Category: Music

More than 1 million independent artists are now signed directly to NetEase Cloud Music, China’s second-largest music streaming platform.

The company revealed that milestone in its FY 2025 results, published on Wednesday (February 11).

NCM also reported that its subscription revenues rose 13.3% YoY to RMB 5.1 billion (approximately $715 million), up from RMB 4.5 billion in 2024, driven by “continuous growth in monthly paying users of online music services with enhanced user experience, expanded membership benefits and enriched music community content”.

The company said the growth was partly offset by a dilution in monthly ARPPU (average revenue per paying user) due to changes in subscriber mix – a trend it also flagged in its H1 results.

However, NCM said its “fast-growing subscriber base also demonstrated stronger stickiness, with higher retention and activity levels.”

Meanwhile, total revenue from online music services rose 12.0% YoY to RMB 6.0 billion ($842 million), up from RMB 5.4 billion.

Over 1 million independent artists

One of the standout figures in NCM’s full-year results was the growth of its independent artist ecosystem.

By the end of 2025, the company said that more than 1 million independent artists had contributed more than 5.6 million tracks to the platform.

That’s a significant jump from the 819,000 independent artists and 4.8 million tracks NCM reported at the half-year mark in August 2025, and a major increase from the 611,000 independent artists and 2.6 million tracks on the platform at the end of 2022.

It also cements NCM’s lead over larger rival Tencent Music Entertainment in this area. TME’s Tencent Musician Platform counted 580,000 indie artists as of the end of 2024, meaning NCM’s indie artist community is now nearly double the size of TME’s — despite TME operating a far larger overall platform. (TME is due to report its full-year 2025 results on March 17.)

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As MBW has previously reported, the combined number of artists signed directly to the independent distribution and label services arms of TME and NCM stood at approximately 1.4 million as of mid-2025. With NCM alone now surpassing 1 million, that combined figure has likely grown to well over 1.5 million.

These artists don’t just release music via the platforms — the hottest acts also receive career-accelerating benefits including music-making assistance, marketing support, and brand partnership opportunities.

NCM said it provides “end-to-end support across content creation, promotion and monetisation” for its independent artists.

During the year, it launched an “Original Sound Promoters” campus ambassador program to help surface independent music to broader audiences, including a discovery and promotion network among university students.

The company also connected independent musicians with brands and gaming partners to “grow their commercial reach.” Those partnerships included collaborations with Audi, Chanel, Honor, China Mobile, and Taobao, as well as customized songs for popular games such as Fantasy Westward Journey and Identity V.

“By supporting independent musicians and developing in-house music, we actively promote the growth of original Chinese music.”

NetEase Cloud Music

NCM’s in-house music studios also continued to produce original tracks, with the company highlighting hit songs such as “Liang Nan” and “What Ifs,” which it said “gained broad recognition both on and off the platform.”

A collaboration between MIYEON and Jike Juyi, titled “Glow Up,” also “garnered widespread attention and sparked discussion internationally,” the company said.

licensing expansion

NCM’s results come amid a wave of recent licensing activity for the platform.

In January, Universal Music Group struck a multi-year licensing deal with NetEase Cloud Music covering UMG‘s full recording catalog in China, including artist-centric provisions and terms covering artificial intelligence. The deal also includes plans for joint marketing campaigns and product features aimed at expanding NCM’s premium and Super VIP subscription tiers.

Earlier this month, the Music Copyright Society of China (MCSC) signed licensing agreements with both NCM and Tencent Music, a development welcomed by South Korea’s Komca as a “meaningful turning point” for the collection and distribution of Korean music royalties in China. NCM’s agreement with MCSC includes retroactive coverage for prior usage.

During 2025, NCM added content from K-Pop labels including RBW, StarShip, and Shofar Music, and secured a deal with Korean production company Most Contents to stream over 70 K-drama soundtracks in China. Those Korean deals sit alongside NCM’s existing partnerships with SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, YG Entertainment, Kakao Entertainment, and CJ ENM.

The company also supplemented its Chinese music catalog with tracks from artists such as Li Jian, Lay Zhang, Jackson Yee, and Miriam Yeung, and enriched its OST library with content from Hong Kong broadcaster TVB.

NCM said it further strengthened offerings across its “signature genres,” including hip-hop, Japanese ACG, and Western music, partnering with Japan’s Kadokawa and U/M/A/A and collaborating with Deco*27 to bring more J-Pop and ACG content to the platform.

