Community Stories #1: Discover Adrian’s Strategy to Invest in Music
December 18th, 2024 - Welcome to Bolero Stories, an exclusive series where music meets investment. Immerse yourself in the unique stories of members of the Bolero community as they turn their passion for music into tangible value, building their wealth asset by asset, rights by rights. These interviews uncover our members' choices, strategies and impact on the music industry, while illustrating how Bolero makes music rights accessible to all.
Get acquainted with Adrian:
Username: Wrarpy
Age: 26
Profession: Supply Planner - Scheduler
City of residence: Châteaudun, France
Amount invested: $11,343
Royalties earnings: $1,003.22
Sales earnings: $3,179.68
Performance: +59.29%
What motivated you to invest in music?
I discovered Bolero during a live stream by Hasheur on Twitch, where he talked about the possibility of investing in shares of artists like Rilès. At the time, Rilès was the artist I listened to the most. I used to drive 8 hours twice a week with his music playing in the background.
Already interested in investments, I found it incredible to diversify my savings with a rather interesting return (10-12% on Brothers back then, if I remember correctly) while owning shares of an artist I had on repeat. The idea that you’re helping one of your favorite artists gain liquidity while earning a percentage on every listen to their music is just amazing.
What is your vision for the future of music rights as investment assets?
I generally expect the number of streams for a back catalog to remain stable. These tracks tend to be deeply embedded in people’s playlists: even if some remove them, others will add them.
And even if streams drop temporarily, I believe something will always bring them back up. For instance, when an artist releases new music, it naturally draws people to their back catalog. A song might also play again on the radio, the artist might promote it or perform it live in concert.
On top of that, I think new platforms we can’t yet imagine will emerge, providing fresh revenue sources for rights holders. There’s also the rarity factor — few people own shares of a song, as you typically need to be involved in its creation to have rights. This scarcity adds value.
Altogether, I believe the shares I purchase will either retain their value or increase, making it unlikely for them to depreciate in the long run.
Meanwhile, these assets generate passive income for me, currently averaging 13% APY. In the next 10 years or so, I expect the value of my shares to be fully recouped, and everything beyond that will be pure profit.
What proportion of your overall portfolio is allocated to music rights compared to other types of investments?
I finished my studies in mid-2023 and started investing in 2024. The release of Le Motif’s tracks coincided perfectly with the time I started earning my first real salaries. I initially invested heavily but reduced my contributions over time (particularly for tracks with slightly lower returns) to diversify my portfolio.
Here’s the current breakdown of my investments:
• 72.49% in music rights
• 8.12% in cryptocurrencies
• 6.45% in Pokémon cards (mainly rare boxes like the Charizard Pokébox, purchased for 26-30 EUR and resellable for 50-55 EUR)
• 4.07% in a fixed-term account at 8% gross (cash reserve)
• 4.01% in the stock market (FR/JP/US)
• 2.28% in equities via Crowdcube
• 1.64% in real estate crowdfunding
• 0.94% in cash.
This diversification allows me to balance returns, liquidity, and long-term growth potential.
What is your overall strategy for investing in music?
I aim to diversify my catalog as much as possible, even if it means picking ‘a share for the sake of it’ (not to name names), even with low returns. If the supply is small and the return is around 6-8%, I’ll buy more to resell later and make a small profit. When I have time, I update my Bolero Excel sheet.
If the return is above 10%, I try to invest about $100 because I see that as a good return. If it’s around 15-20%, I’m willing to put in $500 or more because even if the return drops by 30%, it’s still excellent.
As for reselling, if the profit I can make from selling a share exceeds the equivalent of 10 royalty payment periods, I start considering selling (especially if I own multiple shares) to reinvest.
I also take into account whether royalties are increasing or decreasing compared to previous periods. For example, Chagriné by JuL was priced at $20 on the secondary market. Selling it would have made me a $9 profit, equivalent to more than 30 royalty payment periods (with the last royalty being $0.3). I then evaluate whether the streams are stagnating or have dropped significantly before deciding to sell.
I usually sell when I think it’s more profitable in the short to medium term because it allows me to reinvest in new tracks, further diversify, or even generate more profit by reselling the new shares I acquire. That said, my primary goal remains long-term.
Currently, I earn about 13% of my invested value in royalties. I estimate that within 10 years, my initial investment will be repaid, and everything beyond that will be pure profit. In just 9 months with Bolero, I’ve already funded a trip to Vietnam with the royalties — imagine what it could look like in 10 years.
I’ve already funded a trip to Vietnam with the royalties — imagine what it could look like in 10 years.
What are your top 3 music rights' holdings in your portfolio, and why did you choose them?
In terms of the percentage of supply owned and total value, my main positions are Cuando Ella Sale, Epilogue, and Courtoisie.
The returns over the past 12 months for these tracks were impressive—20 to 40%, if I remember correctly. Some also had very limited supply. I thought, worst-case scenario, even if revenues drop by 50%, the return would still be excellent. So, I just clicked ‘Max.’ And given the low supply, it’s certain that someone would be willing to buy my shares at a higher price than the primary market.
If we’re talking about the sheer number of shares, my top positions are the Jouuue and Low Wood catalogs, as well as Pousse-toi by Tiakola. My goal is to diversify and benefit from long-term dividends, so catalogs are perfect for that.
The returns are around 10%, and I also benefited from a discount when leveling up, which made them even more attractive. For Pousse-toi, the initial return was appealing, and I spotted an opportunity: someone was reselling shares at $4 instead of the $5 primary price. I took advantage of the deal.
If Bolero were to offer the Catalog Shares of your choice, which one would you prioritize, to the point of never wanting to sell it?
A Catalog Shares of Rilèsundayz. Purely for sentimental reasons. And honestly, given how often I listen to his tracks, I’m confident the streams won’t drop.
If Bolero were to offer the Song Shares of your choice, which one would you prioritize, to the point of never wanting to sell it?
So to the point of not wanting to sell, I'd have to say my two favourite Rilès songs.
What upcoming features or updates are you most looking forward to?
It would be great to have, at the end of the notifications about the number of views for each track, a daily estimate of what the Spotify streams have generated and a total estimate until the next payout.
Adrian perfectly embodies the spirit of Bolero: passion, strategy, and a long-term vision. Through his thoughtful choices and love for music, he demonstrates how to turn a passion into a tangible and innovative investment opportunity. Thank you for sharing your journey Adrian!
Ready to follow in Adrian’s footsteps and explore the possibilities of investing in music? Discover the available assets on Bolero and start your own music investment journey today.
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The information in this article is for information and educational purposes only. It does not constitute professional, financial or legal advice. Any investment involves the risk of capital loss and illiquidity. The author accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage arising from the use of the information provided. Any action based on the content of this article is at your own risk.
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