• by Colin Kirkland , April 11, 2022

Ukrainian punk-hardcore band Beton released a new NFT collection on Thursday titled “Kyiv Calling.” All of the proceeds from primary sales will go directly to Ukrainian relief organizations. 

Beton was founded in the Ukrainian city of Lviv in 2017, but gained international attention this past March after reimagining The Clash’s hit "London Calling" as "Kyiv Calling." The band shot a music video for the single, which was shared by The Clash’s official social media accounts.  

The video was originally created to raise awareness for the plight of Ukraine as well as money to support the Resistance Movement’s communication activities, according to a recent statement. 

By partnering with Funcert –– a Web3 platform inviting performing artists to sell video NFTs to fans –– "Kyiv Calling" is now taking Beton’s initial fundraising attempts one step further, as a collection of 2,014 NFTs.

Each NFT includes a limited edition, animated cover image of cover art attributed to the single, as well as an access token to the official full-length “Kyiv Calling” music video in HD. The number of NFTs being offered (2,014) is a nod to the start of the war -- in 2014, when Russia illegally occupied Crimea and Donbas.

“Kyiv Calling” was mixed by famed Los Angeles-based music producer Danny Saber.

“It's incredible to hear how the song is helping to provide a bit of inspiration to the Ukrainian people during this tremendously difficult time,” says Saber. “The independent nature of using the NFT space to help further the cause reinforces the 'Power to the People' spirit The Clash always stood for.”

Beton’s decision to create an NFT collection stemmed from their appreciation of other successful crypto donations made in support of Ukraine’s resistance -- a number topping $100 million since the start of the war. 

The band’s name means "concrete" in Ukrainian and was chosen to reflect the country’s strong spirit.

"This effort is focused on raising international awareness and action, to deliver aid that reinforces our Ukrainian 'concrete' in opposing this invasion," says Andriy Zholob, member of Beton.

The collection has been released in partnership with the Ukrainian American Freedom Foundation, which will coordinate the distribution of proceeds to Free Ukraine Resistance Movement.