The company said it played “an instrumental role” in the launches of Mariah Carey and Taylor Swift’s new albums in China, with both seeing “outstanding streaming performance” on the platform. Digital albums from Hua Chenyu, David Tao, Allen Ren, and Eason Chan also “delivered impressive sales results,” while a tailored campaign for JENNIE’s digital album, featuring exclusive virtual and physical music cards, drove further sales.

NCM also worked closely with labels and artists on online and offline campaigns, including a large-scale activation for Hua Chenyu’s 12th debut anniversary, flash mob events across four cities for BLACKPINK’s 9th anniversary, and online programs celebrating the anniversaries of (G)I-DLE and Mayday.

Profitability jumps

Overall company revenue declined slightly, falling 2.4% YoY to RMB 7.8 billion ($1.09 billion), from RMB 8.0 billion in 2024. As with prior reporting periods, this was dragged down by a continued drop in social entertainment services revenue, which fell to RMB 1.8 billion from RMB 2.6 billion.

The company said that decline was “primarily attributed to a more prudent operational strategy in the social entertainment services,” adding that it “continued to focus on our core music business, with the intention of supporting long-term growth.”

Despite the slight dip in total revenue, NCM reported a sharp improvement in profitability.

Operating profit surged 38.5% YoY to RMB 1,622.0 million ($228 million), up from RMB 1,170.8 million in 2024.

Adjusted operating profit rose 32.4% YoY to RMB 1,733.7 million.

Net profit jumped to RMB 2,745.8 million ($385 million), compared with RMB 1,565.4 million in 2024. The company noted that the figure was boosted by a deferred income tax credit of RMB 746.7 million, which arose from the recognition of deferred tax assets related to cumulative tax losses at a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Adjusted net profit reached RMB 2,860.0 million, up from RMB 1,700.1 million in 2024.

Gross margin improved to 35.7%, up from 33.7% in 2024, which NCM attributed to increased revenue from online music services and “continued improvement in operating efficiency.”

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All annual currency conversions are made at the average rate of the relevant period according to the IRS.Music Business Worldwide

Warner Music Group intends to divest its EMP business, the European rock and metal merchandise e-retailer it acquired for USD $180 million in 2018.

The company disclosed the plan in its latest quarterly SEC filing, revealing that it signed a “non-binding letter of intent to sell its EMP business within [its] Recorded Music segment”.

EMP, according to the filing, was subsequently “classified as held for sale”.

WMG said in the filing that it expects to complete the sale in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, which is calendar Q1 2026. The expected completion date actually represents a delay from the company’s 2025 annual report, in which MBW spotted the company said the transaction was expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal 2026 (calendar Q4 2025).

The company has not disclosed potential buyers or expected sale proceeds for EMP within the filing.

The filing confirms MBW’s speculation in August 2025 about WMG’s potential plan to sell EMP.

At the time, the company revealed a pre-tax impairment charge on “long-lived assets associated with certain of [WMG’s] non-core e-tailer operations” – following what Warner describes as a “triggering event”.

As MBW noted at the time, in previous WMG annual filings, only one subsidiary is referred to as an “e-tailer”: EMP.

In WMG’s annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, the company disclosed a $79 million impairment charge on EMP’s long-lived assets upon classification as held for sale.

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In its latest quarterly filing, WMG recognised an additional $9 million impairment charge on EMP’s long-lived assets in the three months ended December 31, 2025.

WMG acquired EMP from private equity firm Sycamore Partners in September 2018 for $180 million.

Founded in Germany in 1986, EMP sells merchandise from artists including Twenty One Pilots, Panic! At The Disco, Metallica, Motörhead, Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, and The Doors.

The e-retailer also distributes products from entertainment brands like Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, gaming brands like Nintendo and PlayStation, and alternative fashion brands like Vans.

WMG confirming EMP’s status as a “non-core” asset tells its own story.

This potentially fits within WMG CEO Robert Kyncl‘s recently announced strategic cost-reduction plan, and his determination to focus on “core” music assets.

In July, Kyncl announced plans to reduce WMG’s annual costs by $300 million.

That target was broken down into $200 million from lay-offs ($170 million from redundancies and a further $30 million in related admin/real estate costs) plus an additional $100 million in “a decrease in SG&A expenses unrelated to headcount”.

