Culture Runs on Music
Andy
@aweissman
−4.4%
since Sep 4
The idea
I believe music is the layer culture runs on, shaping what people wear, drink, watch, and where they gather, so I built this to own that whole chain rather than just music stocks. It spans catalogs and rights as the slow base, streaming and live as the cash engine, and the blast radius into sneakers, energy drinks, and fashion as the part nobody prices as a music bet. I keep a slice in cash and spread bets across names instead of leaning on one, since this is meant to play out over years. If culture stopped forming around music and shared listening, I would rethink it.
What it owns
- Streaming and social platforms are where music spreads and becomes shared culture, and they collect a cut on every listen and share. · Spotify TechnologyIt sits between every song and every fan for half a billion people, so it gets paid on the way through when music gets heard., AlphabetYouTube is the front door to music for most of the world, where music videos and clips break songs before they hit charts., Meta PlatformsSongs blow up on Reels and Instagram before they hit the charts, and music is what makes short video work for the platform., RobloxIt is where the youngest music fans gather, and virtual concerts and artist tie-ins there reach kids years before they buy tickets.23%
- Song catalogs generate royalties in perpetuity, and each new music platform that emerges must license and pay the rights holders again. · Sony GroupIt owns the largest recorded music and publishing catalog on earth, so it collects a toll every time a song gets streamed or synced., Warner Music GroupIt owns major music catalogs and publishing rights directly, so it collects royalties every time a song gets streamed or licensed., Tencent Music EntertainmentIt runs the streaming rails in China where music drives youth culture, so it collects fees from paying subscribers across the region., SiriusXM HoldingsMillions of subscribers pay monthly to hear music and talk in their cars, providing steady cash flow from the listening habit., Reservoir MediaIt buys song catalogs one deal at a time, which is the direct bet that old songs are appreciating assets as streaming lifts their royalties.23%
- Live events cannot be streamed or replayed, so fans pay premium prices to be in the room and that spending keeps climbing. · Live Nation EntertainmentIt controls the pipeline from artist to stage to ticket, so it gets paid at every step when music pulls crowds together., Sphere EntertainmentIt turned a venue into the show itself, proving people will pay premium prices when live music becomes spectacle., Madison Square Garden EntertainmentIts flagship venues are stages artists have to play, making it a landlord to live music in the biggest US market., StubHub HoldingsWhen demand for a show beats supply, the overflow trades on it, so it is a direct read on how badly people want to attend live music.17%
- Music decides what young people wear and drink, so the brands it touches sell more without being priced as entertainment companies. · NikeSneaker culture and music culture are the same culture, so it benefits when artists set what young people wear., Monster BeverageIt built its brand sponsoring festivals and tours, so it rides the same crowds that live music pulls together., TapestryIts Coach brand was revived by music and youth culture, with artists and their fans making it desirable again to young buyers., Celsius HoldingsYoung music-adjacent consumers drink it, and it grows by staying cool with them rather than fading into just another shelf drink., Abercrombie & FitchIt reinvented itself by reading music-driven trend cycles faster than other retailers, so fashion follows culture faster when it pays attention.17%
- Audio standards and hardware set how people hear music on every device, and the companies setting those standards collect licensing fees. · AppleIts hardware and services are the default way people physically hear music all day, making it the hardware layer of the listening habit., Dolby LaboratoriesIt collects license fees on audio standards inside phones, earbuds, cars, and streaming apps, so better sound everywhere means more royalties., SonosPeople who care about music will pay up for how it sounds at home, making it the premium home audio play in the music ecosystem.10%
- Cash10%