{{Infobox company | name = SongVest | logo = File:SongVest logo 1.jpg | founded = 2007 | website = {{URL|https://www.songvest.com/}} }} '''SongVest''' is an American company that operates an online platform for buying and selling music royalties and other royalty assets. It provides a centralized online marketplace where royalty owners can sell their future payments to investors.

==History== Sean Peace and David Prohaska launched SongVest in October 2008 with an initial aim of auctioning small portions of the royalties of 18 songs, recorded by artists including Cher, Garth Brooks, and Aerosmith, to fans as memorabilia. The business plan was to collect commissions from buyer and seller at the time of sale, after which SongVest would handle the royalty payments to the buyers. The songs included "(Theme from) The Monkees" and Brooks' "Friends in Low Places." The official launch followed a test auction in 2007 that had taken in $25,000 for one-quarter interests in two songs by the band Stryper.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122100657934917451 | title= Dream On: Own Part of a Hit Song | publisher=Wall Street Journal |author=Ethan Smith | date=10 September 2008 | accessdate=21 June 2021}}</ref>

In 2011, Peace expanded on the idea, co-founding Royalty Exchange with Reggie Calloway and Wilson Owens to offer royalty shares in music and other properties to accredited investors on a larger scale.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/06/09/baverman-entrepreneurs-and-startups-royalty-exchange/10012941/ | title= Website turns music royalties into investments | publisher=USA Today |author=Laura Baverman | date=9 June 2014 | accessdate=21 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/stocks--bonds--and---coldplay--why-music-royalties-have-the-potential-to-make-you-money-162914021.html | title= Stocks, bonds, and...Coldplay? How music royalties have the potential to make YOU money | publisher=Yahoo! Finance |author=Kevin Chupka | date=14 May 2014 | accessdate=21 June 2021}}</ref>

The initial iteration of SongVest closed down in December 2013,<ref>{{citation |url=https://madison.com/ct/news/local/writers/mike_ivey/one-time-madison-start-up-songvest-closes-down/article_db054d5c-6288-11e3-b45a-001a4bcf887a.html | title= One-time Madison start-up SongVest closes down | publisher=The Cap Times |author=Mike Ivey | date=11 December 2013 | accessdate=21 June 2021}}</ref> but Peace continued with Royalty Exchange until October 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/techflash/2015/09/royalty-exchange-founder-sells-company-assets.html|title=Royalty Exchange founder sells company assets; starts new venture - Triangle Business Journal|website=Triangle Business Journal|date=10 September 2015|access-date=24 June 2021}}</ref> He re-launched SongVest in 2020. SongVest conducts due diligence and financial analysis of the music royalty opportunities it plans to offer, then lists the opportunities on its website. Registered users can bid on the opportunities when they go live. SongVest then provides closing paperwork and notifies the organizations that pay the royalties of the auction results.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/money/why-music-royalties-are-hitting-the-right-note-for-investors-1.1250290#5 | title= Why music royalties are hitting the right note for investors | publisher=The National News | author=David Dunn | date=29 June 2021 | accessdate=29 June 2021}}</ref>

SongVest's notable auctions have extended beyond music, to include memorabilia, and comedy albums.<ref>{{cite web |title=‘Queen SongShares’ Offers Fans and Investors a Percentage of Royalties From Several of the Group’s Songs |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/queen-songshares-royalties-1236215947/ |website=Forbes |access-date=5 December 2025}}</ref>

In 2021, SongVest added an advance auction platform that created a new financing opportunity for artists and songwriters, enabling these rights holders to lock in a low internal rate of return, retain ownership of their copyright, and retain a buyback option.<ref>{{citation |url=https://allhiphop.com/exclusives/djmontay-flo-rida-songvest/ | title= DJ Montay, Writer For Migos, Flo Rida Talks NFT’s, Future Of Publishing And New Platform SongVest | publisher=AllHipHop | date=22 April 2021 | accessdate=21 June 2021}}</ref>

SongVest auctions current as of summer 2021 included the writer's share of hits by Flo Rida and catalogs that include songs recorded by Cardi B, Notorious B.I.G, Travis Scott, Busta Rhymes, Mariah Carey, Onyx, and Sister Hazel.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.songvest.com/blog-1/categories/closed-auctions | title=Close Auctions | publisher=SongVest | accessdate=21 June 2021}}</ref>

==Notable Auctions== * Michael Jackson: In December 2010 SongVest auctioned memorabilia from Michael Jackson and John Lennon.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.prweb.com/releases/songvest/michael_jackson/prweb4708004.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122133700/http://www.prweb.com/releases/SongVest/Michael_Jackson/prweb4708004.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 22, 2011 | title= SONGVEST To Auction Personal Video of Michael Jackson Triumph Tour Rehearsal - Oct. 27, 2010 | publisher=PRWeb | date=28 October 2010 | accessdate=21 June 2021}}</ref> * Rudy Ray Moore: On 30 July 2020 SongVest auctioned the master recordings of the comedy albums of Rudy Ray Moore, best known for his Dolemite persona.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.iconvsicon.com/2020/07/29/rudy-ray-moores-comedy-album-master-recordings-set-for-auction/ | title= Rudy Ray Moore's Comedy Album Master Recordings Set for Auction | publisher=Icon vs. Icon |author=Jason Price | date=29 July 2020 | accessdate=21 June 2021}}</ref> * ''Pac-Man Fever'': In April 2021 SongVest brokered its first NFT auction, consisting of five NFT versions of Jerry Buckner's "NiFTy Fever", an updated take on the 1980s Buckner & Garcia hit "Pac-Man Fever."<ref>{{citation |url=https://kotaku.com/no-one-asked-for-this-nft-version-of-80s-hit-pac-man-1846700765 | title= No One Asked For This NFT Version Of ‘80s Hit ‘Pac-Man Fever' | publisher=Kotaku |author=Zack Zwiezen | date=16 April 2021 | accessdate=21 June 2021}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{official website| https://www.songvest.com/}}

Category:Financial services companies established in 2007 Category:Intellectual property organizations Category:Investment companies of the United States Category:Online auction websites of the United States