ICONIC band Duran Duran have been nominated for the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, as they announce an unprecedented project.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a museum located in downtown Cleveland, paying homage to musical legends both dead and alive.
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Each year, a new class is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the British band has made it on to the shortlist.
Lead singer Simon Le Bon said just being nominated was an “honour I never expected to experience.”
“But for sure, this distinction is due in large part to the fact that we have an army of fans around the world who have unwaveringly supported us for the past four decades.
“We are all extremely grateful to all of you for making this happen.”
Formed in 1978, Duran Duran is an English new wave band partially in charge of the Second British Invasion of the US during the 1980s.
After selling over 100million records throughout their career, Duran Duran is one of the world’s best-selling artists.
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But they face some stiff competition to make it into the Hall of Fame, going up against the likes of Dolly Parton and Eminem.
Other artists nominated include, Pat Benatar, Beck, Lionel Richie, Kate Bush, Carly Simon, Dionne Warwick, Eurythmics, A Tribe Called Quest, Fela Kuti, DEVO, Judas Priest, MC5, New York Dolls and Rage Against The Machine.
In order to be eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an artist or band must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to their nomination.
Hall of Fame inductees will be announced in May, with the annual celebration ceremony held in the autumn.
As a Hall of Fame nomination wasn’t big enough news for the band, they have also announced a world-first unique project that will connect NFTs to newly-planted, native trees in New Zealand.
The initiative is part of a larger one to start new micro forests around the world.
Micro forests are small, densely planted areas being cultivated around the world to improve biodiversity and fight the climate crisis. They grow faster and become denser and more biodiverse trees planted more conventionally.
Duran Duran will kick it off by gifting the digital owners of the existing Invisible NFT collection, which was released last year in support of the band’s 15th studio album, Future Past.
Each of the 100 people who purchased one of the Invisible NFTs will receive a brand-new eco-friendly NFT featuring a themed artwork designed by Huxley, the AI artist.
Along with the NFT, a living tree will be planted by local school childre in Jardine Park, Queenstown, New Zealand.
Each new tree will be traceable on the blockchain via the corresponding NFT and the band will donate 100% of proceeds from secondary sales towards building more micro forests.
“Much like nature, technology finds a pathway to evolve and when innovative new ideas can be utilised to help our planet in positive ways, we should seize those opportunities,” said Duran Duran co-founder and keyboardist, Nick Rhodes.
“Connecting physical trees to the blockchain is a brand new way to create awareness through art and at the same time involve local communities to plant more trees, to benefit the environment.”
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