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A new music investing startup called JKBX lets fans share in their favorite musicians’ success by allowing people to buy securities whose value derives from an artist’s streaming royalties.
For examples, investors can invest in songs such as Beyoncé’s 2009 hit “Halo,” Adele’s “Rumour Has it,” and Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York,” among others.
“Every time you hear a song, somebody’s getting paid. That somebody could be you,” the company says on its website.
For now investors can purchase, but not sell, shares via JKBX. The company makes money by charging a transaction fee when customers buy stock.
Streaming royalties can contribute enormously to musicians’ wealth. For example, Swift is estimated to have earned $175 million through her contracts with music streamers including Apple Music, Spotify and others, according to Bloomberg.
Every time a song is played on a streaming platform, as well as in a movie or television show, it generates earnings for the rights owner. JKBX is letting the general public get a slice of that income stream. Still, the returns aren’t astronomical, and other types of investments offer better returns.
“Returns for this type of security are 3% — lower than high-yield savings account,” Wall Street Journal reporter Alexander Osipovich told CBS News.
High-yield savings accounts currently offer interest rates of up to 5%. Of course, that doesn’t give investors the vicarious buzz of sharing in their favorite artists’ success.
“It might be of interest to fans who just want to hold shares of songs that they like,” Osipovich said of JKBX’s business model.
Meanwhile, investing in individual songs is also a gamble since tastes change.
“There’s also a speculative aspect to it. Because potentially, let’s say an old song gets used in a hit movie or TV show or it just has a big revival, then those payments could suddenly increase significantly,” he explained.
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News Streaming to discuss her reporting.
First published on March 8, 2024 / 7:54 AM EST
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