Category Archives for "AIP News"

Dec 27

What is the next big thing in the music industry?

It is all about technology.

With the current rise of streaming services (DSPs) the music industry reinvented itself after a disrupting decade of illegal downloads and free online music. It is obvious that the established major players in the industry invested heavily to keep their predominate position in the market. With massive IPOs of streaming-music giants Spotify and Tencent in 2018, the music industry has become a bullish place with high interest from investors. 

Meanwhile, under the surface of this success, the backbone of the music industry keeps evolving from the inside out. Its content creators, solution-driven start-ups and smart businesses are investing heavily to become the next big thing. 

With the rise of blockchain technology, smart contracts and the possibility to tokenise content and revenue, the music industry is firmly adapting towards today's technology, Simultaneous with the apparent financial success of the majors and the high-tech unicorns, part of the industry is demanding more decentralised systems, transparent royalty collection and equal distribution of revenue towards every part of the supply chain. 

Keepin' it reel!

Let's be fair about this. The majority of the established major players are not interested in a completely decentralised and transparent market. The core of their business model is simply based on the fragmented, grey area of royalty collection, strategic partnerships and ownership of copyrights. It would be impossible to request a profit-driven company - and its shareholders - to give away their dominant market position to benefit "the people".

Nevertheless even the biggest player can not stop technical development, eventually. Also, investing in technical development is necessary to secure any future position in the market. If you do not do it, somebody else will. Therefore new opportunities arise and we consider the current success of the streaming unicorns - the showpiece of the music industry - as the start of a prosperous decade for the business of music. 

What is actually happening in the music industry now and what will be the opportunities of tomorrow? To answer this question we identify three main topics as the most important fields of development for the next years.

1. Technical development and the online world

2. Decentralisation vs centralisation

3. Globalisation and emerging markets

In the next part of this article we will try to identify the opportunities and threats based upon above mentioned bullet points. Herewith we want to provide a better insight in the future chances and changes in the music business.

Technical development and the online world.

It is obvious that the development of the online world, especially down- & upload speed and storage capacity, has had a tremendous effect on the music industry.

First of all it brought us a new format, the MP3. As with the arrival of the CD, this new direction has had both negative and positive consequences. In the one hand music has a much wider reach nowadays, fulfilling the opportunities of globalisation. In the other hand it brought us illegal downloads and a massive decrease of turnover for the entire industry. 

Today we celebrate the success of DSPs. New markets get within reach. Streaming services delivered us the first increase of turnover and other financial successes in about a decade. We need to celebrate that. But the MP3, the upgrade in storage capacity and the speed of the internet are almost in the past. Today there are new technical developments which must be on your radar.

Lately it was all about the rise of blockchain technology. As disruptive as it seemed for the financial markets, with the arrival of cryptocurrencies and especially bitcoin a few years ago, at this moment it is a bit silent from that corner. Everybody has an opinion on this matter. We intend to look at the opportunities and we noticed many start-ups using the ICO as a way to fund their new born business models. Blockchain technology is luckily much more than cryptos. It offers decentralisation, transparency and security. We have to be highly alert to ensure the wise use of this powerful technology.

Think about the way the price of a crypto coin is established during the ICO period? Is this really decentralised? Think about the massive changes in value? Is this really secure? Think about the benefits it offers for criminal organisations? Is this really transparent?

Although many claims are being made, we did not see any real changes, yet! We have to give blockchain more time to mature, as we believe this is just the beginning. What we encounter today is just growing up and the hard needed maturity process.

Decentralised vs centralised

Thinking about decentralisation we automatically think of blockchain. Blockchain and decentralisation go hand in hand. At one side we see the opportunities delivered by smart contracts. At the other side we question the credibility of major players in the crypto market. 

The call for more power to the people and working class is not new. It has been around for ages. The same goes for the music industry. With the immense power of major records labels, publishers, PROs and now DSPs, the hard working content creator is still not in charge. When looking at a decentralised system we can question of this will ever really happen. We believe that at this moment, today, the technology is already available. We are still in an early stage.

We already discussed that the established players in the market have raised the bar and make it complex to create a decentralised system as a counter part of the current centralised industry. When discussing centralisation in the music industry, we must not forget that one major influence in centralisation is the pro rata model. This model is used by PROs as well as DSPs as a formula to calculate the royalty revenue towards the copyright owners. It favours the most popular artists. These artist are most of the time signed by the major labels. Which have a huge influence in the decision making at PROs and DSPs.

We can conclude that the current industry is heavily centralised and looking at the trend of decentralisation. We are just getting started. There is yet much work to do and we have to seriously consider that for some reason it will just stay this way. If we want to make a difference, we have to do the work to make it happen. 