Whole-asset sales are an obvious avenue to achieve the latter part of the plan.

In February 2024, as part of a previous restructuring program, Warner sold/shed its “owned and operated media properties” including UPROXX and HipHopDX, with Kyncl telling staff these brands “operate outside our core responsibilities to our roster.”

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WMG reported last week that its overall revenues were up 7.1% YoY at constant currency to $1.84 billion in calendar Q4;

Recorded music revenues were up 6.6% YoY at constant currency to $1.48 billion.Music Business Worldwide

US performance rights organization ASCAP has reported its revenue and royalty payout numbers for 2025, with both figures hitting all-time highs.

Revenue came in at $1.945 billion for calendar 2025, up 6.0% year over year.

Of that, New York-based  ASCAP distributed $1.759 billion to songwriters, composers, and music publishers, an increase of 3.7% YoY.

In a statement issued on Thursday (February 12), ASCAP said that the record high distributions included $1.304 billion from US-licensed and administered performances, with $37 million distributed through Songwize, its royalty administration service provided to members who directly license their works.

Distributions from public performances outside of the US grew to $455 million, a 10.6% increase over 2024.

Domestic revenue from US-licensed performances, meanwhile, totaled $1.471 billion (+5.3% YoY), driven by earnings from streaming audio, radio and general licensing, while foreign revenue collections also increased to $474 million, up 8.2% YoY.

According to ASCAP, in the last 10 years, it has generated a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.7% for total revenue and a CAGR of 7.3% for total distributions.

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ASCAP also reported that over 80,000 new members joined the organization in 2025, bringing its total membership to 1.1 million. 

Among the “top music creators” highlighted by ASCAP as having switched from other PROs in 2025 were EJAE, Rosé, The 1975, Lola Young, Myles Smith, Johnny Marr, Boy George, Michael Pollack, Tyler Johnson, Robin Carolan, and Daniel Blumberg, among many others.

ASCAP also licenses the work of music creators including Beyoncé, Billy Joel, Cardi B, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Chris Stapleton, Dua Lipa, Garth Brooks, Jay-Z, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Katy Perry, Lil Baby, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Marc Anthony, Mariah Carey, Neil Young, Olivia Rodrigo, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and Usher, among many others.

ASCAP noted in the press release announcing its latest figures that it “operates without debt and has the lowest overhead rate in the US at 10%”. ASCAP added that it is “the only US PRO not owned by private equity or outside investors”.

“ASCAP remains a powerful advocate for creators facing an increasingly uncertain economy and rapidly shifting music landscape.”

Elizabeth Matthews, ASCAP

ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews said: “ASCAP remains a powerful advocate for creators facing an increasingly uncertain economy and rapidly shifting music landscape. While creators are under attack globally by disruptive technologies and opportunistic private businesses, ASCAP’s sole focus is to serve our members. We deliver on that mission every single day.”

“ASCAP once again delivered historic record-breaking revenues and distributions.”

Paul Williams, ASCAP

ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams said: “ASCAP once again delivered historic record-breaking revenues and distributions. We showed the world that our fierce commitment to putting creators first is our number one imperative.

“Songwriters know they belong at ASCAP and that we always have their back.”

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Elsewhere in its 2025 update, ASCAP highlighted a number of advocacy and relief initiatives undertaken last year.

Following the January 2025 Los Angeles fires, the organization created a $1 million emergency relief fund that was distributed to over 400 writer members who suffered loss or damage to their primary residence or studio, or who had been evacuated from their homes.

On the AI front, ASCAP said it submitted comments to the US Copyright Office on generative AI that were “heavily quoted” in the final USCO report in January 2025, and filed official comments on the White House’s AI Action Plan in March. In July, the org submitted comments to a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on unauthorized AI training, arguing that “willfully using copyrighted works without permission to train AI models is not fair use, it is theft”.

ASCAP also said it spearheaded a campaign in response to the Copyright Office’s notice of inquiry on PROs, including a grassroots effort that generated “thousands” of public comments from its members. The Copyright Office ultimately reaffirmed that the performing rights marketplace is working and that additional government intervention would undermine songwriters’ livelihoods.

In addition, ASCAP announced “ASCAP Connections,” a new feature for its mobile app that enables members to network digitally with potential collaborators, mentors and other contacts based on their interests, skills and geography.

