Soneium, the Ethereum layer-2 blockchain developed by Sony Group and Startale Group, has entered a partnership with South Korean entertainment company DayOneDream to bring K-pop intellectual property and related revenue streams onto blockchain infrastructure, according to an announcement released on Sept. 29, 2026.

The collaboration centers on WAVIST, DayOneDream's platform for tokenizing intellectual property. The two companies said the platform is designed to connect entertainment assets with financial infrastructure, creating new mechanisms for financing and monetizing IP. Together, they plan to place tokenized K-pop intellectual property and its associated revenue streams onchain, adding financing and monetization options for rights holders and eligible participants.

DayOneDream is associated with K-pop acts including BTOB, Lee Chae Yeon, MEMI and 2F. Through WAVIST, the company has been developing investment structures linked to entertainment assets, and the partnership is expected to extend those activities onto Soneium.

Announcing the deal on X, Soneium wrote:

1/ K-pop is going onchain. BTOB. LEE CHAE YEON. MeMi. 2F, and more! Today, we’re proud to announce our partnership with DayOneDream, one of Korea’s leading entertainment companies, to bring popular K-pop IP and entertainment assets onchain through @wavist_io . pic.twitter.com/YSwAmNsmYr

— Soneium (@soneium) September 29, 2026

WAVIST moves toward broader tokenized entertainment assets

According to the companies, WAVIST completed the full lifecycle of a tokenized intellectual-property bond in May, covering issuance, financing, and final redemption and burning. The bond was structured to finance K-pop intellectual property, although its value and the artists whose IP it financed were not disclosed.

The companies also did not specify when the first assets would go live on Soneium or indicate the potential size of future offerings, leaving the timeline and scale of the first onchain deployments as key details to watch. They said the collaboration would continue to focus on bringing tokenized K-content assets and their associated revenue streams onto the blockchain.

Under the arrangement, eligible users could gain new ways to participate in intellectual property they support, while rights owners could receive additional avenues for monetization. Access would remain subject to applicable regulations and eligibility requirements.

WAVIST has previously operated tokenized assets on Story, a blockchain focused on intellectual property. In March, IP Strategy Holdings — a Nasdaq-listed company that holds Story's token as its primary treasury asset and operates a validator on the network — said WAVIST had completed an initial asset sale worth $3.22 million with SBI Digital Markets and Kyobo Life Insurance. It also reported that WAVIST was structuring a $15 million fund.

Those relationships were first announced in November 2025 by WITCH Company, the entertainment technology firm that operated WAVIST at the time. DayOneDream, then known as DOD, was also identified as a participant in the plans. DayOneDream acquired WITCH Company in May 2026, after which the business was renamed Pledge Inc.

Investment products target entertainment-related assets

WAVIST's investment products are offered outside the United States under Regulation S, the U.S. securities safe harbor for offshore transactions, and are not available to U.S. persons, according to information published by the platform. Pledge operates the platform, which lists a Concert Fund as its lead product and also identifies a Content Fund and an Artist Fund that have not yet launched.

The development reflects a broader effort to connect intellectual property with blockchain-based financial products. Rather than treating entertainment rights solely as commercial licensing assets, tokenization can create structures through which financing and ownership-related interests are represented digitally.

Soneium is positioning the partnership as a way to connect creators and IP owners with supporters and investors, using blockchain infrastructure to facilitate new funding models for entertainment projects.

Sony expands blockchain applications in entertainment

The partnership was announced during an event in Seoul held as part of Korea Blockchain Week 2026. Soneium was originally developed by Sony Block Solutions Labs, a Singapore-based joint venture between Sony and Startale Labs; at launch, Sony held a 90% stake in the venture, with Startale Labs owning the remaining 10%. As a layer-2 network, Soneium processes transactions on its own chain before settling them to Ethereum, a structure designed to offer lower fees and greater transaction capacity than the Ethereum mainnet.

Sony has previously explored blockchain applications involving entertainment. In January 2025, the company disclosed plans for NFT distributions involving Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan, Sony Music Entertainment France and J-pop group Sandal Telephone. Sony Music Publishing Japan subsequently used Soneium to distribute those NFTs to the group's fans before the group disbanded in April 2025.

Other blockchain projects have also explored tokenized rights connected to K-pop music. In December 2023, Opulous acquired a catalog from songwriter Julia Ross that included contributions to music by BTS, TWICE and FIFTY FIFTY, and later pursued models representing royalty interests through blockchain-based products.

The Soneium–DayOneDream partnership extends this trend from music royalties and NFTs toward a broader model encompassing entertainment intellectual property, financing and associated revenue. If the planned offerings proceed, the initiative could provide a blockchain-based framework for connecting K-pop IP financing with eligible investors and supporters, while giving rights owners additional ways to raise capital and monetize their assets.

This article is based on reporting by CoinTrust.