Music IP & Royalties Investment
Investing in the soundtrack
of your life.
MusicLy acquires, manages, and monetizes music royalties across publishing, masters, and neighboring rights — opening an asset class once reserved for major labels to a new generation of investors.
For qualified and institutional investors only · Not an offer to sell securities
Our mission
“To democratize music royalty ownership — making it as transparent, accessible, and investable as other alternative asset classes.”
7–10%
Conservative target net cash yield
3–5yr
Verified royalty history underwritten
$32B
Global recorded music market (2025)
835M+
Paid streaming subscribers
70–95yr
Copyright term, by rights type
I am a
The asset class
Why music IP belongs in a portfolio
Music copyrights function as asset-backed securities generating predictable, long-duration cash flows — uncorrelated to equities and requiring zero capital expenditure to maintain.
Recurring contractual cash flow
Royalties are paid every time a song is streamed, broadcast, or licensed. Music subscriptions behave more like a non-discretionary service than discretionary spend — subscriber growth continued through the 2020 downturn and the 2022–23 inflation cycle.
Long duration
In the US, compositions run for the life of the last surviving author plus 70 years; recordings made for hire run 95 years from publication. Income compounds across investment horizons impossible in most other asset classes.
Low market correlation
Revenue driven by listening behavior, not GDP. The 1999–2014 decline was a format collapse, not a demand collapse — piracy destroyed the CD, and paid streaming rebuilt the market, which has grown every year since 2015. Subscription income held up through COVID and the 2022–23 rate cycle.
Pricing and rate upside
Music subscription prices started rising in 2023 after 12 years flat, yet remain below 2011 levels in real terms, leaving headroom. The US statutory rate for songwriters and publishers on streaming rose from 10.5% of service revenue in 2017 to 15.1% in 2022 and reaches 15.35% in 2027. The rate for 2028–32 is being decided now.
Zero capital expenditure
No physical maintenance, no vacancy, no depreciation. Global audience growth at near-zero marginal cost.
Active management alpha
Metadata corrections, royalty audits, and sync placements add 5–15% incremental revenue above a passive baseline.
Market opportunity
A secular growth story with structural tailwinds
The global streaming market has doubled in a decade. Emerging markets, regulatory rate increases, real-terms pricing headroom, and new licensing channels are independent, additive growth drivers.
5.9% CAGR
Recorded music, 2024–2035
Goldman Sachs: $29.6B (2024) → $55B
15.35%
US statutory mechanical rate
Up from 10.5% in 2017; the 2028–32 rate is being decided now
$200B
Global music industry by 2035
Goldman Sachs: roughly double 2024’s $105B
~21% CAGR
MENA region streaming
Fastest-growing globally. Young demographics, rising incomes, government investment in entertainment infrastructure.
~15% CAGR
India streaming growth
500M+ smartphone users, low current penetration. Bundling and local content driving rapid adoption.
−13% vs +67%
Music vs. video, in real terms
Spotify held $9.99 from 2011 to 2023 and is $12.99 today — about 13% below launch in real terms, when $14.87 would merely hold 2011 purchasing power. Netflix rose $7.99 → $19.99 over the same period, roughly 65–70% higher in real terms.
$15–30B TAM
Superfan monetization
Exclusive content, UGC licensing, artist-direct platforms. Additive to streaming — not cannibalistic.
Revenue streams
Four parallel income channels per catalog
Owning both publishing and masters on the same song captures income across every monetization channel simultaneously — the most valuable configuration.
Performance & mechanical royalties
Radio, TV, streaming, live venues, and mechanical reproductions. Collected by PROs — BMI, ASCAP, PRS, SOCAN. Statutory floor pricing provides downside resilience. Publishing also carries more recoverable upside than masters: registration gaps, unmatched royalties, and sub-publishing coverage all respond to active administration.
Streaming, broadcast & sync
Streaming income (65%+ of global recorded music revenue), digital downloads, broadcast licensing, and sync deals. Higher revenue potential per stream. Strong long-tail monetization after peak lifecycle. Masters respond to active management too, mainly through sync placement — and owning the master alongside the publishing on the same song captures both sides of every sync.
Performer & label broadcast rights
Collected by SoundExchange (US), PPL (UK), GVL (Germany) and equivalents globally. Generated when recordings are broadcast or publicly performed — a third, distinct income layer.
Film, TV, gaming, social & AI
Negotiated premium rates for film, TV, advertising, and games. TikTok and UGC platforms are credited with streaming lifts of 300–500%. AI training data represents an emerging, growing revenue pool.
The MusicLy flywheel
Source, buy, optimize, aggregate, exit
A repeatable five-step operational model that generates value at every stage — from off-market sourcing to portfolio exit at a premium to individual deal pricing.
Source Off-market deals direct from artists, estates, labels, managers. No competitive auctions.
Buy Acquire off-market, priced within a range consistent with the deal. Decay modeling, platform mix, rights chain — all stress-tested.
Optimize Metadata corrections, royalty audits, sync pitching, platform expansion. +5–15% incremental revenue.
Aggregate Pool catalogs into diversified, institutionally structured vehicles. Stability improves at scale.
