DayOneDream and Soneium Partner to Tokenize K-pop IP
Sony-backed blockchain Soneium has partnered with K-pop company DayOneDream to tokenize artist intellectual property onchain, aiming to create new
DayOneDream and Soneium have announced a partnership to tokenize K-pop intellectual property on the Soneium blockchain. The deal September 29, at the Tokenizing K-Pop: WAVIST Night event in Seoul during Korea Blockchain Week 2026, pairs DayOneDream’s tokenization platform WAVIST with Soneium’s Ethereum layer-2 blockchain infrastructure. The companies will combine WAVIST’s work in entertainment financing with Soneium’s blockchain technology.
Tokenization Platform and Blockchain
Soneium is an Ethereum layer-2 blockchain developed by Sony Group and Startale Group. In May of this year, WAVIST completed what the companies describe as the full lifecycle of a tokenized IP bond issued to finance K-pop IP. This process involved issuance, final redemption, and the burning of the tokens. Neither Soneium nor DayOneDream disclosed the value of this bond or which artists’ IP it financed.
DayOneDream is a K-content entertainment group that manages the full lifecycle of artist businesses. Its portfolio includes K-pop artists such as BTOB, LEE CHAE YEON, MEMI, and 2F. The company works across music production and publishing, video, artist management, concerts, and IP commerce. WAVIST is described as a platform designed to connect entertainment IP with real-world financial infrastructure.
Future Use Cases
Soneium and WAVIST say they will continue to bring tokenized K-content assets and their associated revenue streams onchain. The proposed assets would give eligible users a way to participate in the financial value tied to entertainment IP, including revenue from concerts, streaming, and music rights. For rights holders, the companies see tokenization as another route to raise funds and earn revenue from their work. Soneium’s work with DayOneDream adds an entertainment financing use case to a network already built around creators, digital content, and applications.
Dylan Cho, RWA Lead at DayOneDream, stated that K-pop is a market unlike any other, yet the way capital reaches it has barely changed. He added that the companies see a path to investing through the IP itself. Yuji Kumagai, Head of Soneium Protocol, said Soneium will keep bringing more entertainment IP onto its platform. The companies did not say when the first assets will be offered on Soneium, how large any offering will be, or which artists’ IP will be tokenized first. Access will be subject to applicable regulatory and eligibility requirements.
Industry Context and Background
This development follows previous tokenization efforts in the music industry. WAVIST has previously run its tokenized assets on Story, a rival blockchain focused on intellectual property. In March of this year, Nasdaq-listed IP Strategy Holdings said WAVIST had completed a first round of asset sales totaling $3.22 million with SBI Digital Markets and Kyobo Life Insurance, and was structuring a $15 million fund. Those partnerships were first announced in November 2025 by WITCH Company, the entertainment technology firm then operating WAVIST. DayOneDream completed its acquisition of WITCH Company in May of this year; WITCH Company was subsequently renamed Pledge Inc.
In a separate industry move, Opulous, from the team behind Ditto Music, acquired a catalog from songwriter Julia Ross in December 2023. That catalog included Ross’s contributions to music by BTS, TWICE, and FIFTY FIFTY.
Sony announced Soneium in August 2024. The blockchain was developed by Sony Block Solutions Labs, a Singapore-headquartered joint venture between Sony and Startale Labs, as Startale Group was then known. Sony owned 90% of that joint venture. In its launch announcement, the lab said it would study new mechanisms for returning profits to support creators and fans. In January 2025, Sony disclosed plans for NFT distributions through Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan and Sony Music Entertainment France, and for J-pop group Sandal Telephone. The following month, Sony Music Publishing Japan used Soneium to distribute those NFTs to Sandal Telephone’s fans. Soneium has now processed more than 500 million transactions.
The partnership will continue to bring tokenized K-content assets and their revenue streams onto the Soneium blockchain.
