What Is Vinyl Registry?
The world’s first blockchain based registration system where buyers and sellers can claim or verify ownership of rare limited vinyl using blockchain technology.
For participating releases, a QR code is printed on the vinyl label. The claim process is simple: Scan the QR code on your vinyl record, open the link, and collect your NFT.
If your phone doesn't process QR codes or you'd rather not remove the shrinkwrap from the album, just click the button below and find your release.
How does this work?
For the life of vinyl recordings, buyers and collectors have relied on a system of trust; from the vinyl plant, to the labels, to the network of experienced collectors, buyers have pored over catalog numbers, runout etchings, credits, and visual verification of cover art to verify the authenticity of singles or LPs. The unspoken rule was that we must trust those who have brought the vinyl to market when they state the details of a pressing. Nothing but that implied trust would stop a label from pressing additional copies, or for employees at the plant from whisking away some extra copies.
Using blockchain technology, Vinyl Registry connects each physical vinyl pressed to its owner with a non-fungible token representing irrefutable ownership. Each transaction is recorded on an immutable public blockchain, eliminating the need for implied trust. No transaction can be illegally duplicated, as the record is permanent and distributed through the decentralized public ledger.
While complex in its development, the process is simple: Buyers claim their NFT - a certificate of authenticity - thereby establishing themselves as the original owner of the vinyl. These NFTs can be transferred upon secondary sale of the vinyl, and the record of the transaction is also publicly available on the blockchain. In the secondary market, sellers can post their QR code and buyers can easily determine the veracity of the Vinyl, eliminating any doubt about bootlegs or unauthorized copies.
Video Walk Through
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't my wallet show a transaction for my claim?
You only need to connect your wallet in order to supply a blockchain address you provably control. Once you submit your claim information, the transaction is initiated from our backend. This is how we ensure that you will never have to pay a transaction fee to claim your NFT.
Can anyone see the smart contract source code?
Yes. It has been deployed and its source code verified on Polygon's Matic Mainnet.
Where can I view and transfer my NFT?
The easiest way is to visit the OpenSea NFT marketplace.
- 1. When you reach the site, connect your wallet by clicking the wallet icon on the top right.
- 2. Visit your profile page.
- 3. You should see your claimed VinylRegistry releases in the list of NFTs shown there. Click one and you'll see the page for that NFT.
- 4. You can sell, auction, or transfer your NFT on this page. Should the NFT change hands, be sure to arrange with the buyer to send the vinyl. The two should remain paired, as the NFT has no intrinsic value unto itself, but only acts as a proof of ownership of the real store of value, the vinyl.
How can I find the cover image for a release?
It is referenced in the NFT metadata.
- 1. Get the NFT metadata as described in this answer. It is in the JSON format, which is conveniently both machine- and human-readable.
- 2. There will be field called "image" with a value that looks similar to the IPFS hash you got from the contract in order to find this metadata, e.g., ipfs://QmcBjqkZNtW1ZRs4DZ9ZdTwpTUZwWxiyKveZEFQ8nBZBQs
- 3. You can open that data in your browser at ipfs.io by creating a url like: https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmcBjqkZNtW1ZRs4DZ9ZdTwpTUZwWxiyKveZEFQ8nBZBQs
How can I verify that a potential seller owns the NFT for the vinyl?
Eventually, we hope to have a built in secondary marketplace for brokering exchanges, to ensure the vinyl and NFT always remain paired. In the interim, there is a relatively painless way to ensure the seller has the NFT, even though blockchain wallet addresses are anonymous.
- 1. Arrange to send the seller a trifling amount of MATIC to the wallet that holds the NFT and have them send it back.
- 1a. Don't worry, gas prices on Polygon network make this an essentially free operation for both parties.
- 2. Go to the OpenSea page for the release, e.g., The Philadelphia Experiment
- 3. Click the "## Owners" link under the title. (## is current number of owners).
- 4. Make sure the seller's address is on the list.
How can I find the NFT metadata for a release?
You can do so on the Polygonscan explorer.
- 1: Go here: view contract on Polygonscan
- 2. Click "Read Contract"
- 3. Scroll down to form field 12: uri
- 4. Enter the release number, e,g., 0 (zero) for the debut release, and click 'Query'.
- 5. The unique IPFS hash for the metadata is shown. It looks like: ipfs:// followed by a long string of characters like QmYAbLDBKw3ecfzS9xzWLZjpnfnrwXKgsYtbcuxh7m3ZDf
- 6. You can read that data in your browser at ipfs.io by creating a url like: https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmYAbLDBKw3ecfzS9xzWLZjpnfnrwXKgsYtbcuxh7m3ZDf
Can pressing sizes be modified, potentially devaluing my copies?
No. The quantity of each ERC-1155 release token is fixed and can never be changed. The immutable deployed contract will not allow it.