Exit Sell portfolio to PE, labels, or royalty buyers at an aggregation premium to individual deal pricing.
Deal criteria
What we buy — and what we avoid
Every acquisition is underwritten on 3–5 years of verified royalty statements. Discipline at entry is the foundation of returns.
Publishing rights
The composition — lyrics and melody. Performance, mechanical, and sync royalties via BMI, ASCAP, PRS, SOCAN and equivalents.
Master recordings
The specific recorded performance. Streaming, download, broadcast, and sync income paid by labels or via aggregators.
Neighboring rights
Performer and label broadcast rights via SoundExchange, PPL, GVL globally. Preferred alongside publishing and masters.
We pursue
- 3–5 years verifiable royalty history
- Evergreen catalogs with streaming longevity
- Diversified platform and territory mix
- Publishing and masters on the same songs
- Pricing consistent with comparable off-market transactions
- Deal size $500K–$10M
We avoid
- Single-hit wonders with steep decay
- Disputed or encumbered ownership
- Material ongoing litigation
- Highly niche genres, no evergreen potential
- Pricing above fair value or above comparable transactions
- Front-line releases with no earnings track record
For artists & rights holders
We buy music catalogs
If you or your clients are considering selling publishing rights, masters, or neighboring rights — we want to hear from you. Every enquiry is handled in complete confidence.
Introduce us
You make the introduction. No paperwork required to start.
Review data
We analyze 3–5 years of royalty statements confidentially.
Make an offer
Clear offer within days, priced to the deal in front of us.
Legal & close
LOI to close in 30–60 days, or faster — subject to financing.
Funds received
Seller receives payment. We handle everything after.
A direct counterparty
You deal with the buyer, not a broker or an auction chain. We underwrite in-house and give you a clear view on terms and timing early.
Discretion
Off-market, private transactions only. We never publicize artist names or deal terms without consent.
Partnership
We actively manage everything we buy. Artists and estates are encouraged to become long-term partners as we grow the catalog.
Investment structures
Three ways to invest
Investors choose their entry point based on allocation size, appetite for leverage, preference for diversification, and reporting format.
Deal SPV
Direct investment in a specific catalog. Full transparency, SPV-level reporting, and distributions on the schedule set in each deal — periodic or at end of term.
Pooled fund
Exposure to 10–20 catalogs across genres, eras, and rights types. Closed-end, 5–7 year term. Planned — launching as the SPV portfolio grows.
AMC certificate
Liechtenstein-domiciled structured product. Actively managed and rebalanceable. Suited to European institutional investors. Available to deploy; not currently in use.
Income-oriented catalog investor
7–8%conservative target net yield
Unlevered
Target IRR ~12–13% · MOIC ~1.57–1.63× (4yr)
- 0% management fee on AUM
- 8% preferred return
- 60/40 profit split above pref
Catalog investor
9–10%conservative target net yield
Levered — interest-only senior facility
Target IRR ~15–16% · MOIC ~1.75–1.81× (4yr)
- 0% management fee
- 8% preferred return
- 60/40 profit split above preferred
Platform equity
Own a piece of the engine, not just the fuel
MusicLy Platform Equity is a shareholding in MusicLy GmbH — the Swiss company that sources, acquires, and administers every catalog. Shareholders participate in administration income, performance share, services income, and the enterprise value of the platform as it scales across every SPV.
15%
Administration fee on catalog revenue
Charged at catalog level after senior debt service — not a fee on investor capital
40%
Performance share above preferred
Earned only above an 8% investor return
$100M
Target AUM by year 5
Business plan target; drives administration income
3
Income lines into the platform
Administration fee · performance share · artist and catalog services
AUM growth
More deals → higher administration income
Track record
Results → institutional credibility
Larger deals
Scale unlocks bigger catalogs & performance share
Liquidity
Explore a liquidity event in year 5
Deal example
What a MusicLy acquisition looks like
Established jazz catalog
Legal structure
Four-layer architecture, built to protect every investor
Modeled on institutional real estate fund practice — each asset in its own ring-fenced entity, bankruptcy-remote, with no cross-contamination between deals.
MusicLy GmbH
SwitzerlandIn placeSwiss holding company and manager. All investment decisions, reporting, and governance sit here.
Country LLCs
US · UKUS in place · UK planned Q1 2027Local contracts, PRO registrations, tax residency — without commingling assets across deals.
Deal SPVs
Per dealFormed per acquisitionOne ring-fenced LLC per acquisition. If one underperforms, others are entirely unaffected.
AMC Facility
LiechtensteinAvailable, not currently in useSecurities wrapper pooling SPV assets. Actively rebalanced. Suited to European professional investors.
Get in touch
Three conversations we welcome
For investors & advisors
Explore SPV, pooled fund, or AMC structures. Full deck and financial model available on request.
Request investor packFor artists & rights holders
Considering a full or partial catalog sale? All enquiries handled in complete confidence.
Discuss your catalogFor platform equity investors
Back the platform, not just a deal. Strategic co-investment and early institutional partnership roles available.
Explore platform equityReady to explore music IP?
Whether you are an investor, advisor, or rights holder — we would like to hear from you.