Eluvio Powers Live Stream, NFT Sales of Dolly Parton’s Performance at South by Southwest

Leading up to the eagerly awaited releases of her original novel, Run, Rose, Run, co-written with best-selling author James Patterson, and its companion music album, global superstar and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee Dolly Parton is partnering with FOX Entertainment’s Blockchain Creative Labs (BCL) to launch “Dollyverse”— an audience-centric Web3 experience, at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals starting next week.

To promote the debut of Run, Rose, Run, Parton will make her first-ever appearance at SXSW on March 18, when she and Patterson will speak about the project at Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater. Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominee Connie Britton (“The White Lotus,” “Nashville,” “Friday Night Lights”) will moderate the conversation with Parton and Patterson. Immediately afterwards, she will give a live performance featuring songs from Run, Rose, Run, along with a few of her hits. Scheduled to open for Parton and Patterson are Kovic, Callie Twisselman, Electra Mustaine and The Brothers Moore. The entire event will be streamed live for free on “Dollyverse” by Eluvio, which also will power the “Dollyverse’s” NFT sales.

The “Dollyverse” will release an exclusive selection of official and certified Dolly NFT collectibles, including limited-edition NFTs of the Run, Rose, Run music album and a limited series of Dolly-inspired NFT artwork, for purchase during and after SXSW. In-person attendees at Parton’s performance will be able to claim a free NFT, while fans streaming the event will be able to receive tokens authenticating their participation.

“There’s almost nothing more important to me than connecting with my fans. And I’m almost always up for trying something new and different,” says Parton. “I’d say releasing NFTs at my first ever appearance at SXSW, with James Patterson by my side, definitely counts as new and different!”

“Yet again Dolly is at the top of her craft,” says Danny Nozell, Parton’s manager. “Her goal with new music has always been to use her gifts to connect with people. This partnership with BCL at SXSW, and the launch of ‘Dollyverse,’ provide her a totally new way to do that.”

“I am a huge Dolly Parton fan. Who isn’t? She is a national treasure, whose important contributions to the world transcend her incredible work as an entertainer,” says Scott Greenberg, CEO of BCL. “Dolly is a true pioneer who brings the highest level of quality, heart and authenticity to everything she touches, which is why she’s the perfect person to introduce to the mainstream audience an easy-to-use, Web3 experience that will live stream her SXSW event and provide them the opportunity own and enjoy her music — not just a right to stream it – all designed to bring Dolly even closer to her fans.”

“Dolly Parton’s participation in SXSW 2022 fulfills one of our longtime goals and we’re absolutely ecstatic to have her involved in this year’s event in such a unique way,” says Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer for SXSW. “Beyond her legendary status in the music industry, Dolly embodies the SXSW spirit as she extends her unique brand of creativity across many verticals. Most importantly, Dolly serves as an inspirational and unifying role model for millions of fans — spanning different ages, occupations, and viewpoints — from all over the world.”

Available for purchase beginning this Monday, March 7, and 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 will be released this Friday, March 4, by her label, Butterfly Records. Click HERE for the album and HERE for the book.

Dates for “Dollyverse’s” limited-run and a schedule of NFT drops and information regarding her appearance at ACL Live will be announced in the coming days. Parton’s performance at ACL Live will be for SXSW badge holders only and available on a first-come, first-serve basis depending on venue capability.

BCL is the first-ever Blockchain Sponsor of SXSW, where the company will launch major on-site and virtual activations and decentralized content and experiences powered by the blockchain. Through its partnership with BCL, SXSW will mint its first-ever NFT, and SXSW’s community of artists, filmmakers and brands participating at the festival will be 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 will be 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 will also host 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 information regarding BCL’s involvement at SXSW 2022 can be found at bcl.xyz/sxsw or by following BCL on Twitter @wearebcl.