Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bolero?
Bolero is a marketplace that enables individuals and businesses to invest in the revenues generated by fractional music intellectual property, in just a few clicks.
Bolero's objective is to democratise music investment, in order to generate a new income for creators while preserving their creative control.
How does it work?
Using the platform, you can acquire income shares from music rights.
Each user can buy and hold percentages of revenue associated with the music rights (master and editions) underlying the tracks of their choice. These receivables are made available through digital assets called Song Shares.
Once held, each user can choose to resell their Song Shares or Catalog Shares by putting them up for sale on the market, or to hold on to them to receive a proportional share of the commercial revenues generated by the songs.
What is a Song Shares?
A Song Share is a unique digital asset that contains a percentage of the right to receive proportional royalties from publishing rights (the protection of the lyrics and the score) or master rights (the protection of the recording, the version) a specific song.
Our assets are introduced and listed by right-holders such as artists, publishers, producers or composers wishing to sell a discretionary percentage of their catalogs
How can I buy Catalog Shares and Song Shares?
To purchase listed assets, all you need to do is create an account on Bolero, fill in your information, and use a valid payment method such as a banking card or a digital wallet.
Once you have chosen the amount of assets you'd like to acquire, you can proceed to payment, and once this step has been successfully completed, the assets will be securely transferred to the wallet associated to your Bolero account.
Please note: when you start a purchase, the selected amount of shares are locked for you for 5 minutes in your basket. After that, they will be returned to the market.to the market.
How can I sell Catalog Shares and Song Shares?
To sell assets on Bolero, you must own them and have generated or connected your digital wallet.
When the secondary market for an asset is open, you can open your buy and sell orders so that other investors can fill them. In other words, it's supply and demand that drive the order books.
To complete these order creations, you need to have funded your digital portfolio with USDC (the US dollar-indexed currency used on Bolero), and to check your transaction credits (POL).
If you accept buy orders or sell orders, the proceeds of your sale will be credited directly to your digital wallet. You will have the choice of using these funds again on the market, or withdrawing them to a euro/dollar/sterling bank account via our deposit/withdrawal partners.
In case of emergency and for all secondary sales requests over $10,000, please contact us at contact@boleromusic.com.
How do I get royalties?
The platform collects royalties on behalf of registered users.
On the basis of the revenue generated by the track and according to the sources of revenue concerned by the type of musical right (publishing or master), each Song Shares grants a fixed share of royalties (%).
At frequencies specific to each track, the proportional amount per Song Shares is paid into the Bolero digital wallet of each registered user.
How do you measure the performance and success of a track?
The success of a song can be measured by its consumption, sales and exploitation.
What is the technology used by the platform?
Our technology is the fruit of more than 2 years of R&D. It consists of a unique system for fractionalising intellectual property, as well as an architecture of intelligent technological contracts, guaranteeing both the validity of the musical rights exchanged on the marketplace, and the correct redistribution of royalties to all stakeholders.
Who can view my profile and catalog?
A user's profile can be seen by all the other users on the platform, just like the track catalog they own. Use this feature to follow the best partners and be inspired by their flair!
However, the amount of royalties received and the exact value of the catalog are private.
How can I use Bolero as an artist, producer or composer?
To use the platform as an artist, producer or composer, simply create an artist account or fill in the contact form for our Music team.
If the profile is validated, each artist, producer and composer can create and sell shares of tracks.
What are master recording rights?
A master recording right (or master tape) is the right protecting the recording of a performance made by artists and musicians.
It is an economic right that protects the version of a recording.
In practice, it is the property of the producer.
What are publishing rights?
A publishing right consists of the lyrics and the composition of the music.
It is the score/the sheet so to speak. In practice, it is created by songwriters and the property of the publishers and the songwriters.
What are the revenue sources associated with master recording rights?
- Streaming/online listening
- Online video clip views
- Downloads
- Physical sales (CDs, cassettes, vinyl)
- Synchronisation contracts, i.e. the placement of sound recordings in movies, TV shows and commercials
What are the revenue sources associated with publishing rights?
- Audiovisual licences (video games, etc.)
- Concerts and live performances
- Public broadcasting revenue
- Radio licence fees
- Royalties for cafés/hotels/restaurants/nightclubs
- Synchronisation contracts, i.e. the placement of lyrics and score in films, TV shows and commercials
How are royalties distributed?
Royalties are distributed by the platform, in $USDC, directly to the digital wallet of each holder, on the payment date indicated for each Song Shares.
How often are royalties paid?
Royalties are paid at intervals that can vary from song to song. These frequencies vary from every 30 days to every 6 months.
How is defined the royalties amount?
