do that. and even if they were- melanie martinez is literally rich lmao. they don't need to rely on nfts to live???

so why would melanie do this when she is all about "nurturing" and not being a jerk? well she says its because of wanting to earn some more money essentially. literally that's it. money. they also said it's a way to continue sharing and making art and blah, blah, blah. but judging by the fact that they're doing this through nfts? yeah, no. she does, however, "address" the nft collection (before release) on their story and claiming that they partnered with a company that "reduces/tracks carbon emissions" when selling nfts. this is because the company "Aerial" or whatever uses "carbon offsets", basically meaning that they support a tree planting type of project- or some other eco project- to "offset" the emissions. this doesn't take away from the amount of energy nfts cause tho so it's basically a load of crap to reassure buyers interested in nfts.

a lot of the comments on her latest post (as she doesn't have one on nfts for obvious controversy reasons)- even before the release yesterday- complain about how this feels like a hypocritical move on her values. and they bring up good alternatives! for example, they suggest that melanie make more money by restocking her crybaby milk perfume that so many people would buy! or even making these characters physical copies/posters only and figurines or stuffed toys. but other than that, it's mostly people being disappointed and/or people kissing her a** by putting other people (who are concerned about the effects nfts have on the environment) down.

there's probably a lot more to say on this but honestly I'm just tired about all this. maybe I'll blog more about the harmful effects of nfts and carbon offsets or whatever. idk.

CONCLUSION:

I think this is all majorly disappointing. as a fan of hers for a while, I don't see how this was something melanie would be doing?? idk, but her choosing to release nfts for $222 and animation nfts for over $2000 is just not it. as a successful and pretty rich artist, melanie does not have any reason to do this other than revenue.

upon the first announcement, I thought (like many other fans) that maybe her management was forcing her to do this or doing it behind her back. It wasn't that far-fetched of an idea since the same thing happened with Gorillaz last year back around March/April (but Damon and Jamie had finalized the decision of NOT going through with it).

but alas, it was not. I don't know what else to really say about this but I just hope that melanie either apologizes or never does this stuff again. I understand that nfts are a rising/popular thing nowadays, but they really suck for both the environment and even small artists- from what I've heard/seen.

disclaimer: this blog is not meant in any way to "cancel" melanie martinez, I am just a disappointed fan ranting about this all + expecting better from melanie

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ghostie / apollo