Numerous music artists have taken to social media to warn fans against a controversial NFT platform.

On Wednesday (02/02), all eyes were on HitPiece, an NFT platform allegedly minting and selling music of artists and bands without their knowledge or permission. Catalogues by countless artists—from the likes of pop powerhouses Billie Eilish, BTS, and Britney Spears to independent Asian acts like Beast Jesus and similarobjects, plus visual artist and musician Louie Zong—and companies like Disney and Pokémon have appeared on the platform, selling as one-of-one NFTs.

According to the HitPiece website, which has been taken down at press time, the platform offers members the chance to "collect NFTs of your favourite songs. Each HitPiece NFT is a One of One NFT for each unique song recording. Members build their Hitlist of their favourite songs, get on leaderboards, and receive in real life value such as access and experiences with Artists."

While this may appear to be a new source of revenue for members as it "powers music in the metaverse," hundreds of artists have complained that they have not signed up for HitPiece, yet are already on the platform without their consent. 

this site “hitpiece” is selling nft’s of our band and MANY others without permission. if you’re in a band click the link you may be on here. cease and desist motherfuckers. nft’s are fraud https://t.co/BKOUieVenK

— nigh eve6 (@Eve6) February 1, 2022

Apparently, this outlet called @/joinhitpiece has been minting music-related N/F/Ts. I just want everyone to know two things:

1. These aren't ours. None of us signed up for this, and it especially does not align with my anti-copyright stance.

2. Check if your project is here. pic.twitter.com/2fqLFGGQQo

— Loss leadership/statelessness of self (@terminalglimmer) February 1, 2022

Bottom feeding scavengers of late capitalism sucking the last marrow from our bones and/or running a scam on me, you, or everyone, because obviously, I didn’t approve this, and apparently neither did anyone else you’ll see on the site. pic.twitter.com/65qwDr8zNI

— Ted Leo (@tedleo) February 1, 2022

NFTs are a scam.

Those who mint them without the permission of the original artists are scum.

Anyone involved with HitPiece dot com is a piece of shit.

This message is directed specifically to @joinhitpiece @Roryfelton @MCSerch @MichaelBerrin.

Get fucked. pic.twitter.com/Sco5G18VZZ

— Insane Ian - 'Illinoise' Available Now! (@insaneianb) February 2, 2022

Subsequently, HitPiece replied to their complaints via Twitter, writing that their claims are "not accurate" and urging artists to send a DM, adding, "Your music isn't on our site, nor do we stream music."

According to the NFT platform's roadmap, they currently are not accepting major cryptocurrencies but accept credit and debit cards as a method of payment. As users won't be paying with any cryptocurrencies, their purchases won't be locked into the blockchain or reveal the purchase of ownership.

HitPiece has since released a statement on the matter. They write, "Clearly we have struck a nerve and are very eager to create the ideal experience for music fans. To be clear, artists get paid when digital goods are sold on HitPiece. Like all beta products, we are continuing to listen to all user feedback and are committed to evolving the product to fit the needs of the artists, labels, and fans alike. "

pic.twitter.com/HfqCi0pzzc

— HitPiece - Music NFTs (@joinhitpiece) February 2, 2022

In response to their statement, artists like Kamtin Mohager asked for further explanation on how they will be paid. The self-proclaimed 'King of Otamatones' TheRealSullyG, also clapped back, writing, "The worst thing about this is how they are so willing to take advantage of artists who don't have a big enough voice. As artists, we're just trying to make a living, but things like this delegitimize all the blood, sweat, and tears we've put into our work."

How are you going to pay me for the 5 albums/EP’s that I self-released and own the masters to? Please explain how this is going to happen.

— chain gang of 1974 (@chaingangof1974) February 2, 2022

The worst thing about this is how they are so willing to take advantage of artists who don't have a big enough voice.

As artists, we're just trying to make a living, but things like this delegitimize all the blood, sweat, and tears we've put into our work.

Shame on you. https://t.co/eT0h5NgCjl

— TheRealSullyG (@TheRealSullyG) February 2, 2022

While NFTs have been somewhat divisive in the creative community, there are also musicians like Mike Shinoda, RAC, Slipknot, Steve Aoki, and Kings of Leon who have spearheaded their own artist-run NFT projects.

Last year, Shinoda released ZIGGURATS, the sold-out "first-ever generative mixtape NFT set" with 5,000 exclusive NFTs he'd designed and created himself. The project came after dropping his single, 'Happy Endings' with Iann Dior and Upsahl, as an NFT, and selling One Hundreth Stream, his first piece of crypto art, dedicated to Michael K Shinoda Endowed Scholarship.

Portland-based musician and producer RAC launched Six X, an NFT creative industry way back in 2017.

To promote their latest single 'The Chapeltown Rag', Slipknot released an NFT website featuring nine animated images that play snippets of audio recordings. 

Most recently, DJ and record producer Steve Aoki launched A0K1 Credits, the building block of the A0K1VERSE. 

Kings of Leon became the first band to release an album as an NFT in 2021 with their album When You See Yourself. Apart from the album, the 'NFT Yourself' tokens offered fans live-show perks and exclusive audio-visual art.