“I want to be the first major in the metaverse.”
After purchasing the iconic Death Row Records brand last week, Snoop Dogg released his new album “BODR (Bacc on Death Row)” as a “stash box” of NFTs, or non-fungible tokens. Our entertainment tech reporter Christian Hetrick notes that music artists and record labels have flocked to crypto collectibles at a time when tours are still hampered by the pandemic and the music business is still adapting to the economics of streaming.
Here’s what else we’re reading in the news:
– Bird renews its permit to provide scooters in Long Beach, and expands in Santa Barbara.
– Machine learning, blockchain technology and AI take center stage at this year’s Spring Break Art Show in Los Angeles.
– Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine partner with designer and shoe brands to offer more creative courses for South L.A. students.
– Fashion tech startup Zilingo, which has offices in L.A., seeks to raise $200 million to expand.
– Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine brand partners with World of Women to mint entertainment NFTs.
Snoop Dogg Wants To Make Death Row Records ‘An NFT Label’
The legendary Long Beach-born rapper announced this week that Death Row “will be an NFT label,” just days after acquiring the Los Angeles record label that launched his career and put West Coast hip-hop on the worldwide map.
Texas Is Investigating TikTok Over Human Trafficking Concerns
The state’s Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton said the investigation was related to concerns that TikTok’s content has been used to promote human trafficking and drug smuggling across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Snapchat Is Letting Users Share Their Real-Time Location
The Santa Monica-based social media giant announced a new “buddy system”-esque feature that gives Snapchat users the ability to share their real-time location with individual friends on the app.
Regulators Widen Probe Into Activision Misconduct
As part of its lawsuit over a workplace culture where women were allegedly subject to sexual harassment and unequal pay, California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing is issuing subpoenas to Activision directors to determine their knowledge and handling of the allegations.
This Week in ‘Raises’: Our VC Funding Round Up
Spotter, an L.A.-based startup that licenses YouTube creators’ back catalogs, and Torrance-based defense contractor Epirus both raised $200 million this week. See the full roundup here.
LA Tech ‘Moves’: Riot Games’ Co-Founder Returns
This week: Riot Games named Marc Merrill as its new president of games and Snap hired Resh Sidhu as global director of Arcadia, the social media firm’s creative studio for branded augmented reality. Catch with more of the latest job changes in L.A. tech.