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In other ASCAP news, along with fellow North American PROs BMI and Canada’s SOCAN, it was jointly announced last October that they had reached “alignment” in their AI registration policies, saying they will now accept registrations of “partially” AI-generated musical works.

In August, ASCAP reached a settlement with the Radio Music License Committee (RMLC) to secure higher royalty rates paid by almost 10,000 commercial terrestrial radio stations in the United States.

The deal covers the public performance of more than 20 million musical works in ASCAP’s repertoire across AM/FM radio stations nationwide.

 Music Business Worldwide

In 2015, it took an average of 2,729 days — roughly seven and a half years — for a song to reach one billion streams on Spotify.

By 2025, that milestone was being crossed in just 197 days.

That striking acceleration is among the headline findings in Chartmetric’s third annual Year in Music report, which draws on the platform’s data from millions of tracks and artist profiles collected since 2016 to offer a snapshot of how the global music industry evolved over the past 12 months.

The report, which you can read in full here, spans nine chapters covering everything from artist development and genre trends to streaming dynamics, sync licensing, songwriting, and the shifting geography of global hits.

Below are some of the report’s key findings.

1. Hit lifecycles are shortening — and superstardom is harder to sustain

According to Chartmetric’s research, in 2024, Spotify’s Top 10 most-streamed songs were dominated by new music, with just three of the 10 carrying over from the prior year.

In 2025, that ratio flipped dramatically: only three of the top 10 were released that year, meaning the majority of the platform’s biggest songs were older tracks that continued to accumulate streams well beyond their initial release window.

The platform’s annual Wrapped campaign confirmed that Bad Bunny reclaimed the title of Spotify’s most-streamed artist in 2025, while Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ Die With A Smile, released the prior year, was the platform’s top global song.

At the same time, however, three times as many artists reached Chartmetric’s ‘Superstar’ tier in 2025, suggesting that while artists are breaking through faster than ever, sustaining long-term chart dominance is becoming increasingly difficult.

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2. Regional genres are driving global growth

One of the report’s most significant areas of focus is the rising influence of regional genres and non-Anglophone markets on global streaming.

Chartmetric data shows that genres such as Bollywood, K-pop, Brazilian funk, and Reggaeton are among the fastest-growing sounds among the platform’s top 1,000 artists since 2020.

That growth is reflected geographically: South Korea now accounts for five times as many artists in the top 1,000 compared to 2020, India’s share has surged from 0.6% to 11%, and Puerto Rico has maintained a 5% presence — an outsized contribution given its relatively small population.

The findings are consistent with broader market data. Luminate‘s latest year-end report found that India’s premium streams grew by 42% year-on-year in 2025, while the IFPI’s Global Music Report 2025 showed Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East & North Africa among the fastest-growing regions for recorded music revenue

3. Global export and import dynamics are shifting

In terms of global music flows, the report found that South Korea and Norway emerged as leading music exporters in 2025, while listening hubs across Southeast Asia and Latin America stood out as major importers, acting as trigger markets that help amplify international hits.

Major labels continued to dominate in most countries, but Chartmetric noted that independent labels remained highly competitive — particularly in markets with strong cultural identities — by leveraging deep connections to local scenes and audiences.

4. Sync accelerated both new and catalog hits

Sync licensing continued to play a meaningful role in shaping the year’s biggest tracks, with a notable split between television and film.

According to Chartmetric, 53% of TV syncs in 2025 featured catalog music, while films leaned toward newer releases, with only 20% of movie syncs drawing from catalog. High-profile placements — including music from the Netflix hit film K-Pop Demon Hunters — drove renewed momentum for both emerging and legacy tracks.

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5. Songwriting remains collaborative — but artist-led

On the songwriting front, the report found that collaboration remains central to today’s hit-making process, with more than half of 2025’s charting tracks featuring multiple collaborators.

Yet artists remain deeply embedded in the creative process: half of the top 10 songwriters by number of charting songs in 2025 were the performing artists themselves, including Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and The Weeknd.

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6. Streaming milestones are accelerating exponentially

The report’s headline streaming stat underscores just how dramatically the scale of the global streaming economy has shifted.

A decade ago, reaching one billion streams was a rare milestone reserved for a handful of tracks. By 2025, the average time to hit that threshold had fallen from 2,729 days in 2015 to just 197 days — a reflection of widening streaming adoption, globalized fanbases, and the growing role of algorithmic discovery.

