NFT Sales Raise $200,000 for Independent Music Venues

The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) has announced a second round of NFT fundraising for independent venues in partnership with Goldflyer, after raising over $200,000 in NFT sales earlier this month.

NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway will be releasing a follow-up drop on Friday, April 16th at 1:30 p.m. ET. Tove Lo, Dillon Francis, Pabllo Vittar, and Tycho will donate their likenesses for an NFT portrait series called Nifty for NIVA, created by musician and artist Young & Sick.

Goldflyer — a collaboration between indie labels Neon Gold Records, Venue Group and, All Things Go — previously announced the first NFT fundraiser in partnership with NIVA on April 7th. The event drew support from artists like Shawn Mendes and Tove Lo, who bid on “golden ticket” fundraising pieces from 10 different venues, including Los Angeles’ Troubadour and Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club.

“I’m so thrilled to be able to support independent venues like the historic Troubadour with this fundraiser,” Mendes said in a statement. “We are all missing live shows right now, and we need to make sure when touring comes back, that the venues we all love have the support they need to stay open, especially the small independent venues that fuel new artists breaking and earning a living.”

Other notable winners included Tove Lo (First Avenue), Dillon Francis (Neumos), Pabllo Vittar (9:30 Club), and Tycho (The Independent).

NIVA president and First Avenue owner Dayna Frank said: “This NFT drop included such an incredible collection and the fact that so many of the winning bids were placed by artists who have connections to the independent venues, it’s just really special. Now, these artists are stepping up and supporting the cause even further with this additional NFT portrait drop benefitting NIVA. It’s an honor.”