Globalisation and emerging markets

Globalisation of markets has been around for quite a while. The internet offers an amazing reach. For instance with services like Soundcloud and Bandcamp artists can get in touch with a worldwide audience. Well, mainly in the Western world. Also, with the rise of social media services such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, it has become more easy to communicate with a worldwide audience. Especially the development of live streaming spreads a whole new light on how the music industry can extend the opportunities of live performances and music videos. 

With the arrival of DSPs such as Spotify a new way to monetise music arrived. Through digital distributors such as Tunecore and Distrokid it is easy to get your songs online and start monetising. This is all good. We believe that there is more to come. What we miss in DSPs is a way to activate the audience and actually the distance between artist and fan has become bigger. Why? Because the music fan now pays a subscription to Spotify or agrees to listen to advertisements by a sponsor. This means that a music fan is not at all paying or investing in an artist but it is in the streaming service. 

Also, we noticed that other markets emerge. With the interesting IPO of Chinese Tencent a first step has been made. This is amazing. Now Western artists have an opportunity to reach Chinese music fans. We can ask ourselves which market is next? Is it India or Africa? We do know that revenue out of streaming is at the beginning of its growth and there is yet more to come. 

Conclusion! Why did we write this? 


This article is meant to give a better insight in today's music industry. It provides a vision of new developments offering many opportunities and also some threats. Therefore we have to carefully craft the next steps. 

Looking at DSPs, blockchain technology, emerging markets and decentralisation we can conclude that we are at the beginning of a new era. This results in an interesting opportunity to start investing in music. At the same time we see a quest for decentralisation and troubles when it comes to the direct connection between artists and fans, especially looking at fan activation.

We at AIP are a new arrival in the industry. We intend to create an additional revenue stream for any form of copyright owners, ranging for the creating artist to the releasing record label. Our intention is not to compete with any part of the supply chain. We want to add value to this chain by creating a new way of earning revenue.

With today's technology we are building a platform where you can invest and trade in the future earnings of music, songs and its creators. We believe, looking at above mentioned opportunities, that we are at the beginning of an exciting new era of the music business. Therefore it is now the time to start investing.

At AIP a part of the future earnings of a song is offered to the public. The public can now start sharing the musical content to playlists and just listen to the music on its preferred DSP. This will generate revenue for both the owners of the copyrights as well as the shareholders of the future earnings. 

By doing so we build a direct connection between creators, or any other copyright owner, plus a shared interest in their business model, This leads us to a mutually beneficial approach and a connection between shareholders and copyright owners, We believe that this partnership delivers an impressive fan activation opportunity, while creating an additional revenue stream. 

What do you think?

Dec 14

AIP announces Survivors by Shook

New music investment opportunity.

Independent artist Shook will offer 20% of the future earnings of his latest song Survivors to the public. The first phase of the public offering, the NSO stage, will be open for public investment from the 18th of December 2018 until the 21st of January 2019.

During the NSO period every new registrant will receive US$5 of free credit offered by our main sponsor CME and the Xkey wireless midi keyboards.

Mid 2016, independent artist Shook was diagnosed with Pancreatitis. Because of this, he struggled with this illness for almost 2 years. The song “Survivors” was especially written with his illness in mind and how complicated life for ill people is. Your investment into Shook's song Survivors will support independent artist Shook and the Support Casper project.

Independent artist Shook.

Shook is an independent producer, composer and musician based in The Netherlands. Shook’s’ music is inspired by producers such as Nujabes and Yellow Magic Orchestra. In 2013 Shook released his self-titled debut album and later released the synth-pop and jazz funk inspired 'Spectrum' in 2014, from which 'Milestones' was featured in the very first episode of Netflix series 'Better Call Saul'. Remix works were commissioned from him by major artists as Kimbra, Jamiroquai, Phoenix, Ellie Goulding and many others. 

Support Casper, Invest in "Survivors".

The song Survivors is a melodic electro pop song with a deep appreciation for human life. It is especially written for people who need support while dealing with chronic and acute illnesses. They are fighting to survive. They are the survivors. By supporting this song, you directly support the Support Casper project.

For 2 years I was struggling with pancreatitis and was hospitalized for many months. During this time I have met many kind people: doctors, nurses and roommates who struggled with their own illnesses and were often in a much worse condition than I was. I noticed that this world I lived in was very often invisible to the people from the outside world. In my song ‘Survivors’ I tried to capture this invisible world and share the tragedy, but also the beauty of living with an illness. I feel very lucky to create a ‘visible world’ through my music.”

Shook

Independent Artist

How can I get shares of the song Survivors? 

You can make your first investment between December 18, 2018 and January 21, 2019. During this period, the NSO period, you will receive US$5 of free credit offered by our main sponsor CME and the Xkey wireless midi keyboards. Just visit the investment page using the button at the end of this article. Follow the three easy steps to become an investor. It only will take you 60 seconds.

You can get your hands on more credit by inviting your friends to join the NSO. For every new registrant you activate, you will receive an additional US$2 of free credit to invest on the AIP platform. Read further about the AIP Ambassador program here.

