Sample Road Records has launched SRR Capital, a venture capital (VC) business that puts money and resources behind music that has yet to reach a substantial audience. It does not focus on catalogs with years of royalty history.
Backing overlooked songs#
The idea grew out of Daily Samplings, the music discovery platform run by Delgado, where he kept finding songs whose quality seemed out of step with their modest audiences.
“There’s so much good music out there that barely gets any promotion,” Delgado said. “Sometimes I’ll see an artist post about a single for a week, and then it’s on to the next thing. It’s heartbreaking, because I’m still listening and thinking, this song deserves more of a chance.”
SRR Capital takes on a role similar to that of a traditional label, finding undiscovered talent and investing resources in the music. Other businesses serve established artists, and investors buy proven catalogs. SRR Capital works at an earlier stage.
How the investment model works#
SRR’s artists and repertoire (A&R) process looks for promising songs and artists whose music could reach a wider audience with the right support. It combines creative judgment with investment committee review.
The model uses relatively small checks to cover:
- An artist advance
- Label services
- A dedicated marketing and promotion budget
- Net earnings split 50/50 with the artist
Delgado founded Sample Road Records while studying commercial music at BYU, and later earned a master’s degree in Global Entertainment and Music Business at Berklee’s Valencia campus. His label experience shaped the model’s economics. He found that modest investments in good music can lower the revenue threshold a release needs to cross to recoup costs and become profitable in the streaming economy.
Attention and distribution#
“Distribution has been democratized. Attention hasn’t,” Delgado said. “An artist can put a song in front of the entire world today, but so can everybody else.”
The label is currently distributed through AWAL. An upcoming single will bring the strategy to listeners.
“The conversations with artists, industry people and the investment community have been really encouraging,” Delgado said. “What gets me excited is getting behind music we believe in and partnering with the people making it. We can help give these songs a longer life and, hopefully, help an artist take that next step.”
How to submit music#
Artists, songwriters, producers and managers can pitch music through the application on Sample Road Records’ Work With Us page. The form asks for:
- A demo link
- Artist and contact details
- Website or social links
- Genre
- What the artist is looking for
Applicants must own or control the necessary rights, or be authorized by the rights holders to submit. SRR considers original music, including compelling works in progress, and reaches out when there may be a fit. Submission does not guarantee funding or a partnership.
