Nirvana fans are pissed.
Firstly, if you don't know what an NFT is, watch this video, because we don't really know how to explain it either.
The NFT Platform Pop Legendz has announced that they will be auctioning off Nirvana NFTs on Kurt Cobain's 55th birthday next month (Feb 20th.)
Nirvana fans aren't happy, because it's hard to imagine Cobain would be okay with this, given that Nirvana were such an anti-capitalist band. Plus, NFTs are often full of scams, artists often don't recieve any money from them, and not to mention the fact that it's so easy to copy and paste digital images.
There are 28 photos that a photographer named Faith West took at a live Nirvana concert in 1991. Nobody has ever seen the images before, and these are the images that will be turned into NFTs and auctioned off.
The first four NFTs are made from 10 images turned into GIFs, with a starting bid of roughly $161,000, The Gamer reports. Each individual image from the GIF will also be sold, starting at about $2,400.
Plus, slightly cheaper NFTs will be sold off for around $500USD each.
When this NFT news was announced, Pop Legendz understandably got a tonne of backlash from the Nirvana and Cobain fan community. Some even likened it to "pissing on Kurt Cobain's grave," due to him not being a fan of the commercialisation of Nirvana, and the grunge scene in general.
Because of this backlash, photographer West has agreed to divide profits from the sales to two charities - The Trevor Project and Grid Alternatives.
Taking to Twitter, West responded to some of the backlash saying,
"Hey, I get why you are suspicious of my project.
"I'm also a Nirvana fan, and I'm respectful of you and all fans defending Kurt's memory. There's been a lot to hate about the way he's been 'remembered' since his death. My project is a little different, so I hope you'll hear me out.
"NFTs, for all their downsides, allow artists to retain copyright & make a little royalty off all future sales. We make so little for our labor. Right-clicking & copying has made slaves of so many artists. NFTs have given us back some dignity."
If you feel so inclined, you can check out the NFTs here.
