What happens when an ABBA icon and a private equity titan build a music investment company together?

At Pophouse, the answer is a value-creation model that treats music catalogs not as passive royalty assets, but as the foundations for larger entertainment brands.

In this episode, we’re joined by Natalia Fontecha, Partner and Head of Capital Raising & Investor Relations, and Per Sundin, President of Music & Artist Relations, to unpack how that model works in practice.

From ABBA Voyage to KISS, we discuss the brand and narrative diligence Pophouse applies alongside the usual financial and legal work: the scope of the rights package, the strength of the fan connection, and whether there is a credible path to build an entertainment business around the artist.

Per shares the creative thesis for the model, while Natalia explains what makes it investable: underwriting the cash flows song by song, stress-testing the downside and managing portfolio risk.

Brought to you by Standard Innovation.

► Stay up to date

Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com/subscribe/music-moneyball⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/standard-innovation-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

► About Standard Innovation

Standard Innovation is the data consultancy that helps music investment funds unlock higher valuations and exit multiples through better infrastructure.

► Episode Links

Pophouse Entertainment: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://pophouse.se

Standard Innovation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

► Credits

Guests: Natalia Fontecha & Per Sundin, Pophouse Entertainment

Hosts: Tom Mullen and Emma Griffiths, Standard Innovation

Theme: “Meet Me” — Outlines (Written by Sam Cox) — Courtesy of Bespoke Records

Music ABS is changing how serious capital moves through the music rights market.

In this episode, Paul Sipio, Managing Director at Apollo, explains how music went from a niche alternative asset to something institutional investors can underwrite, structure and finance at scale.

We discuss the catalysts behind that shift, from streaming growth and public market validation to the rise of scaled, diversified catalogs. Paul also takes us inside Apollo’s work with Concord, and how creative ABS structures can give music companies more than a lower cost of capital.

The conversation gets into why repeatable financing platforms matter, how they can support faster acquisition execution, and what funds need to have in place before they can access institutional capital.

This episode follows the release of Standard Innovation’s new whitepaper, Music ABS and Institutional Readiness, which is available here: https://standard-innovation.com/guides/music-abs-and-institutional-readiness

Brought to you by Standard Innovation.

► Stay up to date

Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com/subscribe/music-moneyball⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/standard-innovation-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

► About Standard Innovation

Standard Innovation is the data consultancy that helps music investment funds unlock higher valuations and exit multiples through better infrastructure.

► Episode Links

Apollo: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.apollo.com

Standard Innovation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

► Credits

Guests: Paul Sipio, Managing Director, Apollo

Hosts: Tom Mullen and Emma Griffiths, Standard Innovation

Theme: “Meet Me” — Outlines (Written by Sam Cox) — Courtesy of Bespoke Records

Decay curves have become one of the dominant frameworks used to value music catalogs, but how reliable are they really?

Earlier this year, we brought together the UK music rights investment community in London for the first ever live recording of Music Moneyball.

Standard Innovation CEO Tom Mullen sat down with Alex Bowler of Y Royalties and Sachin Saggar of RedBrick Advisors to unpack how valuations actually work in practice, from forecasting royalty earnings and modelling decay, to understanding how touring, viral moments and artist activity can materially change a catalog’s value.

The discussion explores how decay curves are actually built, where they break down, whether there might be a better way to forecast future catalog earnings, and what we can learn from more mature asset classes like infrastructure and renewables.

Brought to you by Standard Innovation.

► Stay up to date

Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com/subscribe/music-moneyball⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/standard-innovation-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

► About Standard Innovation

Standard Innovation is the data consultancy that helps music investment funds unlock higher valuations and exit multiples through better infrastructure.

► Credits

Guests: Alex Bowler (Y Royalties) & Sachin Saggar (RedBrick Advisors)

Host: Tom Mullen (Standard Innovation)

Theme: “Meet Me” — Outlines (Written by Sam Cox) — Courtesy of Bespoke Records

In this Music Fastball episode, we’re joined by Ryan Hamilton to explore two areas where catalog investors leave money on the table: deal optimization and commercial music usage across social platforms.