What is AIP? And what is an NSO?

Artists, labels, and other song copyright owners can launch a New Share Offering (or NSO) to sell shares of future song earnings to music lovers and investors. With the tokenisation of songs AIP is the place where music fans become an essential part of the business of music. After the NSO period ends, the price per share is determined and the shares are ready for trading on the online trading platform. Therewith AIP is the global music exchange for trading royalty shares. Read more about AIP's NSO here.

What do I get in return for my investment?

With your investment you will buy shares of the song Survivors by Shook. During the NSO period 20% of the total value of the song Survivors is offered to the public. This is divided into 20,000 shares. During the NSO period we cumulate the total amount invested. 

With a simple calculation (total of investments/total shares = price per share) we now can determine the price per share. Next we can determine the number of shares you will receive from your invested free credit. 

After the NSO period you own shares of the song Survivors. This gives you the right to collect the future earnings of this song from your AIP account. The value of the shares consists of master recording and songwriting royalties generated by digital downloads, streaming. usage in Tv, commercials, games and broadcasting by radio stations. Actually, every time you push play on your streaming service, or add Survivors to a playlist, as a shareholder, you earn. 

What can I do with these shares? 

There are a lot of opportunities offered by the technology behind AIP.  First and far most you support your favorite artist by investing directly into a shared earnings construction. You now have a mutual business interest with the artist and song you invested in. Every time you listen to the song it generates revenue. Therefore every time you listen, you earn.

Start promoting the songs on your social channels and add it to as many playlists as possible. Grow the potential revenue and online reach by sharing the song as many online environments you can think of. Every effort you make will grow the potential revenue of the song and, as a shareholder, you can collect future earnings on AIP.

The shares you own have a value based on these future earnings of the corresponding song. We call these assets. Because of the current value of these assets (royalty revenue) and the future opportunities, there is a market for buying and selling these shares. Based on supply and demand every share has a dynamic trading price. AIP is the online platform (exchange) to buy and sell these shares. 

During the NSO period all the shares where divided over the investors, determining the price per share. After the NSO period ends, the trading is open to the public. As the demand for shares rises, the price per share will rise. This provides you the opportunity to start trading your shares, make smart investment decisions and start earning with your music (royalty) shares portfolio.. 

You can promote the song and collect royalties, but you can also promote the shares. Every new registrant you get on AIP will earn you an additional US$2 of free credit. Also (remember!) the more registrants are willing to buy shares, the higher the value of your shares will be. Start inviting your community and join the trade,

Dec 12

Welcome to the world of trading royalty shares.

Welcome to the world of royalties, tokenisation and trading.

At AIP we develop a totally new approach to the business of music. Our intention is not to compete with any existing streams of revenue. We keep that in place and take it from there. Our mission is to add a new form, a complementary revenue stream, with the tokenisation of your songs. Does that sound interesting?

Yes! With the arrival of the streaming services the music industry is closing the gap left behind by illegal downloads. Now we see, finally, increasing revenue and higher profits in the industry. At this point the future value of your music copyrights might be the most interesting asset to invest in, today!

As we can read in the Techcrunch article by Eric Packham, the war over music copyrights has just begun. With AIP we are creating a way to offer artists and content owners an opportunity to directly benefit from this new situation. By activating the online community and with a focus on the long-term market growth, we are creating a win-win situation by offering a direct connection between content creator and fan.

Exponential growth in the upcoming decade.

With the growing revenue due to streaming services, the new sync opportunities with AR, VR and gaming, and talent scouting by music fans and investors it becomes more and more interesting to invest in music. 

A fan or smart investor who purchases some shares can now - with AIP - benefit by listening to the song, share it on socials and playlists and create other forms of promotion. This is the kind of activation we all have been looking for. With AIP we give the control over their future earnings and promotion to artists and their fanbases. Now it becomes interesting to invest in music and bridge the gap between passive listening through advertisement and subscription models and actively promoting music investment towards and together with the community. 

Besides this crowd activation and growth hacking of social reach, we also are sure that the growth of revenue in the music industry, is just at the beginning. According to Billboard in the US alone there are now over 51 million paid subscribers for streaming services. Globally the entire industry grew a stunning 8% last year to $17.3 billion according to the IFPI. 

Looking from a traders perspective we found that this visualisation by Nick Routley of Visual Capitalist provides the main reason to start investing in royalty shares today. The image shows that the all time low of the past decade is at its end. At the horizon we see growth coming forth out of the success of streaming services. Better yet, who expected that the segment of ringtones has been such an influence in the global revenue? This brings us towards to five (5!) main reasons to start investing, today!.

1. The trend of growth after an all time low. Buy cheap, grow fast!

2. The substantial effect of streaming and chances in emerging markets.

3. The ability of AIP to activate music fans and investors to benefit equally.

4. The opportunity of potential investors to scout the next superstar.

5. The opportunities of future developments like streaming and ringtones have proven before.

At AIP everybody can benefit.

