Music Royalties
Music Royalties Returns vs S&P
-7.00%
Versus S&P
•
13 hours ago
-7.00%
Versus S&P
•
13 hours ago
6m High
6m Low
Music Royalties
£93.42
£79.70
S&P 500
4,179.76
3,577.03
Music Royalties
S&P 500
Does not follow the Stock Market
Sources: SONG, SPX
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In the Market
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Highlights
Good For
Passive income
Time Horizon
5-10+ years
Diversification
Music catalogs can generate competitive returns, with music royalty funds delivering average yields of around 5% to 10%. Do keep in mind, however, that music royalty income generally falls to a lower but more consistent level after 3 years. Unlike dividends, music royalties are not based on a company’s performance. Instead, royalty payments are made to the copyright holders of a song every time it is used. These uses include sales, streams, public performances and licensing to films, video games and other mediums. Most of the music industry’s revenue growth is being driven by digital streaming. Since 2014, music streaming revenue has grown at an average rate of 43.9% according to Business of Apps. With the growing adoption of smartphones, smart speakers and connected cars, Goldman Sachs estimates that streaming revenue could reach up to $37 billion by 2030—a more than 76% increase from today.
Did you Know
SongVest was the first music royalties marketplace released in the US. Tech entrepreneur Sean Peace came up with the idea after talking to a friend about her catalog and realizing that industry outsiders would probably want to buy royalties too.
In December 2021, Bruce Springsteen sold his music catalog to Sony for a whopping $500 million—the largest figure ever paid for a single catalog.
Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney were close friends throughout the '70s and early '80s. But that friendship came to an abrupt end in 1985 when Michael Jackson bought The Beatles’ entire back catalog for $47.5 million, which was seen as a betrayal to Paul McCartney.
Considerations
Streaming has become the dominant form of music consumption worldwide, reducing music piracy and stabilizing music royalty income.
While stocks and bonds are susceptible to global macro events, music royalties are uncorrelated to public markets.
Music royalties are a form of passive income with the potential to deliver double-digit yields.
Reasons to Invest
Music royalties have medium-to-high minimum investment requirements, ranging from $5k to $1 million+.
Music royalty income is not fixed, with cash flows generally declining over time.
Investors who don’t know how to value a music catalog could end up overpaying for music IP.
Drawbacks
How You’re Taxed
Income Tax
Music royalties can offer investors a stable yield, but tax planning is critical to retaining much of that income. Every individual’s situation is unique, but royalties are typically reported as self-employment income on Schedule C of IRS form 1040. While music royalties are often taxed at a higher rate, they also have unique tax benefits. Since music royalty income declines over time, it is considered a depreciating asset. As such, music royalties can be amortized, meaning that investors can write off the cost of this asset over a number of years. By offsetting the income produced, investors in turn also reduce their tax liability. For more specifics surrounding amortization, please refer to section 167 of the Internal Revenue Code.
Investing In Music NFTs
An NFT, short for non-fungible token, is a unique digital asset that acts as a certificate of ownership. Most NFTs are created, bought and sold using the Ethereum blockchain. Artists, labels and publishers have recently started to mint NFT songs and music catalogs that automatically distribute royalty income to token holders. This innovation has a host of benefits, including removing the need for middlemen like performing rights organizations (PROs). Since music NFTs are also programmable, some are even coded to pay a cut of all future resales to the original copyright holder.