Luno Forges Multimillion-Dollar Partnership With London Entertainment Venue KOKO
Madonna, Prince, Stormzy, H.E.R., Amy Winehouse and Kanye West have performed at the northwest London location.
Updated May 11, 2023 at 7:13 p.m. UTC
Crypto exchange Luno announced a multimillion-dollar partnership with London entertainment venue KOKO, which has hosted performers ranging from Charlie Chaplin to Kanye West.
- Luno declined to disclose the size of its investment.
- KOKO will open a new "multi-format space" called The Luno for live art and crypto-focused events, such as talks on decentralizing technology, cryptocurrencies and how they are changing the relationship between music, artists and fans. It will also feature a digital gallery, according to a press release Wednesday.
- As part of the agreement, Luno customers will gain opportunities for backstage access, ticket giveaways, presale tickets and queue jumping at the venue, which is located in London's Camden Town.
- Ties between the entertainment and crypto industries are strengthening as each seeks to broaden their appeal to new audiences. Earlier this month, Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, and OneOf, a non-fungible token (NFT) platform, partnered with this year's Grammy awards. And performers from across multiple genres have produced NFTs.
- "Every day the relationship between crypto and music grows stronger, with blockchain innovations beginning to revolutionize the industry," Sam Kopelman, U.K. country manager at Luno, said in the statement.
- Other performers at KOKO, which opens after refurbishment on April 29, have included Madonna, Prince, Stormzy, H.E.R. and Amy Winehouse.
- Luno is owned by Digital Currency Group, which also owns CoinDesk.