We are not alone.

Doing our research we found out that we are not alone. In an article by Cherie Hu in Forbes it is ready for us to read that many companies and entities are getting more and more interested in an investment in royalty shares. The question Cherie asks is one that is very accurate. Is now the best time to invest in music royalties? 

The most interesting statement Cherie Hu makes in this article is given by the data provided by professional music investors. "Within the music industry, publishers are acquiring legacy catalogs for unprecedented, multimillion-dollar prices. According to Billboard, a songwriter’s catalog typically sells for 10 times its net publishing share (NPS), but that multiple has increased to 12x or even 16x in recent years amidst a seller’s market.". We can question if these acquired investments are smart and in line with the current state of the industry. We also must acknowledge that these are the professionals. The top of class in music investments and music copyrights. Did they actually make a wrong move? Or is there more to come and can we use this as inside information?

No one can predict the future. We can analyse the past and look at what is happening today. We can investigate the opportunities of tomorrow and the activity in the market. This is why we did more research on companies currently active in the field of music royalties investments and music copyright investments. We consider the current market for royalties and music copyrights as one of high value. By giving the opportunity to copyright owners to activate their audience with royalty shares, we are getting ready for a prosperous decade. Read further and find out what is actually happening in the music business of tomorrow.

Royalty Exchange and Royalty Flow

Currently there are many concepts, ICO’s and new royalty formulas visible online. The most evolved platform is Royalty Exchange. This is a winner takes all auction platform with a working and active model. It is an online marketplace connecting rights holders and private investors for buying and selling royalties through auctions.

What actually happens is that rights owners sell their ownership or part of it by auctioning their registrations at PROs like ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. This means that Royalty Exchange really sells ownership. Furthermore it is only ownership of already existing catalogues. What is the main reason for the current owner to sell this? The registration at the PRO also means that it is only focussed on performance rights generated by for instance radio and other forms of broadcasting. 

Royalty Exchange unsuccessfully launched Royalty Flow,  Royalty Flow has tried to launch an IPO on NASDAQ. The company was looking to raise between $11 million and $50 million via a Regulation A+ crowdfunding effort that, if successful, would result in the purchase of a portion of the income stream derived from Eminem's music. The plan was to give fans and investors a way to share in the income from the royalties through dividends paid by the company.

The latest news about Royalty exchange is that it took a new direction when acquiring a co-publishing share of Cage the Elephant's catalog. This is interesting and it shows that there is a growing interest in trading royalty shares. It also shows that Royalty Exchange is getting closer to another fascinating company also known as Hipgnosis.

Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited

Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited is an investment company listed on the London Stock Exchange. This music IP investment company was co-founded by Merck Mercuriadis (Iron Maiden, Elton John, Macy Gray, Mary J. Blige). Hipgnosis acquires song catalogues and associated musical intellectual property rights to benefit their investors. The company aims to provide investors with an attractive and growing level of income and capital growth through acquiring songs and associated copyrights. It raised an amazing 200 million pounds in there move to their public offering in London City.

Vezt

Vezt offers an active platform open to public and connected with real assets and artists. It recently launched a well designed mobile app where everyone can purchase a part of a song.  Vezt is a modern version of Royalty Exchange, offering ISOs (a centralised initial song offering), which provide partial ownership of the PRO registration at ASCAP, BMI or SECAM.

What happens is that parts of ownership of existing songs are being sold by one particular and registered rights owner. Although we think this approach is interesting we do consider who benefits here and why current owners are selling part of their ownership. As a buyer it must interest you that you purchase a portion of ownership for a very short-term ranging from 3 to 5 years based upon the performance royalties only. 

Gramatik and the tokenisation of an artist.

Together with SingularDTV the US based electronic artist Gramatik launched his own token GRMTK. Gramatik is renowned for his passionate approach for decentralisation of markets and especially when it comes to the grey area of the music industry, royalty collection and intellectual property ownership. 

SingalarDTV claims many concepts in this article. In other articles on Medium and by the BBC the launch is mentioned to be a huge success with multiple millions raised. That was back in the days when everything connected to cryptos was instantly a success. These days are over at this particular point. At this point the crypto-madness is more focussed on the immense downsizing of market caps. Although we think this is part of the maturity process we also have been looking at the GRMTK token on etherscan.io. We see that there are about 1140 holders and about 2 trades every month. This is exceptionally low for a token that claimed to raise 24 million US dollar. Also it is publicly shown that 90% of the tokens is owned by two parties. We have no clear or transparent view on the success or current status of this project. So if anyone knows, let us know.

What is the difference between you and me?

AIP is a platform where artists, labels, managements, publishers and any other form of copyright owners can offer a part of their future earnings to the public. With the tokenisation of songs we create a place where your fans can become an essential part of your business model. Fans can now become your investors and with this mutual interest they become your best promoters. We all benefit.