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For context: in October 2023, BTS member Jungkook’s Seven broke the record for the fastest song to reach one billion Spotify streams at 108 days.

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ Die With A Smile, released in August 2024, broke the Spotify record for the fastest song to reach 1 billion streams, achieving the milestone in just 96 days on November 20, 2024.

By September 2025, The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights had become the first song to surpass five billion streams on the platform.

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You can read Chartmetric’s full 2025 Year in Music report here.Music Business Worldwide

Los Angeles-based punk and hardcore reissue label Trust Records has named Sam Siegler and Mike Nucero as Creative Directors, formalizing a creative partnership that has been in place since the company’s inception.

Matt Pincus launched Trust Records (alongside co-founder Joe Nelson) in 2020 with a focused mission: to promote, preserve, and protect classic punk and hardcore music.

Since its launch in 2020, Siegler and Nucero, under their design banner Easy Does It, have led the visual creative and storytelling behind the label’s releases.

The appointments mark the first time the pair hold formal executive titles at the label.

In addition to overseeing packaging and visual presentation, Siegler and Nucero have worked on projects that document the stories of the artists, the scenes they emerged from, and their wider creative communities.

“Our mission at Trust Records is to preserve and celebrate the recordings of seminal punk and hardcore bands for future generations.”

Matt Pincus

Over the past four years, this approach has included partnerships with brands and cultural platforms, including Vans, Brain Dead, NTS Radio and Beyond The Streets, as well as collaborations with figures including Ian MacKaye, photographer Ed Colver, Atiba Jefferson, Kat Moss (Scowl) and Pat Flynn (Have Heart / Fiddlehead).

Commenting on the appointment, Pincus said: “Sammy is a unicorn. One of the finest and most widely respected musicians to come out of punk and hardcore, he is also a world class creative who, in partnership with Mike, has helped Trust steward the stories of these classic punk and hardcore artists and their most important releases.

“My Co-Founder Joe Nelson and I are thrilled to formally welcome Sammy and Mike as Co-Creative Directors of Trust.”

A third-generation drummer from lower Manhattan, Siegler has performed with Gorilla Biscuits, Side by Side, Youth Of Today, Shelter, Judge, CIV, Rival Schools and 7 Seconds. He has also played venues including Radio City Music Hall, Royal Albert Hall and Madison Square Garden, and has had stints performing with Patti Smith, Limp Bizkit and Glassjaw.

In 2012, Siegler moved to Los Angeles to oversee music partnerships at Lunchbox, a shopper marketing agency and division of JWT. He later became Creative Music Director, working across Vivendi-owned properties including Havas and Universal Music. More recently, he has overseen marketing initiatives at Revelation Records and managed artists Narrow Head and Soul Blind.

“Working with Trust Records has given me the opportunity to work with my music heroes,” said Siegler.

“As we continue to grow, I’m looking forward to working alongside Mike and the team at Trust to continue to tell the stories of the bands who have been so important to so many music fans around the world.”

Nucero’s background spans design, brand strategy and cultural storytelling. He has worked with brands including Supreme, Nike, Adidas, Major League Baseball, Uncle Paulie’s, Live Nation, Vans, UMG and Warner Bros.

Nucero said: “I’m super excited to work on these projects, shining a light on the importance of this music and its impact.”

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In December 2025, Trust Records struck one of its most significant deals to date: an “intellectual property partnership” with influential punk band Bad Brains.

Trust Records’ catalog includes 40th Anniversary Deluxe versions of Circle Jerks’ iconic albums Group Sex, Wild in The Streets and 7Seconds’ 1984 landmark punk record, The Crew in addition to reissues of Youth Brigade’s Sound and Fury and DFL’s My Crazy Life, SSD’s The Kids Will Have Their Say, Ink & Dagger’s The Complete Works and more.

 Music Business Worldwide

Sound Royalties, the Florida-headquartered finance firm, says it distributed $135 million in funded contracts to creators in 2025 – a record for the company.

The company, which was founded in 2014 by Alex Heiche, provides advances to music creators against their future royalty income without requiring them to sell or transfer copyright ownership. It claims to be the “established global financing leader for the broader creator ecosystem.”

