Sound Royalties
Sound Royalties is a specialty finance company founded in 2014 that provides non-recourse royalty advances to music songwriters, artists, producers, YouTube creators, tourers, and TV production companies, originating up to $135M in funded contracts annually across 30+ countries without taking copyright ownership or requiring credit checks.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersWest Palm Beach, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Sound Royalties does
Sound Royalties is a privately held specialty finance company founded in 2014 that provides non-recourse advances against future royalty and creator-economy earnings. Its core product is Royalty Financing, which advances $3,000 to over $20 million to songwriters, recording artists, and producers against royalty streams from performing rights organizations (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC), SoundExchange, and distributors such as CD Baby and TuneCore, with no credit check, no personal guarantee, no financial statement requirement, and no transfer of copyright ownership. The platform extends this underwriting model into adjacent verticals: YouTube Financing (advances tied to Google AdSense revenue for creators earning at least $3,000 monthly), Tour Financing (working capital against guaranteed touring agreements), Catalog Sales Support / Bridge Finance (short-term liquidity during catalog transactions), and TV Production Financing (bridging 3–18 month licensing payment gaps from streaming or network deals). Product terms extend up to five years, materially longer than the 12–18 month industry norm, and pricing is customized to song age, catalog depth, income source, and term length with transparent fixed payments.
The company operates a sales-led and community-led GTM: applicants submit through the website and are contacted by a Royalty Specialist within one business day, complemented by a referral program paying 2% (rising to 2.5%) of the advance amount, conference presence (Recording Academy, Sync Summit, BESLA), and thought-leadership coverage in Billboard, Rolling Stone, the Wall Street Journal, Music Business Worldwide, and other trade outlets. As of 2025 the firm reported record $135 million in funded contracts deployed to creators and 100%+ year-over-year growth in assets under management from referral-sourced business, operating across 30+ countries with a base of 250+ organizational customers. Customer endorsements include marquee creators such as DJ Khaled, Lil Wayne, Wyclef Jean, Alejandra Guzmán, Earl Bud Lee, and Sonia Leigh. The firm is led by Founder Alex Heiche, Managing Partner Michael Bizenov (formerly President of Consumer Banking at Sterling National Bank), CFO Chuck Lowe (co-founder of Novation Ventures with experience securitizing over $1 billion in structured cash flows), and Legal Counsel Michael Damore. In 2026 Sound Royalties expanded into the UK via Regional Director Melanie Cameron and announced a strategic partnership with Octiive to embed its advance product inside a platform serving 20,000+ artists and 3,000 labels.
Sound Royalties firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sound Royalties
- Legal name
- Sound Royalties
- Website
- https://soundroyalties.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sound Royalties is a specialty finance company founded in 2014 that provides non-recourse royalty advances to music songwriters, artists, producers, YouTube creators, tourers, and TV production companies, originating up to $135M in funded contracts annually across 30+ countries without taking copyright ownership or requiring credit checks.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sound Royalties industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music Royalty Financing
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (51223)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Royalty Analytics, Forecasting & Valuation Services (MPAIAKAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements) (MPAIAKAD), Royalty Accounting & Payment Services (Statements, Audits, Payee Management) (MPAIABAL)
Keywords
Where Sound Royalties is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- West Palm Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sound Royalties business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Royalty Financing: Advances against music royalty streams for songwriters, artists, and producers. Advances range from $3,000 to $20M+ with flexible terms up to 5 years. Based on music performance rather than personal credit history.
- Tour Financing: Funding for touring expenses based on guaranteed negotiated tour agreements or royalty streams. Allows performers to access capital for show production and rehearsal costs.
- Catalog Sales Support / Bridge Finance: Short-term advances to bridge cash flow during music catalog sales processes, allowing creatives time to find the right home for their catalog and negotiate best prices.
- TV Production Financing: Advance funding for video production companies and content owners with contracted direct-to-streaming or direct-to-network video content, bridging licensing payment gaps of 3-18 months.
- YouTube Financing: Advances based on Google AdSense income for YouTube creators earning minimum $3K monthly. Non-credit based, no ownership taken of channels or copyrights.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Music Royalty Financing: $3,000 to $20M+ advances |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | YouTube Financing: Advances based on AdSense performance |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Referral Program: 2% of advance amount |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Sound Royalties product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sound Royalties provides non-recourse advances against future royalty earnings for songwriters, recording artists, producers, and YouTube creators. The company evaluates applications based on music and platform royalty performance rather than personal credit history, offering customized advances from $3,000 to over $20M with fixed payment terms up to five years and no requirement to surrender copyright ownership.
