Aria "Tokenization will reshape the IP industry… Korea is a key market" [Coin Interview]

JOON HYOUNG LEE

Summary

"Aria Protocol" said it is reorganizing structures through IP tokenization so that investors can flexibly invest in intellectual property such as music.
Through "Aria Prime," it said it is creating systematic infrastructure for institutional investors to access K-pop IP-based real-world assets (RWA) as an asset class.
It announced the upcoming launch of the governance token ARIAIP and plans to expand into visual arts, animation, and other fields beyond music, indicating high ecosystem growth potential.

David Kostiner Aria co-founder

Story (IP)-based project

Making IP investment more flexible with blockchain

IP collaborations with BTS, BLACKPINK, etc.

Also unveiled an institution-only platform

"Expanding into visual arts and other fields"

*David Kostiner (David Kostiner) Aria Protocol co-founder and Chief IP Officer (CIPO). Photo credit = Aria Protocol*

"The vision of Aria Protocol is to make iconic intellectual property (IP) accessible and investable by anyone. Through this, we aim to reorganize the global IP industry into a more transparent and digitized structure."

David Kostiner, Aria co-founder and Chief IP Officer (CIPO), said this in an interview with Bloomingbit on the 27th. Kostiner CIPO said, "Aria is putting iconic IP on-chain to invigorate the rapidly growing IP-based real-world asset (RWA) market," and added, "(In the mid- to long-term) Aria will develop into a kind of 'IP stock market' within the story (IP) ecosystem."

Aria is an IP tokenization project launched last year. It drew attention by tokenizing songs by U.S. pop stars such as Madonna, Justin Bieber, and Miley Cyrus. The IPs tokenized by Aria also include songs by K-pop artists such as BTS, BLACKPINK, and Taeyang. Kostiner CIPO said, "Korea is a core market for Aria," adding, "because it has an ecosystem with global influence across music, film, and digital content as well as a public that is friendly to cryptocurrencies and blockchain."

IP tokenization is the concept of converting IP such as music and video into digital assets using blockchain technology. Creators and investors can buy and sell fractional ownership of intangible IP through tokenization. By tokenizing IP, it is possible to expand the traditional transaction methods that were limited by license contracts, enabling more flexible IP investment and distribution. This is why some compare IP tokenization to the 'democratization of IP.'

*Aria Protocol's intellectual property (IP) tokenization structure. Photo credit = Aria Protocol*

'Release of Remixable Asset'

Aria has focused on the potential of the IP tokenization market. Kostiner CIPO said, "IP democratization is part of Aria's pursued vision," and explained, "IP tokenization provides investors with new opportunities to access music assets." He continued, "When put on-chain, rights holders can set licensing conditions directly and generate value from works without negotiating contracts and paperwork each time," adding, "Tokenization is a completely new way to strengthen rights holders' authority as well as profitability and cultural influence."

Kostiner CIPO defined this concept as a 'Remixable Asset.' He said, "A Remixable Asset, unlike conventional copyright, is a structure where creators can provide licenses or create remixed versions while being guaranteed credit and revenue sharing," and "on Aria, remix rights are also tokenized and collateralized as IP-based RWAs."

Aria plans to release its first Remixable Asset next month in collaboration with K-pop singer NANA. Kostiner CIPO said, "The first Remixable Asset will be three of NANA's songs: GOD, Hurt, and Daylight," and "it will be presented together with the 'Aria Global Remix Contest' held in November." Kostiner CIPO added, "We will award a total of USD 15,000 (about KRW 20,000,000) in prize money to three winners," and "the final selected remixes will be officially released through a label, and the rights to those songs will be tokenized on Aria."

*Aria will release its first 'Remixable Asset' next month in collaboration with K-pop singer NANA. Photo credit = Aria Protocol*

Business expansion also announced

Institutional services are also being intensified. Previously, Aria launched an institution-only platform called 'Aria Prime' last month. To this end, Aria partnered with domestic IP firm Content Technologies to tokenize USD 100 million (about KRW 140 billion) worth of K-pop IP on the Story blockchain. Kostiner CIPO said, "Aria Prime is designed so that institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals can access IP-based RWAs in the form of an 'asset class,'" and "with Aria Prime, we are building systematic infrastructure so institutions can invest in culture just as they invest in other asset classes."

He also announced business expansion into fields beyond music. Kostiner CIPO said, "Music is a valuable and culturally influential asset class, but it has been illiquid and underutilized," and "we will first focus on music IP to prove the efficiency, transparency, and profitability of tokenized RWAs." He added, "We plan to expand into visual arts, animation, streaming series, and other fields in the future," and "the collaboration with Sedition is the first step toward entering the visual arts field." Aria recently signed a partnership with Sedition, a digital art platform that connects contemporary artists and collectors worldwide.

Aria also plans to launch the governance token ARIAIP soon. To this end, Aria established the Aria Foundation in mid-month. Kostiner CIPO said, "If the existing token APL is an IP-based RWA token that is collateralized by specific IP rights and generates revenue, ARIAIP will integrate protocol and ecosystem participation," and "detailed information about the token's specific functions will be announced soon."