Till Lindemann is the lead singer of German metal band Rammstein. He has launched a crypto initiative to anger Russia’s Hermitage Museum. The musician is seeking over 100 thousand euros to purchase an NFT collection that contains footage and imagery taken in the cultural institution. The tokens were created without the authorization of the institution.

German Singer Till Lindemann Sells NFTs of Russian Art Without Permission

Rammstein’s vocalist and songwriter Till Lindemann has put up for sale five non-fungible tokens (NFTs), the most expensive of which has a price tag of EUR100,000. The NFTill collection contains a video clip of his performance of the popular Russian patriotic ballad “Beloved Town” which was shot in May. The world-famous museum in Saint Petersburg allowed Lindemann to record the video as part of the Year of Germany in the Russian Federation which started in August 2020.

However, Forklog reported that Lindemann’s NFT effort was not appreciated by museum officials. In a statement released on Facebook, the Hermitage stressed that the use of images of objects from the museum’s exhibitions and interiors in the token collection labeled ‘Hermitage Edition’ “was not and could not have been agreed with the museum.”

It was also stated that Mr. Lindemann received a warning notice about the violation of the museum’s licensing policy regarding his NFT project. The tokens are already available online and have not received a response from the German singer.

The Hermitage also pointed out that it is one of the most prominent institutions to face unfair use of exhibits in NFT. The museum also noted that Lindemann had signed an agreement specifically stating that the Hermitage’s permission to use images or any other material is only for the music video.

In July, the museum itself announced it was considering issuing NFTs for works of art from its rich collections and was in talks with crypto exchange Binance which had just launched its NFT marketplace. The Hermitage will host its first exhibition of non-fungible tokens in art by the end this year. The Hermitage’s management hopes that the tokens will bring in additional funding, and hopes NFTs can be exempted form the Russian regulations regarding digital assets.

Rammstein is a Neue Deutsche Harte (NDH) band established in Berlin in 1994, which became world-famous with its industrial metal and rock music that produced hits such as “Du Hast,” “Engel,” and “Amerika.” Till Lindemann has been writing the lyrics and singing the songs as the lead vocalist of Rammstein since its formation.

What are your thoughts about the conflict between singer Till Lindemann and the Hermitage Museum in Russia? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

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