29 March 2024

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NFT label Alibatta Records is the newest player in the Philippine music industry

4 min read

There is a new player in the Philippine music industry called Alibatta. Alibatta is an NFT independent label that takes its name from the word alibata, another word for baybayin, a traditional writing system in the Philippines.

What is NFT?

NFT is an acronym for non-fungible tokens.  Fungibility is the ability of a good or asset to be readily interchanged for another of like kind. Like goods and assets that are not interchangeable, such as owned cars and houses, are non-fungible.

NFT is currently a trend amongst creatives, collectors, superfans as it gives the artists the ability to mark a virtual form of art proof-of-ownership.

When music meets technology

alibatta logoAlibatta brings together the creative and technological expertise of three very talented musicians cum tech executives Geoff Mabasa, Adrienne Cajayon, and Charles Gener.  

Geoff Mabasa, the President and CEO of Alibatta, brings to the table his marketing experience with Grab, Tiktok, and cryptocurrency exchange platform, Binance. He expressed their desire to “bring local Filipino talent to a global audience by focusing on delivering fresh, danceable, and uplifting Filipino music influenced by western pop music.”  

Alibatta leverages innovative tools to distribute music, empowering more musicians to embrace tech and have more ownership and means to monetize the content they produce.

He adds, “Alibatta is a first of its kind in Southeast Asia. It is the only music label pushing NFT-releases for its talents. Our vision is to make sure music is adaptive to both the needs of the artist and their fans who are the foundation of the industry.”

Alibatta pegs itself as an entertainment technology company. It operates as a music label, providing traditional label services like artist management, music production, and marketing. At the same time, it modernizes the way that music reaches people with blockchain technology and immersive experience.

Musicians first

All three founders are graduates of Music Production from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. As musicians themselves, they are familiar with the difficulties encountered by musicians, particularly in terms of marketing, distribution, and profit.

Adrienne Cajayon, Geoff Mabasa, and Charles Gener

“We know how cutthroat the industry is, so we need to utilize new forms of technology to (somehow) level the playing field,” mentioned Adrienne Cajayon, Chief Operating Officer and Compliance Head.

Before focusing on tech, Chief Innovation Officer Charles Gener was a session drummer for local acts Jensen Gomez, Arthur Nery, and Klarisse De Guzman.  “Our backgrounds and interests provide the perfect opportunity for us to collaborate and pioneer this space and make history as the label that produced the first NFT-minted record in the Philippines.”

Ali Young joins Alibatta

Philippine artist, Ali Young, signs on with Alibatta as its first artist with its first NFT-minted single to be released on June 25. She made a name for herself by making song covers of artists such as Taylor Swift and Yeng Constantino on YouTube and Soundcloud and amassing millions of views.

Young says, “I’m still overwhelmed and super proud that I signed with Alibatta, I trust in the direction the label is taking, and I think that NFT is the future not just for music, but for other forms of art, too.”

The first of its kind locally

The new normal has forced everyone to find ways to innovate and create experiences that would deliver a sensory experience that social distancing has deprived us of.  A virtual reality (VR) concert is in the works.  Everyone who purchases a ticket to the event will receive VR goggles as part of the ticket price.  This will give them the immersive experience promised.

On June 25, 2021, Alibatta will launch Ali Young’s debut single Craving on major streaming platforms.  At the same time, a Record Stor Day limited NFT version will be released through Binance.

“Ali Young is poised to make history as the first Filipino singer with an NFT out, and we are happy to set that trend both locally and internationally. This effort provides an empowering message to our fellow musicians: that music and art can be lucrative not just for the labels, but for the entire creator ecosystem,” says Mabasa.

Stay tuned for more details soon.

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