Sony-backed Soneium links with DayOneDream to put K-pop rights onchain
K-pop concert takings and catalogue revenue are being turned into blockchain-based investment products under a new deal between Sony-backed network Soneium and entertainment company DayOneDream.
Soneium, an Ethereum layer-2 blockchain developed by Sony Group and Startale Group, confirmed the partnership on 29 September. A layer-2 is a separate network that sits on top of Ethereum to process transactions more quickly and at lower cost. DayOneDream is the company behind K-pop acts BTOB, Lee Chae Yeon, MEMI and 2F, according to Music Business Worldwide.
The deal centres on WAVIST, DayOneDream's platform for turning entertainment rights into tokenised assets. Tokenised here means rights and their future revenue are represented by digital tokens on a blockchain, which can then be held and transferred. WAVIST is described as designed to connect entertainment intellectual property with real-world financial infrastructure.
The pitch is simple. Fans and investors buy into the financing behind the music itself.
WAVIST is operated by Pledge Inc, after DayOneDream completed its acquisition of WITCH Company in May 2026 and renamed it. Its lead product is listed as a Concert Fund, with a Content Fund and an Artist Fund still to launch. The investment products are offered outside the United States under Regulation S and are not available to US persons.
WAVIST already has a short track record in this corner of finance. In May 2026 it completed the full life cycle of a tokenised bond used to finance K-pop intellectual property, from issuance through final redemption and burning. Burning in this context means the tokens were permanently removed from circulation once paid out. The platform previously ran its tokenised assets on Story, a blockchain focused on intellectual property.
Its first round of asset sales totalled USD $3.22 million with SBI Digital Markets and Kyobo Life Insurance. WAVIST was also structuring a USD $15 million fund, as stated in March 2026. Those figures trace how the platform has tested small-scale sales before seeking larger pools of capital.
For fans, this means access works differently from streaming or buying a ticket. The partnership aims to make tokenised K-pop intellectual property available to fans and investors, as reported by The Next Web, rather than keeping financing deals limited to institutions. Soneium flagged the same roster in its own announcement on X, naming BTOB, Lee Chae Yeon, MeMi and 2F.
The agreement was introduced to the community at Tokenizing K-Pop: WAVIST Night by DayOneDream x Soneium, held in Seoul. Optimism was listed as a community partner for the event. Soneium also set out the details in an official blog post, Soneium.