The main difference between Vezt and Royalty Exchange at the one side and AIP at the other is that AIP does not sell ownership. We think it is very important for artists to keep what they have and secure their assets for the future. We offer a tailor-made product to the public, consisting of a range of future earnings through royalties. We like to call this shared profit. Furthermore AIP is developed to benefit rights holders with the activation of share holders. AIP delivers an additional revenue stream, while increasing overall turnover with a viral exponent. AIP is the tool of the future to growth hack the music business model with the power of the crowd.

With the tokenisation of songs you can monetise music creations in the most direct and independent form. The purpose is to connect your music with your fanbase and create growth with this mutually beneficial model. This is the ultimate win-win situation. Think about it. Music fans can now actually earn while listening to music on any given streaming service. Furthermore they have a shared interest in distributing the songs on their social networks, into the media and on playlists. Therewith we build a stronger position for music productions. We increase the reach of promotional activity. We generate an increase of revenue on the long-term and a direct pay-out on the short-term.

We believe that with AIP you will activate the community, while keeping 100% ownership. Keep control. Start today,

Oct 14

How to make money with your music in 14 days?

Trading Royalty Shares 

AIP is the global online platform where artists can earn money from selling a part of their future royalties to the public, while keeping their copyright ownership. Utilizing the capabilities of today’s technologies, AIP is creating a new innovative approach to the challenging systems of today's music business. We combine the opportunities of crowdfunding, blockchain technology, tokenization and online trading into a mutually beneficial music ecosystem.

Improve cashflow with NSO 

Artists and labels launch New Share Offerings (NSOs) to sell shares of future song earnings to their fans, music lovers and investors. Fans and investors earn from selling their shares to others at a profit, or by collecting royalty distribution payments from the revenue that the song generates. While activating your fans, you create an additional revenue stream with the tokenization of new songs. On AIP your fans will become your investors, delivering a tremendous improvement of your cash flow and liquidity. Think about how you can invest this capital into your career or promotion of your music. 

Fan Activation

AIP offers amazing opportunities for the activation of your existing fan base. In essence your shareholders will generate and earn revenue by listening and sharing your music in the digital world. This provides you with two direct benefits. In one hand, you can invest this direct payout into the promotion of your song and increase the revenue out of this song. In the other hand, you build a close connection with your fans, with a shared interest in the pursuit of profit, without giving away ownership over your valuable creations.

Your fans become an essential part of your business, and with this mutual interest, they become your best promoters. You share a part of your future profits with them. This means that when your fans become shareholders and start adding your song to all kinds of playlists, linking to it in online content, and even just by listening to the song on streaming services; they earn and you earn. Think about the cumulative effect this has on your business and the exponential growth in promotional power you can experience.

Please note that you keep full ownership over your music and connected copyrights. We are building this platform to benefit you as an artist, to create a closer connection between you and your fans, and to foster a healthier and fairer economy for the music industry.

Bridging The Gap Between East and West

After a very successful private launch in Beijing (China) and Taipei (Taiwan), we are expanding to Europe and the US, and connecting with artists who may be interested in joining our journey. Together we can accelerate your revenue streams and grow your business. Check out our website and introduction video where you can learn about AIP, and find more about our key features in the blog.

Our international team is committed to delivering you an honest and transparent experience. Feel free to visit and explore the trading platform where artists are already earning from fans and investors in the Eastern world. AIP will offer US $5 for every new registrant plus a referral program where you can earn by getting new registrants on board. 

Why Start With AIP.trade Today?

  1. Fan Activation: Every share holder is your best promoter. They earn by sharing the song online, on social media, in playlists, in reviews, in blogs, and also by just listening to the track on any streaming services.
  2. Direct Cash Flow: Within 14 days, the NSO (New Share Offering) stage ends. After this stage you decide if your shares will be available for trading and you can collect the collected funding instantly.
  3. Market Bridge: AIP is connected with multiple partners in the music business. With dedicated specialists in each continent, we invest our resources in connecting your music with the entire world.
Oct 10

What is a New Share Offering (or NSO)?

NSO: New Share Offering

At AIP, artists, labels, and other song copyright owners can launch a New Share Offering (or NSO) to sell shares of future song earnings to music lovers and investors. Fans and investors that purchase shares can earn from selling their shares to others at a profit, or by collecting annual royalty distributions. Royalty distributions are the shareholder's percentage of the revenue that the song has generated.

New Share Offerings at AIP are similar in some ways to Initial Public Offerings (or IPOs) in the stock market. An IPO is a type of public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also individual (or "retail") investors, then listed on one or more stock exchanges. Through this process known as “floating”, or going public, a privately held company is converted into a public company. Then members of the public can purchase and trade shares of that company in the open market, as well as collect profit distributions, which are called dividends in the stock world.

