UNIFIED Music Group’s independent artist-focused distribution platform Community Music has announced an expansion of its funding capabilities within the platform.
Officially launched in 2024, Community Music arrived alongside a pledging of $10M to support the development of local artists in building long-term, global careers. Since then, $4.5 million has already been deployed, and now, artists, labels, and rights holders are able to log into their Community Music dashboard to see how much funding they have available in real time.
Utilising the streaming data of an artist and their projected royalty income, funding offer amounts – which range from $2,500 to in excess of $5 million – are calculated monthly, while repayment is automatically collected from incoming royalties.
Community Music’s website notes that its this repayment from royalties which differentiates from a typical label deal, due to the fact that no equity or rights are changing hands or transferred, and artists continue to retain 100% ownership and control of their work.
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
The funding can be used for anything business-related, and is interest rate-free, though a 15% funding fee on our royalty revenue and a monthly admin fee is present.
Notably, this funding expansion arrives at a time when majors are finding themselves shifting away from local investment in favour of offshore consolidation.
“To build a sustainable career today, artists need to be constantly touring, recording, and releasing music,” says UNIFIED Music Group Founder and CEO Jaddan Comerford. “For independent artists, that takes a massive financial toll.
“Easy access to funding is a sure way to help independent artists, in Australia, and around the world, grow on their own terms when traditional funding routes are drying up."
"We built this so artists can see exactly what they're eligible for, calculated against their actual current earnings” adds UNIFIED Music Group Vice President of Recorded Music Francesca Caldara.
“Funding shouldn't feel like a lottery or a trap; it should just be a support tool for your next tour, album, or campaign.”
Full details – including a funding estimate and specifics regarding how it all works – are available via the Community Music website.
