A virtual band made up of four expensive cartoon apes from the Bored Apes Yacht Club nonfungible token (NFT) drove is hoping to go the next large hit in the music industry.

The primate ring, chosen KINGSHIP, volition put out music, perform in the metaverse and release plenty of NFT collectibles. Information technology takes inspiration from Gorillaz, Damon Albarn'south drawing band.

Major music label Universal is backing the unique act and KINGSHIP will join its stable of artists aslope Billie Eilish, Queen, Taylor Swift and Nirvana.

The highly collectible x,000 NFTs in the Bored Ape Yacht Club have been fetching increasingly expensive prices this year. Last month, more than than $95 meg worth of Bored Ape NFTs were sold, for an boilerplate price of $170,000.

KINGSHIP'S ring manager Nicholas Adler told Cointelegraph that his squad wants to "exist leaders in the manner that musicians and artists engage in Web3." Adler also manages Snoop Dogg.

"There'southward a lot of musicians that are in the NFT space, they're engaging, they're ownership NFTs, or they're doing basic art drops, merely no one'due south creatively released music all the same."

The four apes in KINGSHIP belong to early collector Jimmy "j1mmy" McNelis, who recently sold some other ane of his Bored Ape NFTs for an eye-watering $three.four one thousand thousand at a Sotheby's auction.

Adler told Cointelegraph that he had known McNelis on a personal level for almost a year earlier he was approached by Celine Joshua, the founder of 10:22PM, Universal's "next-gen" label. He says Joshua has a knack for signing "very innovative acts", and calls 10:22PM a "web iii label."

"They're willing to really kind of pause the mold and do some stuff that's non-traditional," Adler said.

After connecting with Joshua, Adler suggested that they go into business with McNelis who owns almost 80 Bored Ape NFTs.

"When she and I connected information technology was really kind of perfect timing," he said, "Considering we didn't have to go and purchase whatever ape we could become our easily on, we could selection from a really interesting and amazing vault."

Related: U2's manager signs deal to aggrandize Bored Ape Yacht Social club to movies, TV and music

As for the time to come of KINGSHIP, Adler says, "the narrative is actually being developed. This is happening in real time, like much of I think the NFT space is happening in real fourth dimension."

"The most important thing for us was to develop a actually potent narrative effectually these apes. The goal is to mankind information technology out. Who are these characters? What is their backstory? What motivates them? What instruments exercise they play? Who'due south featured?"