Global Superstar Partnering with Blockchain Creative Labs on Audience-Centric Web3 Experience, "Dollyverse," to Sell Limited-Edition NFTs of New Album and NFT Collectibles,
and Free Live Stream of SXSW Performance
Emmy and Golden Globe Award Nominee Connie Britton to Moderate On-Stage Conversation
with Parton and Patterson Prior to Concert
To promote her recently released original novel, Run, Rose, Run, co-written with best-selling author James Patterson, and its companion music album, global superstar Dolly Parton will give her first-ever performance at the South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals tonight, March 18, that will be live streamed for free on https://welcometodollyverse.com/ by Blockchain Creative Labs (BCL) and Eluvio.
Prior to her performance, Parton and Patterson will speak about Run, Rose, Run in a conversation with Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominee Connie Britton (“The White Lotus,” “Nashville,” “Friday Night Lights”). Scheduled to open for Parton and Patterson are Kovic, Callie Twisselman, Electra Mustaine and The Brothers Moore. The entire event will take place at Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater.
Parton is partnering with FOX Entertainment’s BCL to launch “Dollyverse” -- an audience-centric Web3 experience at SXSW set to launch tomorrow. The “Dollyverse” will release an exclusive selection of official and certified Dolly NFT collectibles, including limited series of Dolly-inspired NFTs that can be claimed for free and limited-edition NFTs of the Run, Rose, Run music album available for purchase. In-person attendees at Parton’s performance and fans streaming the event also will be able to claim a free NFTs on “Dollyverse.”
Published by Little Brown and Company, Run, Rose, Run is set in Nashville and follows a young woman who comes to country music’s capital city to pursue her music-making dreams. The source of her heart-wrenching songs is a brutal secret she has tried desperately to hide, but the past she has fled is reaching out to control her future -- even if it means destroying everything she has worked for. Fans will also be able to listen to an album of 12 original songs inspired by the novel and written, performed and produced by Parton. The album is co-produced by Richard Dennison and Tom Rutledge, and was released by Parton’s label, Butterfly Records. Click HERE for the album and HERE for the book.
BCL is the first-ever Blockchain Sponsor of SXSW, where the company launched major on-site and virtual activations and decentralized content and experiences powered by the blockchain. Through its partnership with BCL, SXSW has minted its first-ever NFT, “Batfan” and SXSW's community of artists, filmmakers and brands participating at the festival are able to create and distribute for free or sell directly NFTs of their work using the SXSW x BCL NFT marketplace found within the SXSW GO mobile app. SXSW attendees are able to purchase NFTs with credit cards or cryptocurrency with support for all major Ethereum wallets.
Eluvio’s technology is eco-friendly and highly energy efficient both in the ways it manages media and uses blockchain technology. Through a novel compositional and just-in-time protocol, the Eluvio Content Fabric does not make digital file copies and dramatically reduces the network storage and usage requirements of today's traditional streaming and distribution systems. The Eluvio Content Fabric's blockchain also uses an eco-friendly “proof-of-authority” consensus, which avoids the high energy consumption used in computational “proof-of-work” blockchains.
BCL also hosted discussions about the convergence of entertainment and technology, activities and special events daily from Friday, March 11, to Sunday, March 13, at Trinity Hall in Austin (located at 5th and Trinity). More than 8,000 festivalgoers visited The BCL House over the span of three days.
Dolly Parton is the most honored and revered female country singer-songwriter of all time. Achieving 25 RIAA-certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards, she has had 26 songs reach #1 on the Billboard country charts, a record for a female artist. Recently, Parton reached #1 on the Billboard Christian Airplay Chart for the first time for her duet with Grammy award-winning Zach Williams of “There Was Jesus,” for which they won a Grammy this year, making that her 11th Grammy win. She received her first Dove Award for short form video for her collaboration with for King & Country on the song “God Only Knows.” Parton is the first artist to have topped the Billboard’s Adult Contemporary, Christian AC Songs, Hot Country Songs, Christian Airplay, Country Airplay and Dance/Mix Show Airplay radio charts. Parton recently became the first country artist honored as Grammy MusiCares Person of the Year given out by NARAS. She has 44 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and 110 career-charted singles over the past 50+ years.
In 2014 the RIAA recognized her impact on recorded music with a plaque commemorating more than 100 million units sold worldwide. Her 2016 #1 album, “Pure & Simple,” which topped the Billboard Top Country Albums and Americana/Folk Albums charts and debuted at No. 1 in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Australia, added to that massive tally. She has garnered eleven Grammy Awards and 50 nominations, including the Lifetime Achievement Award and a 2020 win with for KING & COUNTRY for their collaboration on "God Only Knows"; 10 Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year; five Academy of Country Music Awards, also including a nod for Entertainer of the Year; four People’s Choice Awards; and three American Music Awards. In 1999, Parton was inducted as a member of the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame.
Last year, she released the Christmas album “Holly Dolly Christmas” which went #1 on the Billboard Country and Holiday charts, as well released the bestselling coffee table book “Songteller: My Life in Lyrics.” This year she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie for the film “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square.” To date, Parton has donated over 175 million books to children around the world with her Imagination Library. Her children's book, “Coat of Many Colors,” was dedicated to the Library of Congress to honor the Imagination Library's 100 millionth book donation. In March of 2022, Parton will release the book “Run Rose Run” which she co-authored with James Patterson, alongside an accompanying album of the same name with original songs inspired by the book. Parton also released her own fragrance line this year called “Dolly: Scent From Above.” From her “Coat of Many Colors” while working “9 to 5,” no dream is too big and no mountain too high for the country girl who turned the world into her stage.
ABOUT BLOCKCHAIN CREATIVE LABS
Blockchain Creative Labs (BCL), a new business and creative unit formed in 2021 by FOX Entertainment and its Emmy Award-winning animation studio, Bento Box Entertainment, provides content creators, IP owners and advertising partners end-to-end blockchain computer ecosystem solutions to build, launch, manage and sell Non-Fungible Token (NFT) content and experiences, and fungible tokens, as well as digital goods and assets. BCL also manages a $100 million creator fund, established by FOX Entertainment and Bento Box, which identifies growth opportunities in the NFT space. In August of 2021, Fox Corporation made a strategic investment in Eluvio, a global pioneer for managing, distributing and monetizing premium content via blockchain, that will provide the underlying technology platform for BCL.
ABOUT SXSW
SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film, music, education and culture. An essential destination for global professionals, the annual March event features sessions, music and comedy showcases, film screenings, exhibitions, professional development and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together.