First, we break down how the agreements and structures investors inherit can constrain catalog performance — and how taking a more active approach to catalog management can unlock greater commercial leverage and upside.

We then explore one of the fastest-growing areas of music monetization: identifying and enforcing commercial music usage across platforms like TikTok and Instagram using AI tools that now make this possible at scale.

Ryan is the founder of CTLGMGMT and brings nearly two decades of catalog management experience, helping rights holders and investors turn passive catalogs into active revenue-generating assets.

Brought to you by Standard Innovation.

► Stay up to date

Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com/subscribe/music-moneyball⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/standard-innovation-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

► About Standard Innovation

Standard Innovation is the data consultancy that helps music investment funds unlock higher valuations and exit multiples through better infrastructure.

► Episode Links

CTLGMGMT: ⁠⁠https://catalogmgmt.com

Standard Innovation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

► Credits

Guest: Ryan Hamilton — founder, CTLGMGMT

Host: Sam Morey, Standard Innovation

Theme: “Meet Me” — Outlines (Written by Sam Cox) — Courtesy of Bespoke Records

The catalog investment boom has largely been built around 5-10 year fund models. But does that structure actually fit the asset?

In this episode, Josh Gruss, CEO of Round Hill Music, argues that some of the biggest returns in music come later than most investors expect, and that selling too early can leave a lot of value behind.

We discuss how catalogs evolve over time, from streaming growth to sync and unexpected rediscovery, and why holding through those moments matters. Josh also reflects on selling assets that would likely be worth more today, and how that shaped his view on evergreen structures.

Along the way, we get into what really drives catalog value, how Round Hill approaches portfolio construction, and why data is becoming a core part of their strategy.

Brought to you by Standard Innovation.

► Stay up to date

Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com/subscribe/music-moneyball⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/standard-innovation-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

► About Standard Innovation

Standard Innovation is the data consultancy that helps music investment funds unlock higher valuations and exit multiples through better infrastructure.

► Episode Links

Round Hill Music: ⁠https://www.roundhillmusic.com

Standard Innovation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

► Credits

Guest: Josh Gruss — CEO, Round Hill Music

Hosts: Tom Mullen and Emma Griffiths, Standard Innovation

Theme: “Meet Me” — Outlines (Written by Sam Cox) — Courtesy of Bespoke Records

This episode looks at an overlooked source of revenue leakage in music catalogs: recordings that aren’t set up to earn properly in the first place.

We’re joined by Richard Hinkley from Repped Music, who has over 25 years of experience working at major record labels and now works with catalog owners and investors to identify and resolve operational gaps in recorded music.

In this Music Fastball episode, we break down how gaps in availability, fragmented rights, and operational issues during catalog transfers can leave parts of a catalog underperforming — and why issues at the recording level ultimately limit downstream royalty generation.

We focus on the operational layer: identifying where those gaps exist, validating what should be available, and ensuring catalogs are set up to capture the revenue they’re already driving.

Brought to you by Standard Innovation.

► Stay up to date

Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com/subscribe/music-moneyball⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/standard-innovation-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠

► About Standard Innovation

Standard Innovation is the data consultancy that helps music investment funds unlock higher valuations and exit multiples through better infrastructure.

► Episode Links

Repped Music: www.reppedmusic.com

Email Richard: [email protected]

Standard Innovation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

► Credits

Guests:

Richard Hinkley — Co-Founder, Repped Music

Host: Tom Mullen — CEO, Standard Innovation

Theme: “Meet Me” — Outlines (Written by Sam Cox) — Courtesy of Bespoke Records

This episode gets into two of the things music funds care about most: cost of capital and multiples — and how both are shaped in practice.

We break down the financial pillar of the Catalog Maturity Curve and explore how operational maturity — from reporting and visibility to financial infrastructure — directly impacts how capital providers price risk, value assets, and determine who can access the deepest pools of capital.

As institutional capital continues to scale into the asset class, the gap between platforms is widening. Funds with stronger financial operations are able to access better capital, move faster, and operate with more flexibility, while others face higher costs, limited options, and more friction when raising or refinancing.

Brought to you by Standard Innovation.

