Rolling Stone Magazine Enters NFT Market in Partnership with Bored Ape Yacht Club

As the vintage song by Dr Hook said, “Gonna see my picture on the cover / wanna buy five copies for my mother / gonna see my smilin’ face / on the cover of the Rolling Stone …”

And now, almost 50 years later, it has come to pass – for the glazed-eyed primates of the Bored Ape Yacht Club, at least, and while they’re not exactly smiling, they’re surely celebrating on the inside.

Rolling Stone has added to its presence in the non-fungible token (NFT) market by auctioning two of its digital magazine covers created in partnership with the simian-themed art collection that has so far generated around US$1 billion in secondary trading volume.

The collaboration debuted in physical form last week, with the instant sale of 2,500 limited-edition Rolling Stone magazines featuring a Bored Ape on the cover.

Bids Push Toward $50,000

That same magazine cover is now on auction as an NFT, with bidding live on the SuperRare marketplace. Set to last five days from November 11, the auction initially attracted bids beyond 10 ETH, or around US$47,000 at the time of writing. Bidding for another Rolling Stone magazine cover NFT featuring a “Mutant Ape” went live on SuperRare at the same time, and will also last five days.

Five More Pieces to Come

The covers are the first of seven planned NFT releases by Rolling Stone in collaboration with Bored Ape creators Yuga Labs. The remaining five digital pieces, to feature signature Bored Ape characters, will be created by various NFT artists.

In July, Australian pop artist Tones and I featured on Rolling Stone‘s first NFT magazine cover. Four months earlier, Playboy magazine began issuing NFTs that chronicled nearly seven decades of photography and art from the magazine, including pictures of classic centrefolds.

Around the same time, TIME magazine issued three 1966 covers minted as NFTs, but when it announced a new collection offering “unlimited access” to its website throughout 2023, the resultant sale rush clogged the Ethereum blockchain, sending gas fees through the roof. And last month, Playboy magazine staged its first NFT exhibition after inviting submissions from digital artists.