Create Music Group Launches Credit Card for Musicians

Create Music Group has launched a beta version of Create Carbon, a credit card for music creators.

Create Music Group previously became the first music company to show artists how much money they were making on a daily basis, by pulling millions of different data points from sources like Spotify, and Apple Music, and YouTube. With Create Carbon, the company now gives creators the ability to access their royalties as soon as they’re earned, rather than wait to receive them via regular monthly payouts.

“Traditionally in the music industry an artist is lucky if they receive streaming royalties within 60 days and it’s not uncommon for artists to wait 6 or even 12 months to get paid,” said Jonathan Strauss, Founder and CEO of Create Music Group. “Our algorithmic technology enables us to accurately predict earnings for our clients on a daily basis and Create Carbon allows us to deliver that money to them in real time as soon as it is earned.”

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“With Create Carbon, we believe we’re solving two major pain points that beset the music industry,” Strauss continued. “Historically, there has been way too much friction and opaqueness among music companies. The challenges artists face to properly understand how much money they make has allowed the industry to extract unreasonably high fees. Furthermore, the friction and lag to get paid has increased artists’ reliance on well-funded conglomerates as the only viable alternative to accessing the capital they need to invest in their careers.”

“As if structural challenges in the music industry aren’t enough, the traditional financial system - banks and credit card companies - just don’t value a royalty as much as they do a W-2.  We see an opportunity to empower our clients and believe that Create Carbon is a game changer for independent artists and the creator economy.”

Initially launching as a pilot, Create Carbon is being rolled out to select Create Music Group clients beginning today. The card gives clients immediate access to their earnings. Because the revenue is based on actual earned income, the company will charge only minimal fees or interest, yet clients can use Create Carbon just as they would any other credit card.

Upon full rollout, Create envisions an entire financial ecosystem catering to the unique business of the creative entrepreneur. “Who’s to say an artist shouldn’t be able to open a bank account, get a mortgage, and have a credit card all linked to their royalties like any other earner might,” posits Create Co-Founder and COO Alexandre Williams. “We are also developing a rewards program that incentivizes entrepreneurs to invest in their creative endeavors instead of giving them cash back at the gas station.”

“Create Carbon is an enormously powerful tool for independent artists,” said Zach Friedman Co-founder of Homemade Projects, a management company whose roster includes Surfaces, the group whose hit song “Sunday Best” has nearly 600 million streams on Spotify and Larray, a creator and influencer who has over 20 million followers on TikTok. “The ability to access royalties as soon as they are earned gives our roster the power to fund new projects, marketing initiatives or tours without having to renegotiate for an advance or accept onerous loan terms. This financial tool is a revolutionary innovation from Create Music Group.”