Sound Royalties says its 2025 performance also included a doubling of its assets under management (AUM) generated through referred business, representing an increase of over 100% year-over-year.

During the year, the company added dozens of new payors to its network, including labels, distributors, publishers, PROs, television networks and content platforms.

The company says it now funds royalty and income streams across recorded music, music publishing, YouTube AdSense revenue, concert touring, and television licensing payments. It has extended funding to creators in more than 30 countries across the US, UK, EU, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.

Among those receiving funding in 2025, according to the company, were two-time GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Tayla Parx and music producer Jon Gilbert, who has worked with Foster The People, Kurt Vile and Mt. Joy.

Sound Royalties also confirmed it delivered a further round of funding for Dominican rapper El Alfa. El Alfa, known as the “King of Dembow”, signed what was described as a multi-million-dollar, eight-figure deal with Sound Royalties in 2023.

Sound Royalties was acquired by Cinq Music Group parent GoDigital Media Group in 2021 in a deal confirmed as being worth a “high eight-figure” sum. It is now a subsidiary of GoDigital, which also owns label/rights management firm Cinq Music Group.

The company’s financing model differs from traditional advances, loans, or catalog sales. Sound Royalties says it provides funding with fixed fees and fixed terms, without requiring creators to sell their rights, pledge collateral, provide personal guarantees, or meet 100% recoupment thresholds. The company also says it does not ask for an open percentage of future profits, with payments applied directly from royalty earnings.

In a Billboard interview marking Sound Royalties’ 10-year anniversary in late 2024, CEO Heiche described the company’s approach: “Every creative and every company entity that comes to us for financing gets to speak with a live person that understands what their needs are and develops options for them to review.”

The company has expanded beyond music in recent years. In 2021, it added tour financing to its suite of services, and has subsequently moved into YouTube creator financing and TV production financing.

Alex Heiche, Founder & CEO of Sound Royalties, said: “This record performance is all the more gratifying for us because it means millions of actual dollars have been contracted and deployed to creators. We measure success not by the amount of capital we raise, but by the money we place directly into the hands of creators. That means that real music, real tours, real productions, and real careers are moving forward as a result of our financing.

“Creators want funding that supports their growth without forcing them to sell their futures. That shift is accelerating globally.”

“Creators want funding that supports their growth without forcing them to sell their futures. That shift is accelerating globally.”

Alex Heiche, Sound Royalties

Michael Bizenov, Managing Partner at Sound Royalties, added: “The fact that we are seeing so many creators trusting us to fund their career growth and the continued uptick in referrals we are getting from industry professionals, including attorneys, business managers and music businesses at every level, is rewarding.

“More importantly, it shows that Sound Royalties is providing a successful mechanism for building sustainable, long-term careers in the creative industries.”Music Business Worldwide

How to get real creators to use your song—and turn that attention into fans for your catalog

You can post your song clip every day and still get stuck in the same loop: a few likes, a few “this is fire” comments… and almost nobody using your audio.

That’s because the real win on TikTok/Reels isn’t “views on your page.” It’s sound adoption, which is other people making videos with your music. That’s what creates repetition, social proof, and long-tail discovery that keeps working after your post stops getting show by the algorithm.

UGC (user generated content) seeding is how you make that happen on purpose.

Not by writing “TikTok hooks.” Not by chasing a viral lottery ticket. But by packaging a real song from your catalog in a way creators can actually use.

Here’s the playbook.

The mindset shift: You’re building adoption, not “going viral”

Think of UGC as a distribution engine:

• Every creator who uses your sound becomes a micro-channel for your song
• Their audience sees your music in a context they already like
• The algorithm keeps recycling that content long after your original post dies

Your success metrics shouldn’t start with “views.” Start with:

• # of videos using your sound
  
• new followers
  
• profile visits
  
• saves/shares (signals that your sound is worth reusing)

Pick the right moment from your real song (no “manufactured hook” required)

You’re not rewriting your art. You’re choosing the most usable 10–20 seconds.

Look for:

• a lyric people can quote or caption
• a beat drop that fits transitions
  
• a mood pocket (dreamy, confident, chaotic, heartfelt)
• an emotional turn (calm → intensity, hope → heartbreak)

Then create 2–3 use cases for the same moment. Same song. Different ways a creator could apply it.

Give creators a concept: “What should I DO with this sound?”

Creators don’t need your track, they need an idea they can film in 10 minutes.

