“A best-kept secret”: a long-term investor’s journey into music royalties

Investing in music royalties is a growing concept, but it remains unfamiliar to many. In this article, we share the experience of Jean-Denis, a Belgian investor who joined ANote Music in 2021. Known on Discord as Bankingbeats, he shares his review of the platform with us.

When Jean-Denis first saw an ad for ANote Music on social media, he wasn’t instantly convinced. He decided to start with a small “test” investment, fully prepared to lose that money if things went wrong. Then he stepped back and left his portfolio alone. Nine to twelve months later, he logged back in and realised his portfolio performance had grown more than expected, eventually reaching around 36%* over two years, based on his personal experience.

Today, after about five years on ANote Music, he describes himself as a long-term, mostly passive investor who reinvests his returns, refers friends, and believes music rights investing is still a “best-kept secret” in the investing world.

Table of contents: 

• The beginning - the fear of missing out
• Why ANote Music and why music royalties
• Five years later: the strategy and what's ahead
  
  • Sharing the secret
  • A word for new investors
  • Looking ahead

*This represents only this investor's (Jean-Denis) experience. Keep in mind that historical data is not a guarantee of future performance.‍

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The beginning - the fear of missing out

Jean-Denis works in Marketing and is passionate about music. He missed the early crypto wave mainly due to the fear of the unknown. Crypto was a relatively new concept but the lack of knowledge and certainty made Jean-Denis (and many others) hesitate whether this was for them or not. 

“Seeing an ad saying “invest here” in a period where there were both very good and very bad opportunities — like crypto, for example — made me very cautious.”

He did his research about the legitimacy of ANote Music, making sure it was a real established company: “I said, okay, I’ll put a bit of money, and if it’s lost, it’s lost. If it’s not, great. It was a kind of leap of faith, to be transparent”. 

After that “leap of faith”, rather than stress over it, Jean-Denis decided to go on with life, almost forgetting about it. Only after nine to twelve months later he returned to the platform to find a surprise. He realised the performance of his account was going up. 

After reinvesting everything that first year, he let his portfolio “do its thing” and came back a year later to find around 17%* annual performance on his portfolio.

“That was higher than my stock market returns over the same period. I thought, okay, that’s definitely something to follow.”

‍*This represents only this investor's (Jean-Denis) experience. Historical data is not a guarantee of future performance.

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Why ANote Music and why music royalties

For Jean-Denis, the results were important; however for him, investing in music goes beyond the performance. Music itself plays a big role in his conviction. In a period marked by geopolitical shifts and uncertainty, he values assets that are uncorrelated with the stock market. Music also feels more tangible for him than traditional financial products because everyone listens to music. And finally, he simply finds it more enjoyable than investing in companies.

“With all the geopolitical tensions that we’re having (...) having assets that are uncorrelated from the stock market can only be positive.”

That combination helped make music royalties more appealing, but the way ANote Music approached the concept convinced him to stay.

Although music royalties investing is still relatively new and a few other platforms have emerged in recent years, Jean-Denis says ANote Music stood out after he compared different options.

After five years on the platform, usability remains one of the main reasons he values ANote Music. He describes the interface as intuitive and easy to navigate. He finds the information available on the platform clear and easy to understand. 

 “I’ve used stock market apps, and honestly, ANote is easier to use than 60–70% of what’s out there.”

Beyond the interface, he also appreciates the accessibility to the team. Being able to ask questions and get direct answers, whether through email, Discord or other channels, creates a sense of community.

“Being able to talk to Ginna, Geoffrey, Nick or Jojo creates a real sense of community. We get answers super fast and it's always clear and helpful, especially for those who are beginning their investment journey.”‍

Jean-Denis' review of ANote Music is positive but not everything is perfect, he also sees room to grow, especially around education. 

“People can learn more about basic finances, that would make it easier to approach the concept and be more confident about investing”. ‍

According to him, having more support articles about basic financial concepts could help answer some of the first-time investors' questions and make it easier for them to approach this kind of investment with confidence.

He also believes having bigger artists' names: "Mainstream US or Latin artists could create real excitement". Finally, more clients and transactions would ultimately help with liquidity and pricing. 

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Five years later: the strategy and what's ahead

There are no rights or wrongs when it comes to choosing an investment strategy. Active or passive approach will depend on different factors. Jean-Denis started as a passive investor and he stays that way. 

“My profile is more of a passive investor. Each time I get returns, I try to reinvest them.”‍

For him the experience is more about watching the progressive growth of his portfolio rather than “jumping at every opportunity”. He reinvest and when necessary adds extra funds.

*This represents only this investor's (Jean-Denis) experience and it’s not advice or recommendation on the strategy each investor should follow. 

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Sharing the secret

Whenever Jean-Denis spoke about ANote Music people were very curious about the concept.

“I was always having great discussions just by saying: “oh guys, I do this”. And people were like, “oh but can you tell me more? super exciting, never heard of it””

The questions were so consistent that he came up with the idea of creating a website. There Jean-Denis, or better Bankingbeats, tries to answer some of these questions. He wasn’t looking to become a referrer “people were just actively interested”. 

Jean-Denis often hears the same question: “Do I need to know a lot about music?” For him, having a basic understanding of finance is far more important. Many of his conversations follow a similar pattern, people are discovering music royalties investing for the first time, mainly because information on the topic remains limited. Until recently, it was an investment mostly reserved for industry insiders. 

Today, although platforms like ANote Music make music royalties accessible to everyone, Jean-Denis believes the concept is still unknown.

“There’s a feeling of a best-kept secret”

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A word for new investors 

Having questions and being cautious about putting money in a new asset is normal. When asked what he would say to people wondering how to start investing in music royalties, Jean-Denis said he’d encourage people to “at least try and learn from it”, while always being careful to invest “only the money that you don’t need”. 

For him, music feels more tangible than many other financial assets, and that makes it a practical way to learn how investing works. He believes that even starting small and already earning royalties can already be a good way to understand how the platform works, before gradually diversifying and having a larger portfolio.

“I would recommend any friends to at least try it. And, if possible like me, be happily surprised.”‍

The experience can be different for each investor, for Jean-Denis, the end of 2024 and 2025 were particularly interesting for his account and he’s excited for 2026. 

“This is a great moment to be on ANote Music and I'm really excited to see what you guys are bringing in 2026.”

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Looking ahead

Today, Jean-Denis plans to stay invested for the long term. Rather than selling, he plans to continue reinvesting whenever possible and remain active on the platform in the years to come.

As for the general industry, he believes investing in music royalties is “very promising”, even if it hasn’t yet reached its full momentum.

“At some point there will be a big boom for it, a big momentum. And, I will be there to witness it.”

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*Disclaimer: Nothing in this article is investment advice; always consider your circumstances and risk tolerance. Historical data does not guarantee future returns and should not be considered financial advice. Like all financial opportunities, music royalties carry risk. Catalogue performance can vary, and there are no guaranteed returns. Always review historical data and platform information carefully.

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