Portugal. The Man have always been loyal to their fans, and now they're taking it a step further by joining forces with their global fanbase for a first-of-its-kind partnership that will redefine the word "fan club."
On Thursday (January 14), the band revealed it was launching its own community-driven cryptocurrency called "PTM Coin." According to a press release, holders will have access to a fan-generated audio archive that "includes unreleased music, live shows and outtakes from the band's more than 1700 show history, [and] will be supplemented by the band and their own recordings of 'impossible to get' shows;" an "Oregon City Sessions" livestream in February that features a viewing of the "highly sought after unreleased film from 2009 and live Q&A with the band before and during the stream," as well as "exclusive merch drops and first access to limited items;" live video and text chats with the band; tutorials; first access to music; and multi-player gaming.
“PTM has always been about having a direct connection with our audiences. We never felt good charging for Meet & Greets or for autographs and things like that,” frontman John Gourley said in a statement. “We looked long and hard for a solution that would allow us to embrace our community but also give them the opportunity to experience real ownership in what we are doing. We would be nowhere without them and with PTM Coin we can give them a unique opportunity to interact with us, our music, our shows, and more, while owning a social token that represents their commitment to our success.”
PTM Coin is available now through Rally and can be purchased here. Holders can then join the just-launched Discord community to access benefits.
Watch Gourley and bassist Zach Carothers' announcement video above.
Photo: Maclay Heriot