Acquisition #11: Empire State of Mind
Description
Here's an exciting opportunity to earn royalties from a song performed by one of hip-hop's most iconic artists, Jay-Z. This catalog features the two-time, Grammy-winning “Empire State of Mind” from Jay Z, along with songs by American Idol alum Fantasia Barrino, Jennifer Lopez, Kat DeLuna and more.
The star of this collection (and its largest earner at 83% last year) is “Empire State of Mind” performed by Jay-Z featuring R&B songstress Alicia Keys, along with her solo version of the song. In 2010, the New York city anthem won two Grammy Awards for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Rap Song. The multi-Platinum hit is off Jay-Z's Grammy-nominated album The Blueprint 3.
“Empire State of Mind” was both a critical and commercial success worldwide, charting in upwards of 20 separate countries. To date, the song has earned royalties from over 70 countries. "Empire State of Mind" spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Jay-Z's first No. 1 single on the chart as a lead artist. Impressively, “Empire State of Mind” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts as well.
The track has also been used in dozens of TV series and films such as Saturday Night Live, Glee, Grey’s Anatomy, Sex And The City 2, Bring It On Fight To The Finish, The Great Gatsby, and Men In Black 3, as well as sportscasts for MLB, NFL, NCAA, NBA. Each time a past (or future) series or film airs on TV with “Empire State of Mind,” a public performance royalty is generated. As the winner of this auction, you'll collect these public performance royalties for the song.
Not to be overlooked, is “When I See You”
from American Idol winner Fantasia. “When I See You” peaked at No. 1 the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (spending a year on the chart) and was nominated for two Grammy Awards. Also included is the Gold- certified “Whine Up” from Kat DeLenua along with Jennifer Lopez’s “Hold It Don’t Drop It” — both of which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart in 2007.
Key Drivers
Featured Artist. Not surprisingly, this catalog's most appealing factor is Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind.” As a living hip-hop legend, Jay-Z has 21 Grammys to his name and is touted as one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with more than 100 million records sold worldwide. What's also exciting is that Jay-Z might be even more relevant today than when “Empire State of Mind” was released in 2009.
In 2017, Jay-Z became the first hip-hop artist inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also a well- established businessman as co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, founder of the entertainment
company Roc Nation and the sports agency Roc Nation Sports. Finally, Jay-Z just wrapped a multi-country tour with wife Beyoncé, with the On the Run II, that ended in October 2018.
Hip-Hop & Streaming. This catalog is a perfect example of two trends: hip-hop and streaming's growth worldwide. Hip-hop/R&B overtook rock in 2017 as the most popular genre of music in the U.S. The driver for the increase is streaming. According to Rolling Stone, total consumption of Urban songs (Hip-Hop/Rap and R&B) by both streams and sales grew by 18% in the first half of 2018. Streaming accounts for 15% of this catalog’s earnings over the last 12 months and these earnings are up over 33% in the same period.