Pick one primary use case and stick to it for 7–14 days.

Strong “artist-first” use cases:

• Main character moment (confidence, glow-up, victory lap)
• POV lyric (relatable storytelling + caption)
• Before/after transformation (gym, makeup, cleaning, room makeover)
• Soft launch / hard launch (relationships, life updates)
• Montage vibe (travel, day-in-life, seasonal mood)

The rule: one clear prompt beats five vague ones.

Make 3–5 “template posts” that show the template

This is the step that turns your song into a tool creators can use.

Create 3–5 short videos that demonstrate the prompt with your audio. You’re basically saying: “Here’s exactly how this sound works.”

Each template post should include:

• the audio moment
• a clear text overlay prompt
• a caption that tells people to use the sound

Overlay formulas you can reuse:

• “Use this sound if you’re finally…”
• “POV: you needed to hear this line today”
• “When you realize you don’t have to…”
• “Transition idea: before → after (wait for the drop)”

Pin your best template post so anyone discovering you immediately understands what to do with the sound.

Build a targeted micro-creator list (format match > follower count)

This isn’t influencer marketing. It’s targeted seeding.

Start with creators who:

• already post in the format you’re targeting
• post consistently (3–5x/week)
• are micro-creators (roughly 5k–50k followers) who actually reply and post

Make it simple:

• 20 creators in your primary format (ex: transitions)
• 10 creators in a second adjacent format (ex: day-in-life)

Don’t overcomplicate it. The perfect creator fit beats targeting random creators with a huge audience.

Outreach that doesn’t feel cringe (DMs + comments)

The mistake: “Hey please support my song!”

The better frame: “Your format + my sound = a great post.”

A good message has 3 parts:

1. Something specific you like (prove you’re not spamming)
2. One clear concept they can execute quickly
3. Permission-based ask (“Want the sound link?”)

DM example:

“Your before/after edits are so clean. I have a track with a perfect drop for that style. If you’re open, I’ll send one quick concept + the sound link.”

Comment strategy (often works better than DMs):

• engage with 2–3 posts first
• then comment: “This format would go crazy with a drop in my new song. Want the sound link?”

Your goal is not to convince them your music is good. Your goal is to make posting with it easy.

What to track (artist outcomes, not vanity views)

Primary metrics:

• # of videos using your sound
  
• new videos per day (momentum)

Secondary:

• profile visits
• new followers per day
• saves/shares on your template posts
• link clicks to your “listen/follow” destination

If the number of creators using your song rises but your follower counts don’t, your pinned post/CTA needs work. If you’re seeing increased followers but there isn’t an increase in creators using your song, then your prompt/template needs tightening.

Common mistakes (and quick fixes)

• No clear prompt → make template posts with explicit overlays
• Too many prompts → pick one primary use case for 7–14 days
• Only chasing big creators → micro-creators drive volume and adoption
• Not reposting videos using your song → spotlight is fuel; don’t waste it

MBW understands that Olivier Chastan’s music rights acquisition vehicle, Iconoclast, is in discussions over a potential sale, with a price tag of approximately USD $500 million.

According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Iconoclast’s catalog is currently generating approximately USD $25 million to USD $35 million in annual earnings, derived from a blend of active and passive rights.

Based on those figures, a $500 million sale price would represent a multiple of somewhere between approximately 14x and 20x annual earnings.

MBW understands that Brian Richards, the founder and managing partner of financial advisory firm Artisan, is playing a central role in the sale process. Richards recently played an instrumental part in The Weeknd’s unprecedented $1 billion catalog partnership deal with Lyric Capital Group.

Multiple sources tell MBW that Iconoclast is in talks with approximately 10 different parties, a mix of major music companies and large independent music rights investment firms.

Among the star names in Iconoclast’s catalog portfolio are Canadian rock band Nickelback and the late Robbie Robertson of The Band, according to those same sources.

Other artists whose rights Iconoclast has acquired in recent years include legendary singer Tony Bennett, Grammy-winning rapper Eve, disco pioneer Giorgio Moroder, TV icon David Cassidy, and the Murder Inc. master recordings of hip-hop veteran Irv Gotti.

Iconoclast has also acquired the publishing catalogs of Beyoncé and M.I.A. collaborator Switch, Lady Gaga co-writer and producer Nick Monson, and Mad Decent Publishing, the catalog co-founded by DJ and producer Diplo.