Consensus Pricing Model

While NSOs may resemble IPOs in some ways, there are also significant differences. One major difference is that NSOs are launched using a decentralized consensus pricing model. IPOs or ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings) are generally developed in a centralized manner, meaning private organizations—usually in coordination with banks—decide what the first price offered to the public will be. That's right; while most ICOs claim that they are decentralized, the majority of them break their promise.

AIP uses a consensus pricing model to define the value of NSOs. That means members of the public who are interested in acquiring royalty shares of a song decide what the shares cost. If fans and investors believe in the new song's potential, they will invest in it. The more money that's invested during the subscription period, the higher the price per share will be when trading launches. The total amount raised will determine how many shares the subscribing investors obtain before trading begins. This is a clear, decentralized process based on the ratio of supply and demand.

How does it work?

1. Copyright owners apply for a New Share Offering launch at AIP. Once the application is approved, we verify important information about the song, like the musicians involved, royalty splits, and more.

2. Next, the NSO is prepared for the subscription period. We work with the song's copyright owner to decide the total amount of shares that will be created for the NSO, as well as what portion of shares they will float to the public for investing (or the initial tranche). For example, an artist may sell 200,000 of 1 million shares, or 20% of the total shares available.

3. The subscription period then goes live 14 days before the NSO is open for trading. During the subscription period, potential investors will submit an amount they are willing to invest. For instance, a fan may invest $1,800 while another contributes $5,000. The NSO price will be reflected in realtime at AIP, updated as and when investors submit their subscription. The NSO price is determined by: the total subscription dollar amount by all investors ÷ initial tranche of shares (e.g. $360,000 ÷ 200,000 = $1.80). Investors who have placed a subscription can increase, decrease, or withdraw their subscription at any time before the subscription period ends. 

4. When the subscription period's 14 days have ended, the NSO per-share price will be set, based on the final investment amount collected. The corresponding quantity of shares are then allocated to each subscribed investor, determined by the dollar amount they subscribed. Using the same example as above, a $1,800 subscription is equal to 1,000 shares of that song.

5. The copyright owner will then receive the raised funds and open trading. Subscribed individuals are able to sell their shares to others (or to purchase new shares if available), and newcomers are able to purchase shares at the price indicated. The price of the shares will move based on the demand from these investors and fans. Copyright owners can also decide to cancel the NSO instead, if they feel they didn't raise enough funds. In this case, the shares will not be issued or traded, and all investors will get their funds back.

The market is open

This open exchange activity establishes the value of the song's royalty shares in a fair, transparent, and decentralized process. The amazing potential of public fundraising meets the power of music to cultivate new, exciting profit opportunities for all at AIP!

Aug 29

Refer and Reap Rewards with AIP Ambassador Sharing

Crowd Power

AIP is a vibrant platform where independent and signed artists can further their career by raising capital and sharing revenue with music fans and other investors. All who invest are motivated to promote that song they’ve funded, as they earn from revenue that song generates. This together with our consensus-based New Share Offering (NSO) model means the funding crowd is a crucial part of the AIP platform. In ways, those who provide capital in exchange for royalty shares are the artists' partners. So we created an ambassador feature that further encourages these funding partners to invite their circle of friends, family, and influencers to join.

How does the ambassador system work?

The AIP Ambassador System is an easy-to-use referral tool that incentivizes the AIP community to find like-minded contacts to join in supporting an issuer's (i.e. the musician's) NSO or song investment. 

1. Any registered AIP member can invite others to join by using their ambassador link generated by AIP.

2. That link can be shared with your contacts via social media, email, or messaging apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, WeChat, etc. The link discretely contains a code that will automatically identify who generated and referred it.

3. In the event the referred person (who received the recommendation) follows the link to AIP and successfully signs up for the platform, they will both be awarded with AIP credits. It's free to register. 

4. During this introductory phase for AIP, the referrer will get credited US$2.00, and the referred will get US$5.00 that they can use to purchase shares at AIP. Spread the love! 

Where can I find the ambassador feature?

In AIP's Explore view, you can click on the image or title of any song listing to be brought to its Overview page. When at the Overview page, you'll see a Refer A Friend button towards the top of the card, to the right of the song image. Click Refer A Friend and you'll open a window with the referral link. You can copy the link to paste and share elsewhere, or you can select options under the link that will share directly via email or other social media and messaging apps. 

Now you can go to your social media channels, messaging apps, blogs, etc. to distribute the link to others. You can drop the link on screen by right-clicking in the desired location and selecting "Paste". Alternatively, you can also paste by pressing the “Ctrl” + “V” keys on your keyboard simultaneously if using Windows, or "⌘" + "V" keys on Mac.

