Round Hill’s publicly-traded UK fund has published its first set of interim financial results, for the period ended June 30, 2021. As of that date, Round Hill Music Royalty Fund Limited (RHM) had invested approximately USD $342 million. That money went on the acquisition of 38 catalogs, plus the purchase of a 29.1% stake in RH Carlin Holdings LLC.
Source: Round Hill’s UK Fund has spent $342m on acquisitions – and is buying catalogs at a multiple of 16.2x
Los Angeles-based music licensing platform Pex has partnered with the World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration and Mediation Center to provide what it claims to be “an industry first” – an impartial human review system for copyright infringement. The system is intended for use by all of those who create and house content, including creators, rightsholders, and platforms.
Source: Pex launches new copyright dispute resolution service in partnership with WIPO Center
The Music Fund enables artists who earn $5,000 or more from streaming annually to sell a percentage (which artists select) of their master-royalty income for a two-year period. TMF then fronts a lump-sum payment – not a loan or an advance, with no obligation on the recipient’s end – and the song rights revert to the creator at the end of the agreed-upon window.
Source: HIFI Acquires The Music Fund, Outlines Plans to Integrate AI Technology
Kino Lorber, the New York-based independent film distributor, is launching a free streaming channel dedicated to all things horror. The platform, titled Kino Cult, will be ad-supported and will featured hundreds of hours of curated films, with new titles added monthly. It bows in the U.S. and Canada on Oct. 1, right in time for spooky season.
Source: Kino Lorber Launches Free Streaming Channel for Cult Films (EXCLUSIVE)
Blockchain-based music distributor Blarecast Systems has announced the completion of a funding round led by Ayre Ventures. Like the majority of recent announcement messages concerning startups’ raises (and sales), the text doesn’t disclose the transaction’s financial specifics. However, a Blarecast Systems exec said that the round involved “’multi-million £ funding.”
Source: Blockchain-Based Blarecast Systems Completes ‘Multi-Million’ Dollar Raise
For many authors, advances and royalties from publishers have been declining dramatically, and subscription models & marketplaces such as Kindle Unlimited or Amazon have seriously undervalued the work of the writer. BookVolts gives writers a chance to earn up to 90% of every sale by using NFT technology to protect their digital assets.
A billion people are now using TikTok around the world every month – around three times the global audience Spotify pulls in. And for the music industry, TikTok is expanding far beyond its core function as a repository for frivolous viral videos.
Source: TikTok is evolving into a very different kind of music streaming giant.
TuneGO, which already operates a tech platform that creates a digital fingerprint for songs and tracks associated metadata, is launching an NFT marketplace with Dapper Labs that’s designed specifically for music artists.
Source: TuneGO Launches Custom Platform For Music Artists To Enter The NFT Market
Voly – which has already seen success in the super-yachting sector with its FX services and accounting solutions – says that it has been working with a number of music industry companies and executives in recent months to develop its platform.
Source: UK-based Voly launches new financial management software and payment platform for the music industry
In 2020, British singer-songwriter Eddy Grant filed a lawsuit against then-President Donald Trump over the unlicensed use of his 1982 song ‘Electric Avenue’. Trump’s lawyers attempted to have the copyright claim thrown out, claiming that any use of the song was protected under the doctrine of fair use.
Source: Court Rejects Trump’s Motion to Dismiss ‘Electric Avenue’ Lawsuit on Fair Use Grounds * TorrentFreak