Los Angeles-based Iconoclast was founded by Chastan in late 2021, with its debut acquisition being Robertson’s music publishing, recorded music interests, and name, image and likeness (NIL) rights.

Chastan, a veteran music executive who was previously CEO of Irving Azoff‘s Iconic Artists Group, has positioned Iconoclast as a company focused on “managing the overall brand and legacy of an artist, not just their music rights”.

Under his leadership, the firm has emphasized NIL exploitation, brand partnerships, and emerging technology — including a recent partnership with Vermillio to monitor the use of Tony Bennett’s name, image, voice and likeness on generative AI systems.

Should a deal close at around the $500 million mark, it would represent a significant transaction in the ongoing consolidation of the music rights market.

Sources told MBW when Iconoclast launched in early 2022  that the company was being backed by Pimco, the asset management giant with over $2 trillion in assets under management. Chastan refused to comment on that suggestion at the time.

MBW has contacted Iconoclast for comment.

Music Business Worldwide

Music collectibles platform Wax Poetics has closed a $1 million funding round to fuel the next phase of its growth.

Investors include music executives such as Kickstarter founder Perry Chen, as well as WhoSampled founder and CEO Nadav Poraz, and Mixcloud co-founder Nikhil Shah, who is also Chairman of Wax Poetics.

The fundraise will be used to develop the platform’s tech, as well as “make key marketing and curation hires, and accelerate expansion into new genres and markets”.

Founded as a music magazine in Brooklyn in 2001, Wax Poetics has reinvented itself as a platform that “combines editorial with a marketplace for music collectibles”, enabling artists, producers and creators to directly auction items to “communities of deep fans and collectors”.

“This funding allows us to formalise what we’ve long known: music collecting is a huge opportunity and an often overlooked or undervalued market.”

Alex Bruh, Wax Poetics

“Wax Poetics has long been an important authority for music’s most knowledgeable fans,” said Alex Bruh, CEO of Wax Poetics. “With the new model we are able to open up a much bigger, high scale opportunity around music collectibles, while staying true to our storytelling roots.

“This funding allows us to formalise what we’ve long known: music collecting is a huge opportunity and an often overlooked or undervalued market. We’re building the platform that finally does justice to the space.”

Since its relaunch, Wax Poetics says it has sold the highest-value demo cassette ever by a female artist: Mariah Carey ($54,050), and has also closed auctions with artists including Bootsy Collins, Louie Vega, and Arthur Baker.

It recently announced its latest collection, which includes one of the earliest known cassette recordings of Tupac.

“The direct to fan business is about community, trust and curation,” added Kickstarter’s Chen. “That’s something Wax Poetics has in spades. It’s a rare combination that gives the platform real credibility with both artists and fans.”

As part of the new phase, the executive team was strengthened with the appointment of music producer Arthur Baker as the platform’s first Artist Advisor in 2025, with Shah installed as Chairman the previous year.

Louie Vega added: “A lot of my fans have followed me for years and already feel part of my journey. To be able to connect with them through a piece of my history, and deliver it alongside a personal story attached to it, is truly special. I’ve had great reactions from my fans and collectors.”Music Business Worldwide

If your Wednesday is moving a little too slow, why not kick it into high gear with this Sepultura show from Pinkpop 1996? It opens up with “Roots Blood Roots”, so there’s no time to be eased into things – the ass kicking is imminent and fierce. It also sounds great for being a live show, though I do wish that kinda farty bass tone was taken down a decibel or two. Whatever. The show runs as follows:

1. “Roots Bloody Roots”
2. “Spit”
3. “Territory”
4. “Breed Apart”
5. “Attitude”
6. “Dusted”
7. “Straighthate”
8. “Arise” / “Dead Embryonic Cells”
9. “Slave New World”
10. “Refuse/Resist”
11. “Ratamahatta” / “Kaiowas”

Sepultura plans to wrap up their career at one final show sometime this year in São Paulo, Brazil and it seems pretty unlikely that former frontman Max Cavalera and former drummer Igor Cavalera will join them despite being invited come jam at the final show. Which I guess isn’t surprising, given that Max has been pretty vocal and critical of Sepultura carrying on over the years without the Cavalera brothers.

So… enjoy this 1996 performance instead. It’s probably the closest thing we’re gonna get.