Photo Credit: Noemi Planas, WIN CEO, by Jacobo Medrano
beatBread launches a $100 million global independence fund in association with leading indie music organizations, including AIM, WIN, and IMPALA.
A leader in funding for independent labels and musicians, beatBread has announced the launch of the Global Independence Fund (GIF), a new $100 million fund designed to provide independent labels and distributors with flexible financial support.
The fund aims to ensure that independent music businesses have access to capital on terms that align with their needs, allowing them to grow, compete more effectively to sign new artists, and maintain control of day-to-day decision making.
Labels can secure capital against their share of existing catalog, obtain advances to sign new artists, and access additional discretionary funding that supports broader business growth. The fund is designed to strengthen the independent sector in the face of moves by incumbents to further consolidate their power and influence over artist relationships, and give labels the resources to compete without giving up control.
Additional benefits beyond funding, including distribution opportunities, access to OpenPlay delivery technology and more, will be made available to labels who are also members of AIM, AIM Ireland, WIN, and IMPALA through their various member and friends programs. The launch of the Global Independence Fund follows on from beatBread’s creation of a label advance partnership with A2IM in the U.S., announced in November last year.
“For too long, independent labels have had to play by rules set by incumbents, where access to capital comes at the cost of control, and the opportunity to sign and support artists is also limited by access to capital, even when those distributors or independent labels may otherwise be in the very best position to develop, market, and support a given artist. The Global Independence Fund is one element in the ongoing fight to change that,” said beatBread Head of Artist & Industry Development Matthew Tilley.
“beatBread has been a long-time supporter of the independent sector,” added WIN CEO Noemi Planas. “This new funding initiative will not only offer more access to financing options, it will also provide additional benefits to members of leading independent organization friends programs.”
“The Global Independence Fund is designed to give independent labels the leverage they need to build sustainable businesses on their own terms, compete with larger corporations and retain independence,” Planas continued. “The future of music should be shaped by the diversity, creativity, and resilience of independent labels and artists. Expanding access and choice of funding options helps make that future a reality.”
Labels leveraging the $100 million Global Independence Fund will be able to choose their distribution partners, access additional pools of co-investment capital from within beatBread’s Funding Network, and compare multiple funding structures and options using beatBread’s Deal Comparison Tool, which provides an independent, data-driven evaluation of each financing option.
By giving labels a clear, like-for-like view of deal structures, potential earnings, and long-term costs, the tool ensures that independent music professionals can choose the right funding options with confidence—whether they decide to leverage the capital from the Global Independence Fund and partners within beatBread’s Funding Network or not.
Independent labels and distributors interested in applying for funding can visit beatBread’s website for more information.