Product overview
Sound Royalties operates as a financial services platform offering multiple financing products tailored for musicians and music industry professionals. The core offering is Royalty Financing, which provides non-recourse advances against future royalty earnings. This is supplemented by specialized financing products including YouTube Financing (for digital platform royalties), Tour Financing (for live performance capital needs), Catalog Sales Support/Bridge Finance (for catalog transactions), and TV Production Financing (for television content creators). The platform works with major music industry organizations including ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, SoundExchange, CD Baby, TuneCore, and distributes through platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and iTunes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Music Royalty Financing
- YouTube Financing
- Tour Financing
Quantifiable outcome
- $135 million in funded contracts distributed directly to creators in 2025
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Sound Royalties
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Sound Royalties technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sound Royalties partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- OctiivecoreStrategic collaboration announced May 1, 2026 connecting Octiive's network of over 20,000 artists and 3,000 labels with Sound Royalties' financial services. The partnership provides independent artists with upfront funding based on royalty earnings without sacrificing ownership or creative control, with advances ranging from $1,000 to over $75 million and an AdvanceNow option enabling eligible artists to receive up to $5,000 within three business days.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sound Royalties competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Reservoir Media: Reservoir Media is an independent music publisher that acquires and administers song rights, catalogs, and royalties. It is comparable through its deep involvement in music royalty administration, catalog management, and royalty analytics for rights holders.
- Kobalt Music Group: Kobalt is a major music publisher and rights administrator that provides royalty collection, analytics, and creative services. It is comparable to Sound Royalties through its deep involvement in music royalty administration and data analytics, though it operates at a much larger scale across the publishing value chain.
- Create Music Group: Create Music Group is an independent music and entertainment company providing distribution, rights management, and label services. It is comparable to Sound Royalties through its focus on independent artists and its data-driven approach to music rights and royalty management.
- Spirit Music Group: Spirit Music Group is an independent music publisher that administers song rights and collects royalties on behalf of songwriters. It is comparable to Sound Royalties through its music rights administration and royalty processing infrastructure, serving as a reference point for the publishing-adjacent services market.
- Concord Music Group: Concord is an independent music publisher and label with significant publishing catalog and rights administration operations. It is comparable through its music rights management and royalty processing capabilities, serving as a benchmark for the scale of music IP administration.
- EMPIRE Distribution: EMPIRE is an independent music distribution and label company that also provides financial services to artists. It is comparable to Sound Royalties through its artist-focused financial offerings and its strong presence in the independent music creator segment.
- BMG: BMG is a major music publisher and record label that administers rights and collects royalties for songwriters and artists. While primarily a publisher rather than a financier, BMG's rights administration and royalty payment services are comparable to the operational infrastructure Sound Royalties requires.
Direct peers
- Royalty Exchange: Royalty Exchange operates a marketplace for buying and selling music royalties, and also offers royalty advances. It is comparable to Sound Royalties in serving music creators seeking liquidity from their royalty streams, though its marketplace model differs from Sound Royalties' direct advance model.
- Lyric Financial: Lyric Financial provides royalty-based advances to songwriters, performers, and music industry professionals. It competes directly with Sound Royalties in the music royalty advance space with similar non-credit-based underwriting.
- BeatBread: BeatBread provides advances against music royalties and streaming income to independent artists and labels. It is the most direct competitor to Sound Royalties, offering similar non-recourse advance products with a technology-driven application process.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sound Royalties social profiles
Digital presenceSound Royalties financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sound Royalties leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Sound Royalties funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sound Royalties M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sound Royalties
What does Sound Royalties do?
Sound Royalties provides non-recourse advances against future royalty earnings for songwriters, recording artists, producers, and YouTube creators. The company evaluates applications based on music and platform royalty performance rather than personal credit history, offering customized advances from $3,000 to over $20M with fixed payment terms up to five years and no requirement to surrender copyright ownership.
Is Sound Royalties a public or private company?
Sound Royalties is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sound Royalties founded?
Sound Royalties was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sound Royalties based?
Sound Royalties is headquartered in West Palm Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sound Royalties make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Royalty Financing is the primary driver. The others are tour Financing, catalog Sales Support / Bridge Finance, TV Production Financing and youTube Financing.
Who are Sound Royalties's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Reservoir Media, Kobalt Music Group, Create Music Group, Spirit Music Group, Concord Music Group, EMPIRE Distribution and BMG. Direct peers are Royalty Exchange, Lyric Financial and BeatBread.
Does Sound Royalties have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sound Royalties.
What industry is Sound Royalties in?
Sound Royalties's product category is Music Royalty Financing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAKAG, Royalty Analytics, Forecasting & Valuation Services, with a secondary code of MPAIAKAD, Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements). Its NAICS code is 51223.