The amount of royalties paid is calculated on the basis of the total commercial revenue generated by the track over a given period. It corresponds to a percentage of these revenues, after deduction of a 3% processing fee charged by the platform.
How to estimate royalties per Song Shares?
It is impossible to reliably estimate the amount of royalties per share, as this amount is influenced by many factors.
However, it is certain that the more a song is listened to, played and grows in popularity, the higher the amount of royalties per share will be.
To get an idea of the amounts, you can refer to the 'Payment history' section on each track share page.
NB: Past performance is not a guide to future performance, and there is no guarantee that the same statistics will be maintained.
Are there any fees for collecting royalties?
There are no additional charges for holders of shares in pieces. The platform deducts a 3% processing fee directly from each amount, after collection and just before payment.
What is the meaning of the exploitation periods associated with each royalty payment?
Periods are used to determine a start and end date between which commercial operating revenues are booked.
In practice, royalties paid involve commercial revenues that were generated 3 months or more before the payment date.
Who gets the royalties for the Song Shares that have been put up for sale?
The beneficiary of the royalties is the holder of the Song Shares on the day of payment.
If a Song Shares is listed for sale, but has not yet been purchased, the user who created the sell order will be the beneficiary of the payment.
Furthermore, royalties are not calculated on a pro rata basis according to the number of days held. They relate to the entire period of operation, regardless of the day on which the Song Shares was acquired.
Where can I see my royalty payment history?
You can check your payment history directly in your dashboard, in the 'Royalties' tab.
What is a Song Shares?
A Song Share let you invest in a song/a work.
It is a bond/receivable in the form of a tokenized digital asset that contains a percentage of the right to receive proportional royalties from editorial rights (the protection of the lyrics and the score) or master rights (the protection of the recording, the version) from a specific song/work.
Song Shares are created by a right-holder wishing to sell a discretionary percentage of their music rights.
A Song Share grants a proportional share of the revenues generated by the music rights.
What is a Catalog Shares?
A Catalog Share let you invest in a group of songs/works, a catalog.
It is a bond/receivable in the form of a tokenized digital asset that contains a percentage of the right to receive proportional royalties from editorial rights (the protection of the lyrics and the score) or master rights (the protection of the recording, the version) from several songs/works.
Catalog Shares are created by a right-holder wishing to sell a discretionary percentage of their music rights.
A Catalog Share grants a proportional share of the revenues generated by the music rights.
What do the assets enclose?
Our assets are a tokenized debt instruments which track dismembered music rights, in a proportion fixed by share, to receive a single share of the revenue underlying the rights to a work/recording.
In practice, an asset contains an allocation of the revenue from the publishing rights to a song or a catalog, or a percentage of the master rights to a song or a catalog.
The sources of income linked to the asset depend directly on the sources of income from the underlying music rights.
How do your assets bring unique value to artists, producers and composers?
Song Shares and Catalog Shares are a unique tool enabling artists, producers and composers to sell a discretionary share of their master or publishing rights at a fair price, without losing creative control over their work, and finally, by continuing to earn income through the secondary market.
What status do Song Shares or Catalog Shares provide?
Song Shares and Catalog Shares make the holder an economic partner, and therefore a beneficiary of the income generated by a song or a group of songs.
For how long are your assets valid?
The period of validity of an asset on Bolero simply depends on the duration offered by each seller, and the type of underlying music rights.
In the case of an asset tied to Masters Rights, the term may vary from 10 years to the entire life of the right.
In the case of an asset linked to Publishing Rights, the term is generally linked to the life of the right, i.e. up to 70 years after the death of the last songwriter who contributed to the creation of the work.
The term of each asset is specified on each asset page, as well as in the contracts and summary information documents.
How is the yield on each asset defined?
The yield of a music asset made available on Bolero is measured as a percentage on an annualized basis. It is defined by the amount of royalties paid per asset, based on the last price, on a 12-month scale.
The formula is as follows:
Monthly payment per unit ($) * 12 / Last price recorded on the market ($) * 100.
Each time a transaction is recorded on the secondary market, and therefore as soon as the asset ownership changes, the price of the asset is updated. In effect, while the amount of royalties paid per asset is stable, the yield percentage fluctuates with each price change on the secondary market.
It is important to reiterate that past performance is no guarantee of future performance.
How are Song Shares secured?
Tokenized assets on Bolero are secured by 3 attributes:
They are recorded on the blockchain, a technology that guarantees the traceability and immutability of each asset.
They all contain a contract signed by the seller (artist, producer, composer) and Bolero's legal representative.
Investors have full ownership of their assets, via digital portfolios assigned to each account (internal or external), which are fully independent of the platform.
Who can sell music rights in the form of Song Shares?
All artists, producers, composers, labels, publishers... In short, anyone in the industry who owns music rights (master and/or publishing), either in their own name or through a company.
