Brenda Seldin
brenda_star_traveler.near
In Memoriam
(A Celebration of the Creative Life)
On May 30th of 2021 it will be four years since my husband’s sudden passing from a heart attack. My husband Ronnie was a musician. He played a Japanese bamboo flute called the Shakuhachi. He was a Grand Master in two lineages, and his specialty was a branch of traditional Japanese music called Honkyoku – musical pieces for the Shakuhachi composed and played by Japanese mendicant Buddhist monks for enlightenment and alms. My husband had many recordings and quite a few of his own compositions. Aside from recordings he also had a YouTube channel with videos of his concerts. He was also a teacher and had taught hundreds of students over his 35-year career.
In Memoriam would be a celebration and honoring of the creative life of our musician loved ones. Using Ronnie as an example, I could create NFTs of his legacy – music videos, recordings, etc. Imagine such an NFT given out as a Memorial Card to family and friends as a keepsake of their loved ones. I know that for me, I feel joyful when someone plays my husband’s music or tells me how much they loved it.
I envision a Celebratory Memorial Hall acting as a permanent archive for these NFTs, unlike with social media platforms like Facebook where it can be deleted or taken down. M.C. NFTs would offer peace of mind through permanent decentralized storage. The Memorial Hall would also be a public space with curated events for the public showcasing those M.C. NFTs whose owners gave their permission. This would also allow for the musician’s family to mint these NFTs and allow the public to buy them. A musician’s work would continue to be performed in public bringing in their loved ones, fanbase, and possibly garnering new fans and royalties for their loved ones.
M.C. NFTs could also be original songs or cover performances honoring the person who has passed. Music is often part of the healing process. Imagine John Lennon fans dedicating their M.C. NFTs to him on his birthday. Hopefully minters would also include the musician’s family in the revenue and royalties.
Terminally ill people may choose to create their own Memorial Cards ahead of time by deciding what creative endeavors of theirs they wish to memorialize as their legacies.
These NFTs could be given away as keepsakes, transferred to share as good memories, or sold. Selling them may provide needed funds for those left behind: for funeral expenses, medical expenses, for the children and widows left behind; or for the continuation of royalties for loved ones while keeping their work in the public eye. Original compositions and cover performances by musicians honoring those that have passed on may also, as a side effect, be helped in their careers.
This could be expanded to other media arts. I am looking for team members inspired by this idea to continue working with me on it together through the next steps of the hackathon.