Swiss tech company Tribe Music Group has launched a catalogue-valuation tool called ValuePunks, available for artists and labels to use at no cost.
The software measures data across every rights category — streaming, physical, sync, D2C and neighbouring rights — and turns it into a catalogue assessment report.
This is based on earnings data from more than 120,000 catalogue profiles collectively generating over €100m in annual royalties, with the system adjusting valuations for inflation rates over time, as well as stability, growth, streams and geographic revenue.
“Most artists never find out what their catalogue is worth until a buyer is at the table — and it arrives on a napkin, with a ‘trust me,‘ usually from someone who wants to buy,” said co-founder and CEO of ValuePunks Constantin Thyssen.
“The number an artist gets in a deal is often built to be argued down. The people who made the music should be the best-informed in the room, not the least.”
A standard ValuePunks valuation report for one catalogue is free, but the business model is freemium, with paid ‘label’ and ‘enterprise’ tiers expanding the number of catalogues that can be analysed, as well as adding comparison and export features, plus API access and dedicated customer support.
The launch follows the recent report on catalogue trends by France-based analyst and journalist Philippe Astor, who suggested that valuations of ‘iconic’ catalogues have stabilised at between 12x and 17x their annual royalties.
ValuePunks is one of the platforms aiming to help the pyramid of catalogues below the ‘iconic’ level understand their valuations – and realise them in any sales – too.
