Deals
What actually changed hands, and for how much. Newest first.
Khaby Lame AI Likeness Deal
Khaby Lame (largest TikToker globally at time of deal, 360M followers) sold the rights to his AI likeness to a Chinese company for 3 years in…
GENIUS Act (Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins)
The first federal framework for payment stablecoins — the moment stablecoins became regulated infrastructure instead of a legal gray area.
Netflix × iHeart Podcast Video Deal
Netflix signed iHeart to carry iHeart podcast video content on Netflix.
e.l.f. Cosmetics / Rhode Skin Acquisition
This is the clearest exit data point in the creator beauty brand category.
Informa Acquisition of Ascential
This deal is the definitive proof that events are a financial asset class. Informa used capital recycling
Nelly / HarbourView Catalog Deal
The Nelly/HarbourView deal is the specific transaction cited in Ep06 to illustrate HarbourView's investment thesis: "vintage/generational" catalog
Justin Bieber / Hypnosis Songs — $200M Catalog Sale
This is the clean example of a catalog sale that solves a liquidity problem but surrenders perpetual upside.
Square Acquires Majority of Tidal
Square (now Block) acquired 80% of Tidal for $297M in March 2021.
UMG IPO on Euronext Amsterdam
Universal Music Group went public on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange on September 21, 2021, at a valuation exceeding $50B.
Visit Rwanda — Sports Sponsorship Portfolio
Rwanda placed its national brand on Arsenal, PSG, the LA Clippers, the LA Rams, and SoFi Stadium
Hypnosis Songs IPO
The Hypnosis IPO is the moment music catalogs became a publicly investable asset class.
Sprint Invests $200M in Tidal
Sprint invested $200M in Tidal for 33% of the company in 2017, implying a Tidal valuation of approximately $600M (per Music Business Worldwide…
Jay-Z / Aspiro — Tidal Acquisition
This is the foundational deal in the Tidal story
Jay-Z / Rocawear — Iconix Trademark Sale
This deal is the earliest and clearest example of IP separation as a creator strategy
Blackstone / Epidemic Sound Investment
Blackstone investing $450M in a royalty-free music licensing platform is the institutional signal that creator infrastructure
DraftKings / Dan Le Batard Podcast Deal
$50M over 3 years for podcast rights is not advertising
Slow Ventures — Jonathan Katz Moses $2M Investment
This is the first investment from Slow Ventures' $60M creator fund and the purest expression of the creator-as-CEO thesis.
The Weeknd $1B Credit Facility
This is the most ambitious catalog-as-collateral deal in music history.
Walmart / TalkShopLive — Collectors Nights Partnership
Walmart partnering with TalkShopLive for Collectors Nights is the moment traditional retail meets live commerce infrastructure. Walmart