The Los Angeles-based music and technology company Create Music Group has launched a beta version of Create Carbon, a credit card that it says will give music creators the ability to access their royalties as soon as they’re earned, rather waiting to receive them via regular monthly payouts.
The company prides itself on showing artists how much money they’re making on a daily basis by pulling millions of different data points from sources like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
“Traditionally in the music industry an artist is lucky if they receive streaming royalties within 60 days, and it’s not uncommon for artists to wait 6 or even 12 months to get paid,” says Creat founder and CEO Jonathan Strauss. “Our algorithmic technology enables us to accurately predict earnings for our clients on a daily basis and Create Carbon allows us to deliver that money to them in real time as soon as it is earned. Historically, there has been way too much friction and opaqueness among music companies. The challenges artists face to properly understand how much money they make has allowed the industry to extract unreasonably high fees. Furthermore, the friction and lag to get paid has increased artists’ reliance on well-funded conglomerates as the only viable alternative to accessing the capital they need to invest in their careers.”
Initially launching as a pilot, Create Carbon is being rolled out to select Create Music Group clients beginning Tuesday (Feb. 2). Because the revenue is based on actual earned income, the company will charge only minimal fees or interest, yet clients can use Create Carbon just as they would any other credit card, the announcement states.
Best known as controversial rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine’s label, Create was founded by Strauss and Alexandre Williams in 2015 to track and collect YouTube royalties for independent artists. It has grown into a company with more than 125 employees that handles rights management, distribution, music publishing and advertising.
