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Afterparty adds $5m to launch fan engagement app

AI startup Afterparty has raised a further $5million in funding to bring its seed capital to a whopping $12m amid plans to launch an app that it believes will transform the relationships between fans and artists.

Afterparty will use the money to develop its platform, which will leverage artificial intelligence to allow fans to have one-to-one interactions with their favourite singers or sports stars or celebrities, while allowing those creators to monetise the service.

Among the investors backing the enterprise are Acrew Capital, Act One Ventures, Red Light Management, Tamarack Global, Vinny Lingham and Wilson Sonsini. The involvement of Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media, and Kygo’s Palm Tree Crew has also generated interest in the media.

The Afterparty platform already offers livestreaming, chat facilities, and collectibles such as NFTs. The new funding round will enable developers to integrate AI voice, photo and video functions that the company says will allow artists “to infinitely scale personalized fan interactions.”

“With Afterparty AI, we have developed a proprietary system from the ground up to scale creator-fan interactions”

Those interactions will allow fans to create unique images and videos with their favourite stars. That content can then be turned into one-of-a-kind collectibles, which will be verified on Afterparty’s blockchain.

“The all-new ability to turn one-to-one AI experiences into fan-generated content takes interaction to an entirely new level,” says David Field, Afterparty’s founder and CEO. “Creators retain control over their content, revenue, and fan relationships. Fans get the opportunity to become content creators and participate in the growth and success of those who inspire them.”

Afterparty’s AI technology is designed to solve the problem of creators not having the time for personal interactions with all the fans who want such an experience, according to Afterparty co-founder Robert Graham. “We heard from many of our creators in the Afterparty community that DMs were their fans’ most-valued experience. However, with thousands of messages coming in at any given time, they have found it impossible to respond in a more personal way both creators and fans crave,” he adds.

“With Afterparty AI, we have developed a proprietary system from the ground up to scale creator-fan interactions. We work closely with creators to ensure that the AI experience is truly authentic to them in the same way we built our creator tools and IRL experiences.”

Launched in 2021, Afterparty first hit the headlines as “the world’s first NFT ticketing platform for artists.”

 


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Public Enemy fan drives group to Sheffield gig

A Sheffield man gave hip-hop legends Public Enemy a ride to their own Sheffield gig at the Motorpoint Arena over the weekend after a missed taxi threatened to leave them stranded.

Kevin Wells, 50, who works as a live music photographer, offered the group a lift in his Ford Escort from the city’s Record Collector shop, where they had been attending a signing for fans on Saturday (November 29). They were scheduled to support The Prodigy later that evening.

Wells told local newspaper The Star: “Public Enemy had a taxi booked for 6.30pm, but it drove off before the guys had finished signing autographs. People started panicking and looking for someone to drive, so I volunteered.”

He added of what he described as the “most surreal journey” of his life: “They were such nice guys, we had a right laugh. We were chatting away, but the phone was constantly going as their management were clearly worried.”

“I was looking in the rear view mirror thinking, ‘is this actually happening?’”

“Then as we were coming through [suburb of northeast Sheffield] Attercliffe, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, by Queen, came on the radio. Everyone was singing the words and rocking out in the back of my car, it was like a Wayne’s World moment. I was looking in the rear view mirror thinking, ‘is this actually happening?’”

Wells explained that the band arrived in time for their set: “We got to the arena about 15 minutes before they were due on stage. I drove up to security and said, ‘I’ve got the band in the back.’ They looked at me as if I was having them on, but then I rolled down the windows and Chuck D showed them the security pass.”

“Amazing, it just didn’t feel real,” Wells said, revealing that he took a selfie with the group and exchanged a few hugs backstage before heading to photograph another gig. See the selfie above.

‘Man Plans God Laughs’, Public Enemy’s 15th album, came out in late July. The group continue their tour with The Prodigy with dates remaining in Blefast, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bournemouth and two nights at the SSE Arena in London.

Public Enemy support The Prodigy at the following dates:

Belfast, SSE Arena (December 1)
Liverpool, O2 Academy (2)
Birmingham, Birmingham Arena (3)
London, SSE Arena (4 and 5)
Bournemouth, O2 Academy (7)