How can I register as an Artist or a Company and sell the rights I own?
Simply register on the platform as an Artist, or contact our Music team.
Bolero reserves the right to accept or reject any application.
What types of music rights can be sold?
Two kinds of music rights and their revenue shares can be sold and traded on Bolero:
- Revenues from master rights (on the recording).
- Revenues from editorial/publishing rights (on the lyrics and score).
How can I retain creative control over the work whose rights I am selling?
Creative control is preserved by design. In each contract for a Song Shares, it is specified that the artist, producer or composer does not give up his or her right to control the exploitation of the work.
How are artists, producers and composers selected for the platform’s catalog?
Bolero has created a Music Department that shapes the catalog with a precise balance between established and developing artists. The department has 3 complementary missions:
- Observe the industry and new trends in order to detect and guide talent.
- Evaluate and advise artists who register with Bolero to distribute their digital assets.
- Build and animate our ecosystem of partners (management, labels, producers) to ensure that all stakeholders benefit equitably from our value proposition.
In this way, new songs are added to the catalog on an ad hoc basis according to their artistic cycles and the interest of our community.
Who sets the price and the percentage of rights per share?
The initial sale price is set by the artist in agreement with Bolero, usually in the range of $10 to $29.
The percentage contained per Song Shares depends exclusively on the total percentage the artist wishes to sell, which will be distributed fairly and evenly across all the song shares created.
Do artists, producers and composers earn commission on the secondary market?
Yes, artists, producers and composers continue to generate income with every trade on the secondary market.
What are the requirements for selling a Song Shares on the secondary market?
You must own at least one share, and pay the listing fee (less than $0.01ct) with your digital wallet.
How can I list a Song Shares on the secondary market?
It's possible to put a Song Shares up for sale from the market page or from the Song Shares page.
At what price can one or more Song Shares be sold?
Each seller decides the selling price. However, for the sale to be finalised, another user must decide to accept this price and proceed with payment.
How long do my listing offers remain on the market?
Indefinitely, until the seller decides to cancel it, or another user decides to accept it.
What commission is charged on the secondary market?
The commission on Song Shares secondary sales ranges from 1.7% to 5%, at the expense of the seller.
How to cancel a listing offer?
From your dashboard, in the Activity tab.
Can I cancel a purchase or a sale on the secondary market?
No, because we use decentralized technology, assets that have been moved from one digital wallet to another cannot be reversed.
Where can I view my listings and completed sales?
You can view your sales history directly in your dashboard, in the Activity tab.
Can I pay with a banking card?
Yes, it is possible to use a banking card to buy song shares on the primary market.
For the secondary market, you need to top up the digital wallet of your Bolero account with a banking card.
Can I pay using Apple Pay/Google Pay?
Yes, it's possible to use Apple Pay or Google Pay to buy Song Shares on the primary market.
Can I pay using my digital wallet?
Yes, it is possible to connect an external wallet to Bolero to make purchases on the primary and secondary market.
This wallet must be connected to the Polygon network (the platform will prompt you to make the change automatically), and be supplied with $POL and $USDC.
You can fund your wallet from your account settings > 'Payments' section.
Can I pay using cryptocurrencies?
Yes, payments are possible exclusively in $USDC on the Polygon.
How can I top up my wallet?
You can fund your wallet using a banking card from your account settings > 'Payments' section or during payment.
Why do I need to authorise USDC on Bolero?
The approval transaction allows Bolero to obtain permission to use your USDC from your wallet.
If you are having difficulty approving your USDC, please contact us by email or on Discord.
Here is a guide on how to complete an approval transaction when you start the Song Share purchase process:
In your wallet, approve Bolero to access the USDC you wish to use for your purchase.
Your wallet may ask you to enter the number of USDC you wish to approve. Please enter a number greater than or equal to the quantity of USDC you need for the purchase.
Note that we set the maximum quantity by default in order to reduce future interactions. In fact, if you leave the parameter set, you will never have to carry out this authorisation transaction again and can therefore save network costs.
In your wallet, authorise the USDC to be used for the purchase. This transaction will incur network charges.
Confirm the purchase in your wallet. This transaction will incur network charges.
Once the purchase has been confirmed, the transaction is submitted to the blockchain (pending).
You will see a green tick on the screen when the transaction is successfully completed.
Why do I need to authorise Song Shares on Bolero?
The approval transaction allows Bolero to obtain permission to transfer your Song Shares from your wallet.
If you are having difficulty approving your Song Shares, please contact us by email or on Discord.
Here is a guide on how to complete an approval transaction when you start the Song Share listing process:
In your wallet, approve Bolero to access the Song Shares you wish to sell.
