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What #Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Taylor Swift’s Contracts (Meyer Business Law’s Version) Our appreciation and kudos (FWIW) to pop superstar (and Kansas City Chiefs fan) Taylor Swift, for winning a record fourth Album of the Year #grammy award. So what's that gotta do with entrepreneurs and #BusinessOwners? This case study begins with Swift’s well-known implementation of a plan to re-record several of her older albums and re-release the “(Taylor’s Version)” under her own label, so that she earns the full financial benefit of those albums (rather than the controversial purchaser of the prior recordings, with whom she is never, ever, getting back together.) Brilliantly entrepreneurial and extremely lucrative. But as the music industry press has reported (see article), Swift’s gambit has led record labels to insert new terms into their standard contracts, forbidding artists from re-recording their own compositions and works. And THAT is a department in which tortured business owners frequently find themselves: you’re handed a contract by a larger entity, and told that no changes to that agreement will be accepted. In other words, “It's got a blank space, baby, just sign your name." Meyer Business Law has built a good part of our practice helping business owners play this duet without disharmony. We can help you understand the traps awaiting you in that allegedly unchangeable document, and almost all the time, we CAN successfully negotiate changes to the most important provisions, getting you out of the woods without creating bad blood.    Because the big award for the business owner, of course, is not to be an anti-hero, but to win a lucrative commercial relationship evermore. https://lnkd.in/ehRk_dCg! #businesscontracts #taylorswift

The tough times for music-rights buyer Hipgnosis Songs Fund are continuing. A new preliminary valuation of its portfolio of songs estimated that it was worth between $1.8bn and $2.06bn (so $1.93bn as a ‘midpoint’). The problem with that is that it’s 26.3% lower than a previous valuation last September, amid tensions between the publicly-listed company and its founder and former investment advisor Merck Mercuriadis. Hipgnosis Songs Fund’s share price dipped 11% to £0.56 in early trading after the news was announced yesterday. Read Our Full Analysis Here: https://lnkd.in/ervWuXe4 #MusicRights #Hipgnosis #MarketTrends #musically #musicnews #readmore

This is how Justin Bieber made $200 Million Dollars in one day. Last year, Bieber sold his entire music catalog to Hipgnosis for a whopping $200 million. Why did Bieber sell his songs? Two main reasons: a big payday upfront and tax benefits. Instead of waiting for quarterly royalties, he opted for a huge lump sum now. Immediate cash vs. waiting years to earn it. Plus, by selling his catalog, he benefits from capital gains tax, paying a lower rate than ordinary income. What’s crazy? Only his portion of the royalties was sold! Producers and writers are also cashing in by selling their shares to investors. On Royalty Exchange, you can invest in the producer royalties from some of Bieber’s biggest hits from his "Purpose" album. This catalog has seen 33 offers from 16 investors in the past few days, with earnings growing last year. Share this with someone who might want to earn money from Bieber's songs and check out the listing below! https://lnkd.in/giraaJGF #Investing #PersonalFinance #Investments #JustinBieber #MusicBusiness #MusicIndustry #MusicInvestors #AlternativeInvestments

Concord's acquisition of Hipgnosis, with an offer of $1.16 per share, is seen as a strategic move to integrate Hipgnosis' catalogs into Concord's extensive portfolio, aiming to benefit artists and stakeholders. The offer represents a 32% premium over Hipgnosis' recent share price, which had declined by almost 28% from its peak in November 2021 due to challenges such as rising interest rates. Additionally, Hipgnosis faced scrutiny over its business practices, including overpayment for catalogs and overstating ownership stakes. The relationship between Hipgnosis Songs Fund and Hipgnosis Song Management, with the latter being the investment adviser, added complexity to the company's structure and operations. The acquisition by Concord is viewed as an opportunity for Hipgnosis shareholders to realize a premium on their holdings amid uncertainties in the company's financial performance. #HipgnosisSongsFund #ConcordMusic #musiccatalogs

The tough times for music-rights buyer Hipgnosis Songs Fund are continuing. A new preliminary valuation of its portfolio of songs estimated that it was worth between $1.8bn and $2.06bn (so $1.93bn as a ‘midpoint’). The problem with that is that it’s 26.3% lower than a previous valuation last September, amid tensions between the publicly-listed company and its founder and former investment advisor Merck Mercuriadis. Hipgnosis Songs Fund’s share price dipped 11% to £0.56 in early trading after the news was announced yesterday. Read The Full Story Here: https://lnkd.in/ervWuXe4 #Hipgnosis #MusicRights #MarketUpdate #musically #musicnews #readmore