► Stay up to date

Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com/subscribe/music-moneyball⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/standard-innovation-ltd⁠⁠⁠

► About Standard Innovation

Standard Innovation is the data consultancy that helps music investment funds unlock higher valuations and exit multiples through better infrastructure.

► Episode Links

Standard Innovation: ⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com⁠⁠⁠

► Credits

Guests:

Firdaus Dawood — Private credit, institutional capital (ex-BlackRock)George Williams — Private equity and M&A

Host: Tom Mullen

Theme: “Meet Me” — Outlines (Written by Sam Cox) — Courtesy of Bespoke Records

Brokers sit in the middle of every deal, seeing both sides of the market in real time.

In this episode, Matt Herzfeld shares what he sees from hundreds of transactions each year — working directly between buyers and sellers to price, structure, and close deals.

From that vantage point, he explains where the real activity sits today, including how much of the market is made up of smaller, under-the-radar deals, and why that matters for investors.

We also explore how buyers think about different types of income, why sync is often discounted, and how unpredictable earnings can lead to deals being retraded.

Along the way, Matt breaks down the risk and opportunity in newer catalogs, how different assets behave over time, and why operational capability is becoming a key differentiator in this space.

Brought to you by Standard Innovation.

► Stay up to date

Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com/subscribe/music-moneyball⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/standard-innovation-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

► About Standard Innovation

Standard Innovation is the data consultancy that helps music investment funds unlock higher valuations and exit multiples through better infrastructure.

► Episode Links

Seasons Music Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://seasonsmusicgroup.com

► Credits

Guest: Matt Herzfeld, Seasons Music Group

Hosts: Tom Mullen, Emma Griffiths, Sam Morey

Theme: “Meet Me” — Outlines (Written by Sam Cox) — Courtesy of Bespoke Records

Deals don’t usually fail because of price. They fail because the process breaks down.

In Part 1 of our conversation with Cliff Fluet, we asked a simple but critical question: what are you actually buying in a catalog deal?

In Part 2, we turn to the next challenge: how funds build a process that allows them to evaluate and close catalog deals consistently.

As more capital flows into music rights, investors are reviewing higher volumes of smaller opportunities. The traditional white-glove approach to legal diligence quickly becomes a bottleneck.

Cliff explains how leading investors systemise catalog acquisitions — introducing pre-investment legal reviews, structured diligence workflows, and standardised processes that allow teams to move faster.

Brought to you by Standard Innovation.

► Stay up to date

Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com/subscribe/music-moneyball⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/standard-innovation-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

► About Standard Innovation

Standard Innovation is the data consultancy that helps music investment funds unlock higher valuations and exit multiples through better infrastructure.

► Episode Links

Lewis Silkin: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.lewissilkin.com⁠

► Credits

Guest: Cliff Fluet, Partner, Lewis Silkin

Host: Tom Mullen

Theme: “Meet Me” — Outlines (Written by Sam Cox) — Courtesy of Bespoke Records

Most music catalog deals start with the price — but they’re ultimately won or lost on the rights.

In this two-part Fastball, we’re joined by Cliff Fluet (Partner at Lewis Silkin) to explore the legal side of catalog operations and how it impacts where funds sit on the Catalog Maturity Curve — how clearly rights, obligations and key dates are understood and managed.

Part 1 focuses on a deceptively simple question at the heart of every catalog transaction:

What are you actually buying?

Cliff explains why financial investors approach diligence differently from record labels, why deals often anchor on price before the real work begins, and how gaps in title, documentation or consents can completely change the economics of a deal.

Part 2 will explore what happens next: how buyers operationalise those rights once the transaction is complete.

Brought to you by Standard Innovation.

► Stay up to date

Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://standard-innovation.com/subscribe/music-moneyball⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/standard-innovation-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

► About Standard Innovation

Standard Innovation is the data consultancy that helps music investment funds unlock higher valuations and exit multiples through better infrastructure.

► Episode Links

Lewis Silkin: ⁠⁠https://www.lewissilkin.com

► Credits

Guest: Cliff Fluet, Partner, Lewis Silkin

Host: Tom Mullen

Theme: “Meet Me” — Outlines (Written by Sam Cox) — Courtesy of Bespoke Records