Share Certificate QR Codes

In addition to the above method, registered members can also refer songs they have funded via the QR code included in their Share Certificate. To do this, the referrer can go to their Dashboard page, click on “Get my certificate” located in the song listing, and a copy of the certificate will be generated. The QR code is at the bottom right of the certificate, and it has built-in ambassador tracking. 

Aug 01

4 Reasons to Start Buying Music Shares on AIP

Share song profits at AIP 

Did you ever consider buying cryptocurrencies but do not trust the systems? Did you ever think about investing in the stock market but feel there's too much you don't know? Do you enjoy music and want to earn from something you actually care about and understand?

AIP is the solution. We offer music investment opportunities within an easy-to-use platform. You put some of your money into your favorite song by buying a share or shares of its future earnings (also known as royalties). Then you can collect royalty pay as the song earns revenue from streaming, licensing, downloads, and more. On top of that, you can profit by selling your shares to other investors when the value rises above your purchase price.

AIP gives you the chance to simultaneously invest in valuable assets and support the creations you love!

Too good to be true?

Is this too good to be true? Well, like any opportunity to profit from investments, there are of course some risks. It's a fundamental principle in investing known as the risk-reward or risk-return tradeoff. But also know this: industry data shows that music sales are on the rise for the third straight consecutive year. Revenue has hit its highest mark in a decade, fueled by increasing subscriptions and licensing deals. That means music earning is on a major upswing.  

Now is the time to combine that momentum with a modern digital marketplace that gives fans and investors profit opportunities in exchange for capital they supply to creators for their content. And we are committed to providing an intuitive, secure, and transparent experience throughout. That is our promise.

Get in on the action

Are you what some may call an early adopter? Do you look for groundbreaking products and services? Are you the market mover that identifies growth potential? Well, AIP is the new model with the ability to change the music business for good. Are you with us? 

Here are 4 reasons why you should be!

1. SUPPORT YOUR FAVORITE MUSIC

With an investment in AIP, you become an important participant in the development process of your favorite music and your top artists. Buying a share at AIP means you boost a creator's financial independence. You help them grow their career and create more and better music for you and others to love!

2. Share song profits

Grab an AIP share and start your ownership of song revenue. You'll receive a percentage of the royalties that the music generates. You can also earn by trading shares to other AIP members at a profit. Songs are real assets with the ability to increase in value and distribute dividends over the period of the original creator's lifetime plus 70 years!

3. BE PART OF THE NEXT GENERATION MUSIC ECOSYSTEM

Invest in the future of music. Currently, the music industry is thriving again. Streaming services are growing rapidly. Sync deals are licensing songs for film, TV, video games, and more. The world is getting more and more connected. With every investment in AIP, you re-energize music and cultivate new creativity. Record labels save on spending, as funds raised can go towards marketing and distributing the song. Fans are no longer just consumers—they're stakeholders in a healthier music ecosystem. Join the movement and build new ways to keep music flourishing.

4. EXPERIENCE TRANSPARENCY, security, and efficiency

AIP harnesses the power of free market economics, and we do it with transparency and security at top of mind. Our innovative exchange helps you understand and capitalize on the musical opportunities of today while utilizing the technology of the future. We'll be integrating blockchain-based features designed to optimize efficiency, safety, and information access while reducing the costs and effort that can be associated with manual royalty collection.

Together we can refresh outdated royalty systems, streamline music revenue distribution, and amplify the profit potential for all!

 

Jul 24

The Business of Music Simplified – Copyright, License, Royalty

Music Business for Dummies 

The first time I started looking into how the music business works, I got pretty overwhelmed. I was under the impression that the music industry and related copyright rules, licensing, and royalty types were so complex that it would take me a lifetime to understand.

I'm happy to say now that it didn't. I started studying and talking with experienced people from the industry, and I found out two important things:

1. It's not that complex. While there are many global variations, overlaps, and exceptions to rules, overall the concepts are not difficult to grasp.

2. The legal and regulatory sides can feel stuck in the past, but the industry is modernizing. Many established companies have an interest in keeping some traditional systems alive as they benefit from them, but there are changes and progress happening to adapt to the digital landscape of today.

Ownership & Copyrights

When a musician creates a song, that creator has a right to exploit the ownership on that content. We call this creation intellectual property and the legal protection for music creators over their creations' copyright. To put it concisely, copyright is the right to copy your creation.

In general, copyrights are split in two different categories: composition and recording.Think about it. What is a piece of music? On one side we have the original song consisting of the composition and/or the lyrics (the work). At the other side we have the sound recording of that composition, known as the master. Pretty simple, right?

One composition can have multiple recordings. Many songs are used in different ways. Think of sampling, remixing, and cover songs. The same source (composition) is in multiple forms (master recordings). Labels and artists usually control the recording rights (or master rights), while publishers and songwriters control the how the song's composition is used (publishing rights).

License & Royalty

OK, so far so good? Now let's go to the next level. We want to make money with music. We may have different reasons as to why, but to start, we need revenue to continue making music! Payments that go to artists when their work is used are called royalties.

