What if fans could own a piece of the next big concert tour, film release, or album drop—not just as collectors, but as stakeholders?

From streaming royalties to concert tickets, the entertainment industry has long thrived on exclusivity. But today, blockchain is tearing down the velvet rope. Real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, once a niche concept in finance and real estate, is rapidly gaining ground in entertainment—giving artists new tools to monetize their work and letting fans go beyond just watching or listening. They can now invest, trade, and participate.

Tokenization involves converting physical or tangible assets into digital tokens on a blockchain, facilitating fractional ownership and easier transferability. In the entertainment sector, this means that assets like concert tickets, music royalties, and exclusive merchandise can be securely and transparently managed.

RWAs in entertainment are on the rise

The concept of tokenizing RWAs has gained significant traction across various sectors, including finance, real estate, and agriculture. In 2024, the total value locked in tokenized assets reached over $176 billion, marking a 32 percent increase year-to-date, with non-stablecoin assets growing by 53 percent. This surge reflects a growing interest in leveraging blockchain technology to bring tangible assets into the digital realm.

However, the entertainment industry has been slower to adopt RWA tokenization. Despite its vast potential, challenges such as complex rights management and the need for seamless user experiences have hindered widespread implementation.

Nonetheless, a wave of forward-looking initiatives is showing how tokenization can reshape the entertainment industry by enabling new ownership models, automated royalty flows, and expanded monetization channels. In music, film, and digital art, tokenized rights are allowing creators to offer fractional ownership of their work while ensuring transparent compensation and verifiable asset provenance.

Tokenized film and music rights: Empowering creators and fans

Tokenizing intellectual property rights in film and music allows for fractional ownership, providing creators with alternative funding sources and fans with investment opportunities.

Platforms like Polymesh, and Royal.io, facilitate this by enabling automated royalty distribution through smart contracts, ensuring that artists receive fair compensation and that ownership records are transparent and immutable.​

This approach democratizes access to investment in creative works, allowing a broader audience to support and benefit from the success of films and music.

Artists embracing RWA technology

Several artists have begun to explore the potential of RWAs to enhance their engagement with fans and secure their intellectual property.

Rapper Nas partnered with Royal to offer streaming royalty rights for his songs “Ultra Black” and “Rare,” making him the first artist to sell song rights through the platform. Other artists like Diplo and The Chainsmokers have also utilized Royal to engage fans in music ownership.

Similarly, Nancy Baker Cahill, an American new media artist, has utilized blockchain technology to create immersive augmented reality experiences and NFT projects that merge art with social commentary.

Platforms paving the way for tokenized entertainment

Enjin

Enjin, a blockchain platform known for its work in digital assets and gaming, has collaborated with artists like George Murphy and the Rising Sons to tokenize physical vinyl records.

By turning albums into NFTs, musicians can sell their work directly to fans while providing verifiable authenticity and ownership on-chain.

Artrade

Artrade is redefining how artists and collectors interact with physical artworks by bringing them into the blockchain space. Each physical piece is paired with a digital twin through the platform’s REAL protocol (Reliable Electronic Artwork Ledger). While traditional marketplaces often charge artists as much as 50 percent in commissions, Artrade takes only 5 percent, allowing creators to retain more value from their work.

Backstage

Backstage is a full-cycle platform bringing real-world asset (RWA) tokenization to live entertainment. By leveraging blockchain, it enables smart ticketing, revenue-sharing, and event-linked perks like hotel bookings and VIP access—streamlining operations for artists and promoters.

At the center is the $BKS token, used for payments, discounts, royalties, staking, and governance. With support from partners like Superstruct Entertainment, Blue Marlin Ibiza, and Zamna, Backstage is scaling globally, targeting 5 million users through signed contracts.

The platform has powered events featuring David Guetta, Tiësto, Enrique Iglesias, and Ricky Martin, and co-produced major gatherings like Consensus Hong Kong with OKX. Backstage collaborates with over 30 brands and venues and is backed by 140+ investors, including Enjinstarter, Bluezilla, and Near Foundation.

Beyond ticketing, Backstage is redefining how local economies engage with live events. Traditionally, nearby hotels and restaurants benefit from fan spending, while artists and promoters see none of that value. Backstage flips that model by embedding hotel and travel bookings directly into its ecosystem. Every reservation made through the platform becomes a new revenue stream for creators—turning hospitality into a shared financial engine.

Artists and event organizers can access discounted group rates, negotiate hotel buyouts, and earn commissions on bookings, while fans enjoy a seamless experience that bundles tickets, lodging, and perks into one flow. By realigning event-driven spending with those who create the demand, Backstage extends its RWA model far beyond the venue gates.

The potential future of entertainment

As tokenization spreads across music, art, and live events, it’s clear that entertainment is entering a more participatory era. With real-world assets now digitized and decentralized, creators gain greater control, fans gain new value, and the industry as a whole moves toward a more transparent and equitable future.

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