Acquisition #12: 5x Platinum "Whistle" from Flo Rida
Description
This collection is highlighted by the global smash “Whistle” performed by hip-hop star Flo Rida. “Whistle” brought in 88% of this catalog’s royalties in the last year.
Released in 2012 on the album Wild Ones, “Whistle” became a pop/hip-hop crossover hit with massive worldwide popularity. The song charted in 37 countries, snagging the No. 1 position in 20 countries, including the top position on four
different Billboardcharts. “Whistle” is five-time Platinum certified with 236+ million spins on Spotify, while the video has over 400 million YouTube views to date.
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What’s unique about this offering is that the royalties for “Whistle” are from both the musical composition and sound recording sides of the copyright. This means on the musical composition side, you’ll earn publishing royalties — mechanical, sync, and public performance. You will also collect on the sound recording of “Whistle” — the actual recording of the song — from producer royalties. Earning from both the composition and sound recording copyrights is not often available in a single asset.
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Also included in this collection are “Hey Porche” from hip-hop artist Nelly, “Army of Me” performed by pop star Christina Aguilera, and “Dirty Work” from hip-hop artists Akonand Wiz Khalifa. These three songs only produce earnings from the publishing side (musical composition) and collectively account for the remaining 12% of last year’s earnings.
Key Drivers
Multiple Income Streams. You will collect multiple streams of income from both the sound recording and musical composition of “Whistle.” This isn’t often seen in a single offering. The seller is a songwriter for the song “Whistle” and receives publishing royalties on the musical composition side.
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But the seller also produced the sound recording for Flo Rida’s “Whistle.” That means you'll earn sales and streaming royalties for the sound recording on top of publishing royalties for the composition. Anytime someone streams or buys a CD or a digitally downloads “Whistle,” you will earn money two ways!
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Mechanical Rates. The U.S. Copyright Royalty Board recently raised the rates digital music services must pay for mechanical royalties... by nearly 44% over the next five years. This catalog earns primarily from royalties from mechanical royalties on the publishing side with 40% of historic income. As the winner of this auction, you will benefit from the mechanical rate increase as you collect mechanical royalties.
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New Releases. Flo Rida recently released a new single “In My Mind Part 3” in September 2018. While the new song is not included in this auction, new releases can help boost an artist's back catalog. The release of new music draws discovery among new fans who are listening to artists for the first time.