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EDM royalty Armin van Buuren already has extensive experience in building communities<\/a>. In 2001, he launched the A State of Trance <\/em>radio show, which currently boasts a listener base of roughly 44 million, according to a press release shared with nft now. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing lockdowns, the Dutch producer gained a newfound appreciation for the power of community<\/a>, and set to work hoping to create digital analogs to the communities he\u2019s built in the real world through his various concerts and tours over the years. \u201cI started my journey an odd twenty years ago looking to build strong connections with people from all over the world through music,\u201d van Buuren said in the press release.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pandemic caused a rift and made me realize just how important it is for me. Chatting in my Discord channel, which I launched a few months ago, took me back to the days of chatting with everyone in the IRC chat as I recorded the A State of Trance episodes, and that\u2019s the personal touch I crave.\u201d With the upcoming launch of Armin\u2019s All Access<\/a> (AAA), he may finally get a taste of that personal touch once again. Following the project\u2019s launch on December 14, holders of AAA NFTs will gain unbridled access to exclusive van Buuren content. This will include unreleased cuts, exclusive DJ sets, and, most crucially, access to a channel that will put holders in \u201cdirect contact\u201d with the Dutch musician.<\/p>\n Tellingly, the craving for community and that \u201cpersonal\u201d touch also influenced van Buuren\u2019s decision to enlist the help of his fellow countryman Rik Oostenbroek to bring Armin\u2019s All Access to life. \u201cWe got in touch online, talked a lot and realized we\u2019d both been going through similar phases in life before, during, and after the pandemic,\u201d van Buuren said in an interview with nft now. \u201cAs we connected, I felt he would be able to create something that would reflect all that, as well as, the soul of the community I decided to launch, so I asked him, and he was happy to take up the project. It\u2019s been an absolutely incredible collaboration since.\u201d<\/p>\n The upcoming launch of Armin\u2019s All Access will serve as van Buuren\u2019s formal debut in the world of NFTs. Despite Oostenbroek\u2019s prior experience in the NFT art world<\/a>, the development of AAA didn\u2019t come without its fair share of obstacles. \u201cWhile Rik had to think carefully about the artwork itself and all it would embody, my team and I had to consider what perks or content would resonate with the community and my fanbase the most,\u201d he said. Thankfully, he had an entire career\u2019s worth of experience to help guide him through the process. \u201cYears ago, I became the first artist in the world to push an entire radio show onto Spotify, and that came with a set of challenges similar to what we encountered throughout this process. But we learned a lot of stuff about Web3 along the way, and that has made me really excited about the possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, following the release of Armin\u2019s All Access, van Buuren will be joining a long list of his contemporaries who\u2019ve successfully leveraged blockchain technology to create deeper modes of engagement for their fans. Notably, this includes longtime collaborator St<\/a>eve Aoki<\/a>, who has been extremely bullish on all things NFTs<\/a> for years up to this point.<\/p>\n In van Buuren\u2019s eyes, NFTs come with a host of unique benefits over Web2 platforms like Patreon when it comes to keeping fanbases happy and engaged. Much of this boils down to the rapid growth of blockchain technology<\/a>, which has enabled NFTs to surge quickly into public consciousness. \u201cIts rapid growth is bringing about new developments on [a] daily basis, a lot of which can be just right for building a community or promoting music,\u201d he said. \u201cI honestly believe that it\u2019s the future, mainly because of the seemingly endless possibilities. And it\u2019s just so cool to be working with an incredible digital artist whose art pieces never cease to blow my mind.\u201d<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s next<\/h2>\n
But wait! There\u2019s more<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n