First you write a song, then you record a song (and of course, some of us record while composing). The recording is the performance of the song as recorded or created in the studio, whatever that studio may be to you. In most cases in which an artist is signed to a record label, the label owns the recording. 

A publisher or publishing company's role is to act as the spokesperson and administrator for the songwriter and to generate revenue from the composition. The songwriter can still keep ownership of the actual copyrights, although in many cases, publishers will want to control some rights of this original song as they pursue business opportunities for it. 

So what kind of opportunities are we talking about? Generally speaking, we differentiate three ways to exploit music. In many cases, both composition and recording copyrights may apply .

1. Copy & Consumption: Downloads, streams, CD/vinyl

2. Performance: Concerts, film, tv, commercials, music played in business establishments (like what you may hear in your favorite clothing store, your local pub or night club, etc.)

3. Recreation: Cover songs, remixes, radio edits, sampling

You can license others to exploit your copyrights and both benefit. It's quite easy—you grant others permission to use your creations and recordings for various reasons, and in return, you get paid. From this point of view, royalties can be shared profit.

Old School / New Tools

The royalty system is based on many old-fashioned definitions. Therefore, the wording can be kind of confusing. In general, we define four types of licenses and connected royalties. Again, sometimes more than one license or royalty will apply to a single usage.

1. Recording License/Royalty: This is simply the right to use a recording. It is also named master license or master recording license. The master recording license permits the use of an already recorded song. This relates to sampling, for example.

2. Mechanical License/Royalty: This type of license is paid every time a copy of a song is made, for example when pressing vinyl records, producing CDs, ringtones, etc. While "mechanical" may be a confusing term, it is just the approach of machines pressing a copy (its origins are in the old days of "piano rolls".) Streams also earn mechanical royalties.

3. Performance License/Royalty: A performance license gives permission to play your music towards the public. While "performance" may be a confusing term as well, it generally applies to any broadcast of a work. This can be in many forms such as live concerts, radio, TV, sporting events, shopping malls, etc.

4. Synchronization License/Royalty: A sync or synch license is increasingly used in today’s music landscape. Synchronizations apply when music is combined—or sync'd—with other media, like use in film, TV, movies, commercials, games, etc. 

Sum It Up

So in summary, a song consists out of its composition and lyrics. This is the essential part of publishing rights. This song can be recorded and that specific recording is protected by recording (or master) rights.

When monetizing your music, there are four general ways. You can copy and distribute with a mechanical license. You can sell the specific recording for compilations or for use in sampling with a recording license. Any form of public performance of your work falls under a performance license. And last but not least, you can connect your music to any other form of audiovisual media with a sync license.

A royalty is a payments that you as the music rights holder receive from your copyrights and licenses. A license means you grant permission to a third party to use your original work or recording and/or collect royalties on your behalf.

Get it? Got it? Good. Now get on with the creating and earning! 

Jul 17

Announcing AIP – The Song Exchange for Trading Royalty Shares

We all have a song 

It’s no secret that music is the universal language. Music has transformative qualities. It has the ability to unite people​ from different backgrounds, cultures, and countries.

Every day valuable music is created all over the world. With the rise in streaming, as well as licensing for film and TV, the music industry is lifting off into another golden age. That means royalties—or revenues that songs earn—are growing.

What’s not so well-known is how time consuming earning a fair share has been for creators. Because the industry is in the process of modernizing old royalty collection systems, the capital needed to keep creating and promoting content can come slowly for many artists. Until now...

Meet AIP.trade

The global music exchange that enables fans to invest in songs while providing artists and other content owners liquidity upfront for their creations. 

Artists, publishers, and labels launch New Share Offerings (or NSOs) to sell shares of song earnings to music lovers and investors. 

Fans and investors earn from selling their shares to others at a profit or by collecting annual royalty distributions.

Why trade royalty shares?

1. Make Money

Music revenue grew over 15% in 2017 in the US alone. Now music lovers and financiers can get a piece of the action. Fund a track that becomes a hit, and watch your returns top the charts!

2. Support Creators

NSOs allow artists to earn from their content upfront and gain providing financial independence. Fans become part owners of the song’s revenue, incentivizing them to promote the content they’ve invested in. Labels save on spending, as money raised can go towards marketing and distributing the song. Sounds like a win-win-win situation. 

3. Invest in Music

Beloved songs from today can become the classics of tomorrow. In collaboration with global icons, AIP generates useful capital, cultivates new collaborative projects, and elevates emerging talent. Everyone benefits from fueling a healthier music economy!

We’ll hold down the tech, you move the market.

We’ve designed the AIP.trade platform to be insightful and user friendly, no matter how experienced you are with online trading or apps. AIP's automated royalty collection and distribution tools will soon be backed by blockchain, streamlining the music revenue process while sharing the power of song. 

Invest in your song.