Is the Song Investment Boom Really Over? | Part 2 Quick quiz: Who do you think has announced more music catalog deals in the past 11 months? If you follow Ted Gioia, you might believe two things: first, that major labels lead catalog purchases, and second, that song values are dropping. However, according to public announcements, major labels do not lead these acquisitions. In fact, over the past 11 months, nearly one deal has been announced every week by firms outside of major labels. Additionally, song values have increased and are expected to continue rising, thanks in part to the Copyright Royalty Board. This is just a clip of my full analysis, which is available in the latest episode of Valholla NOW Radio. Watch it on the Valholla Channel. https://valhol.la/nowradio

JKBX, founded in 2022, is aiming to democratize music royalties by bringing investment opportunities to the masses. The company plans to list more investments and build a new asset class, according to CEO Scott Cohen. Check out the Wall Street Journal article to learn more. #musicinvestment #investing #assetclass

Sony snaps up a 50% stake in Michael Jackson's back catalogue with a valuation of more than $1.2bn! 🎤 What's the deal? Sony Music Group has agreed to acquire a 50% stake in Michael Jackson’s back catalogue, in a deal worth over $1.2bn, the highest valuation for any artist’s catalogue. The deal is likely to surpass the $1.2bn deal that Queen is currently seeking, which includes royalties from the Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody and the hit West End musical, We Will Rock You. Sony’s deal with the Jackson estate does not include any non-music royalties but does include the Mijac publishing catalogue, which includes masters from Sly and the Family Stone and Jerry Lee Lewis. 🎵 Music is BIG business Buying music royalties is big money, with funds including Hipgnosis buying contemporary and historic artist back catalogues. Analysts estimate the annual revenue from Jackson’s music at over $45m, a figure that is set to increase in line with the growth in streaming and the opening of the Jackson biopic in 2025. 💡 The science behind the investment We speak a lot about the value of scarcity. Sports franchises tend to trade at a premium, as there are a limited number of leading teams. The same goes for music. There will never be another Michael Jackson, meaning barriers to entry are extremely high, and future cash flows are more predictable. If you are lucky enough to get access, these assets are highly attractive. With the cache of a piece of art, but the revenue streams of a fixed-income instrument, the deal should be a win-win for Sony. #sony #michaeljackson #music #entertainment #investment #finance

Vinyl Group (ASX:VNL) is finding its Groove! 😀 Pitt Street Research publishes an update note on Vinyl Group and its latest acquisitions. In this note, we recap the 3 acquisitions the company made in FY25. The company has the audacious goal of connecting 1,000 leading brands, 100m music creators and 1b fans. For the time being, we reiterate our valuation of VNL first outlined in our May 2024 initiation report - at $211.4m in a base case scenario and $273.6m in an optimistic (or bull) case. These currently equate to 20c per share in our base case and 26c per share in our bull case. We intend to update our valuation once these acquisitions begin to be reflected in the company’s top and bottom lines. Please see p.7 for further details on our valuation and p.8 for the key risks associated with our investment thesis. Please be advised this is a commissioned report and is General Advice only. Please see page 7 for the key risks and the final page for our full General Advice Warning, disclosure and disclaimers. Pitt Street directors own shares in the company. #vinyl #vampr #jaxsta #thebragmedia #bragmedia #stocks #shares #equities #stockmarket #equityresearch #research #researchinitiation #initiationreport #initiatingcoverage #investing #investors #music #musictech #musictechnology #vinylrecords https://lnkd.in/g3NTkvnf

This is how Justin Bieber made $200 Million Dollars in one day. Last year, Bieber sold his entire music catalog to Hipgnosis for a whopping $200 million. Why did Bieber sell his songs? Two main reasons: a big payday upfront and tax benefits. Instead of waiting for quarterly royalties, he opted for a huge lump sum now. Immediate cash vs. waiting years to earn it. Plus, by selling his catalog, he benefits from capital gains tax, paying a lower rate than ordinary income. What’s crazy? Only his portion of the royalties was sold! Producers and writers are also cashing in by selling their shares to investors. On Royalty Exchange, a portion of the royalties from some of Bieber's biggest hits from his "Purpose" album just sold for $54k. This catalog saw 37 offers from 18 investors in the past few days, with earnings growing last year. Follow Drew Osherow for more news on music catalog sales and feel free to send me a DM to get started investing on Royalty Exchange. #Music #Investments #Investing