Tom Holkenborg Remixes Music Notes with Blockchain

Written By: Isha Goel | June 17 2021

A new pop-culture event is taking place this week as Tom Holkenborg A.K.A Junkie XL is using the AmplifyX platform to host a Tezos-based NFT auction. This Grammy-nominated DJ has done collaborations with famous artists in the past like Britney Spears, Madonna, and Justin Timberlake. In fact, ‘Junkie XL scored a #1 hit in over 20 countries with his remix of Elvis Presleys’ “A little less conversation” and was the first artist outside of the Presley organization to receive authorization from the Elvis Presley estate to remix an Elvis Presley song’. 

His work in the film music composition industry has been used in several Hollywood Blockbusters including Mad Max: Fury Road, Deadpool, and Justice League. The Elvis Presley remix has been further purposed for films like Ocean’s Eleven and Sharktale as well as many commercial sports. 

The Star of the Show

On June 16th, the NFT auction built on Tezos dropped and consisted of 15 items, including the auction for ‘The Soundtrack of Your Life’. This NFT concept developed by Holkenborg was meant to push the boundaries of what is possible with NFTs through a ‘20+ minute original score, based on an interview with the winner, that encapsulates the unique victories, heartbreaks, memories, and emotions that make up their lives’. This truly personalized audio odyssey created by one of Hollywood’s singular composers is meant to be the star of the auction. 

Holkenborg is excited about the possibilities with this Tezos-based technology, stating that ‘this is my first real exploration of the blockchain, I am definitely curious to experiment more, drawn to its transparency and decentralized approach’. The composer believes that blockchain can empower creators to expand the limits of music by collaborating with artists in other mediums rather than simply the traditional ones. The non-fungible tokens are ‘cryptographically unique tokens that can be associated with digital content, enabling the owner to prove ownership of that content’. In the past, they have been predominantly associated with digital content consisting of artwork but can now be associated with any digital content including music. 

The AmplifyX platform ‘seeks to empower artists by bringing transparency, equity and artist ownership to the music industry’. As a FINRA and SEC-registered platform, it is ‘reinventing the intersection of NFTs and securities to transform digital ownership and monetization across technology, finance, and popular culture’. The key advantage of the platform is that it is built on the Tezos blockchain and uses up to two million times less energy than rivals Bitcoin and Ethereum through its proof-of-stake design. For a little more background on the technology’s purpose, ‘Tezos is smart money, redefining what it means to hold and exchange value in a digitally connected world. A self-upgradable and energy-efficient blockchain with a proven track record, Tezos seamlessly adopts tomorrow’s innovations without network disruptions today’.

A Generous Donation

Aside from the original Holkenborg score creation, the other 15 auction items include other artistic pieces from his past work. One will be the single titled ‘Despite All That Was’ as the first original non-film-related work from the composer since 2012. Another three pieces will be originals that are created in collaboration with Juan Piana (better known as Space Renders), who has worked with other artists such as Camila Cabello and rapper Machine Gun Kelly. 

After the auction ends, 10% of the gross profit will be donated to Leonardo DiCaprio’s Earth Alliance Charity to help fight climate change. With much of the cryptocurrency conversations revolving around environmentalism and the importance of minimal carbon footprints, the decision to utilize a Tezos-based platform and donate to a climate change fund was made in an effort to head off criticism and backlash.

Work Cited

Graves, Stephen. “Mad Max Film Composer Junkie XL to Auction ‘Soundtrack Of Your Life’ As NFT.” Decrypt, Decrypt, 14 June 2021, decrypt.co/73519/mad-max-film-composer-junkie-xl-auction-soundtrack-of-your-life-nft.  

Molchan, Yuri. “Leonardo DiCaprio’s Earth Alliance to Receive Donation from Tezos-Based NFT Auction.” U.Today, 14 June 2021, u.today/leonardo-dicaprios-earth-alliance-to-receive-donation-from-tezos-based-nft-auction.

Msoh, Steven. “Mad Max Composer Junkie XL to Auction Soundtrack as NFT on Tezos.” Crypto News Flash, 15 June 2021, www.crypto-news-flash.com/composer-behind-mad-max-and-justice-league-soundtracks-to-auction-custom-soundtrack-as-nft-on-tezos/.

“Tom Holkenborg Announces Auction for ‘Soundtrack Of Your Life’ Personalized Audio Odyssey By DailyCoin.” Investing.com, Investing.com, 14 June 2021, www.investing.com/news/cryptocurrency-news/tom-holkenborg-announces-auction-for-soundtrack-of-your-life-personalized-audio-odyssey-2531729.

Walters, Allen. “Tom Holkenborg A.K.A Junkie XL Announces Tezos-Based NFT Auction On AmplifyX.” XTZ.News, 14 June 2021, xtz.news/adoption/tom-holkenborg-aka-junkie-xl-announces-tezos-based-nft-auction-on-amplify-x/.