Why Catalog Buyers Should Be Looking at SongShares

How SongShares are changing the game on music catalog investing for both artists and investors.

 Why Catalog Buyers Should Be Looking at SongShares

Over the past few years, music rights buyers have faced a familiar challenge: valuation volatility. Just ask Hipgnosis Song Fund. Their aggressive buying spree at 20x+ multiples created sky-high paper values — until an independent appraiser marked the catalogs down. That downgrade triggered a collapse in share price, a shareholder revolt, and ultimately a private-equity buyout by Blackstone.This is where SongShares come in.

SongShares allow buyers to sell a portion of select songs — either top performers or underperforming assets — directly to fans at premium multiples (20x+ in some cases). Fans aren’t just investing; they’re collecting a piece of music history they love, with SEC-qualified ownership and tangible memorabilia included.

Here’s how it helps buyers:

🔹 Buy down your effective multiple: If you paid 14x for a catalog and it’s now underperforming, selling a % of popular titles via SongShares at 20x lets you reset the “book” multiple closer to 12x–10x.

🔹 Stabilize your balance sheet: Diversify cash flows and reduce the risk of valuation swings wrecking lender covenants or fundraising ability.

🔹 Unlock liquidity without a full sale: We know songs in the $100K–$300K range sell out quickly (often within 12 months). That’s real liquidity, and the demand is growing.

🔹 Incremental upside: Buyers also share in 50% of SongVest merch profits (gold records, awards, collectibles), creating an additional income stream.In today’s market — where average publishing multiples have tightened to ~16x–17x — SongShares offer buyers a way to extract premium value above market levels while engaging fans and strengthening artist legacies.

The takeaway? SongShares aren’t just for fans. They’re a strategic lever for buyers to protect capital, manage multiples, and keep raising new funds confidently.

👉 If you’re a catalog buyer, it may be time to think differently: don’t just hold assets — optimize them.