We use the setApprovalForAll in order to reduce future interactions. In fact, you will never have to carry out this approval transaction again and can therefore save network costs.
In your wallet, authorise the Song Shares to be transferred to the marketplace. This transaction will incur network charges.
Confirm the listing in your wallet. This transaction will incur network charges.
Once the listing has been confirmed, the transaction is submitted to the blockchain (pending).
You will see a green tick on the screen when the transaction is successfully completed.
What is Bolero XP?
The Bolero XP is the indicator of the Bolero users' community.
The XP corresponds to experience points that are unlocked and accumulated as a user performs actions on the platform.
Depending on the number of XP a user has, he or she progresses through the levels, unlocks increasingly prestigious roles, and earns rewards such as free song shares and discounts.
What are the levels?
Bolero XP levels are stages that users reach according to the number of XP they have earned.
There are 20 levels to reach in Bolero XP.
For more information, find your Bolero XP in your dashboard > Community > Quests section.
What are the roles?
Roles are designations that users are assigned according to the last level they reached, and therefore the number of XP they earned.
They are also intended to highlight the most committed users with the strongest musical flair.
These roles are increasingly prestigious, and are unlocked in the following order: Newbie, New Talent, Curator, Specialist, Prodigy, Phenomenon, Boss, Legend.
For more information, find your Bolero XP in your dashboard > Community > Quests section.
What are the rewards per level and per role?
Find your Bolero XP and the full list of roles in your dashboard >Community > Quests section.
Rewards are surprises, and can take the form of free song shares or discounts.
How does the XP multiplier work?
The multiplier is a booster that multiplies the number of XP a user unlocks.
This multiplier can increase up to x3 thanks to the number of consecutive daily connections.
2 days in a row = x1.2
3 days in a row = x1.3
4 days in a row = x1.4
5 days in a row = x1.6
6 days in a row = x1.8
7 days in a row = x2
15 days in a row = x2.5
30 days in a row = x3
If you continue to log on every day for more than 30 days in a row, you keep your multiplier at x3.
If you miss a day, your multiplier will be reset to x1.
How does the XP leaderboard work?
The Bolero XP leaderboard ranks Bolero users according to the number of XP they have accumulated since creating their Bolero account.
Daily login: the rule to follow
In order to earn experience points for the daily login, you must follow the following rule: each login must occur within 24 hours of your last login. For example, if you log in at 10:00 on Monday, you will be eligible for experience points if you log in between 10:01 on Tuesday and 9:59 on Wednesday.
How can I refer my network?
To refer new users, all you have to do is share your referral link with them, who will then have to register with Bolero from your link.
On your Invite page, you'll find a list of users who have registered with your link, who has made their first transaction, and what rewards you've earned.
What are the rewards if a referred contact registers on the platform?
If a user registers with your referral link, you receive 80 XP points.
If they make their first transaction, you receive a 15% discount on your next transaction.
Can I follow other users?
Yes, you can follow other users and receive notifications keeping you up to date with their activity on the platform.
Which notifications are sent to me?
You receive several types of notification, depending on the profiles you follow, the song shares you hold, and the tracks you've added to your watchlist.
Can I transfer Song Shares to other users?
Currently, it is not possible to transfer song shares to other users.
Who can view my song portfolio/catalog?
All Bolero users can see your song catalog if they visit your profile.
Who can see my activity and the value of my catalog?
Only you can know the value of your catalog and the royalties you've earned.
What does the average annual rate of return (or APY) mean?
Average annual yield (APY) is an indicator designed to show the percentage of yield a user receives, scaled over a year.
It is updated regularly, and is based on the amount of transactions carried out, as well as the amount of royalties received.
How can I convert my USDC into euros (€), pounds sterling (£) or dollars ($)?
You can use the withdrawal tool provided by our partner in your wallet settings.
What is the Watchlist?
The Watchlist is a list that each user owns and can add to by clicking on the 'star' icon.
It allows users to receive notifications on the market activity and commercial performance of each track.
How to add/remove songs from my watchlist?
You can add and remove tracks from your watchlist by clicking on the 'star' icon.
Can I get a refund for my purchases?
No, in accordance with our terms of service, each buyer waives the right to a refund. The conditions are to be consulted when creating an account on Bolero.
Do you guarantee the value of the Song Shares?
No, in accordance with our terms of service, we guarantee the veracity of the musical rights (master and editions/publishing) attached to each piece of music, but we do not guarantee the value of the asset over time.
Do you use personal data?
The personal data stored and used by Bolero are:
- E-mail address
- Username
- IP address
- First name
- Last name
How to delete my account?
You can delete your Bolero account from your account settings.
Please note that if you delete your account, you will lose all your account and activity data, and any assets you own will not be recoverable by Bolero.