ZAIKO Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato, Tokyo, Representative Director: Malek Nasser) provides the electronic ticket sales platform "ZAIKO" (https://zaiko.io/), which is centered around electronic tickets and allows artists and fans to connect directly (Direct to Fan = D2F model). We are developing services that prioritize artists and event organizers from various angles. We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with Curvegrid, a company providing MultiBaas blockchain middleware (https://ja.curvegrid.com/), to launch the D2F (Direct 2 Fan) model service "Digitama™" (https://zaiko.io/nft), which utilizes NFTs to bring new direct revenue to clients.

The abbreviation "Digitama™" stands for Digital Tamashii (Digital Soul) and is ZAIKO's unique NFT service. By using this service, fans can prove their ownership of digital content related to artists and events through the blockchain ledger, allowing them to collect digital content and resell their rights for profit, thus possessing ownership of their digital assets in a completely new value system that has never existed before.

Artists and organizers can receive a portion of the revenue when NFTs are resold at higher prices to new owners. Currently, ZAIKO is developing this new initiative with a limited number of interested artists and event organizers and plans to continue this development with artists, albeit in a limited capacity.

ZAIKO will continue to develop artist-focused and organizer-focused services centered around digital platforms, leading the new normal in the live entertainment industry in the future.

■ Message from ZAIKO CEO Malek Nasser

"NFT is a technology suitable for selling digital art and collectibles. Our digital merchandise called STICKITS offered by ZAIKO has also seen significant growth, and we feel that the implementation of NFT services is a natural progression for us. We are very pleased to be able to continue providing cutting-edge technology to artists and event organizers as we have done in the past."

■ Message from Curvegrid CEO Jeff Wentworth

"ZAIKO has established its position as a market leader in the digitization of services and events for artists and event organizers. By partnering with ZAIKO on NFT products, we believe we can provide next-generation technology to as many artists as possible. Our MultiBaas blockchain middleware will significantly shorten the time to market and accelerate the ability for creators to connect with fans on their own terms."

■ What is NFT?
NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) are non-replaceable tokens that utilize blockchain technology to issue digital certificates that cannot be copied, representing ownership of intangible digital content or merchandise that was previously difficult to manage. This allows owners to prove that "digital assets" which were previously hard to validate belong uniquely to them. In some overseas markets, famous artists' video works have been sold using NFTs, generating over 600 million in sales and garnering significant attention. Just as many people have collected art and rare memorabilia, there is a phenomenon where digital assets are owned and collected based on demand, just like physical products, and are resold at great value, becoming increasingly popular.

■ About Curvegrid
Curvegrid is a blockchain technology company based in Tokyo. Curvegrid’s MultiBaas blockchain middleware enables development across multiple blockchain platforms, significantly improving both the speed and cost of development. The MultiBaas turnkey solution allows development of financial services using blockchain, decentralized finance (DeFi), online gaming, document management, logistics, marketplaces, and more at lower costs and faster than competitors.

■ Digitama™
https://zaiko.io/nft