Quick verdict
Reservoir Media (NASDAQ: RSVR) is a publicly traded music rights company that has deployed approximately $1 billion across 55+ deals per year, acquiring publishing and master rights from a mix of established and emerging artists — though primarily mainstream. SPACE focuses exclusively on indie creators in ambient, lo-fi, and wellness genres with no minimum catalog size. Reservoir is relevant if you have an established mainstream catalog; SPACE is built for niche indie creators.
SPACE
SPACE is a direct music rights buyer that specializes in ambient, lo-fi, meditation, and wellness genres. The platform is built for independent creators, offering a streamlined submission-to-payout process with no commission or fees. SPACE evaluates catalogs using human evaluators with expertise in mood music economics, and supports both full and partial rights purchases. The focus on a specific genre niche allows SPACE to offer valuations informed by deep understanding of wellness app licensing, meditation playlist economics, and functional music demand drivers.
Strengths
- +No minimum catalog size — accessible to all independent creators
- +No commission, listing fees, or hidden costs
- +Deep specialization in ambient, lo-fi, and wellness music valuation
- +Partial rights sales available for flexible monetization
- +Fast, transparent process with payouts within days
- +Creators retain creative control
Limitations
- −Limited to ambient, lo-fi, and wellness genres
- −Smaller scale compared to publicly traded acquisition companies
- −Cannot offer the global publishing administration and sync pitching infrastructure of a major rights company
Reservoir Media
Reservoir Media (NASDAQ: RSVR) is a publicly traded independent music company founded in 2007 by Golnar Khosrowshahi, who serves as CEO. The company has deployed approximately $1 billion acquiring music publishing and master recording rights, building a portfolio of over 150,000 copyrights. Reservoir completes 55+ acquisitions per year and maintains a global team handling publishing administration, sync licensing, creative services, and artist development. The company works with a range of artists from legacy catalogs (Joni Mitchell, Phil Collins) to newer talent, though its focus is primarily on commercially established artists and songwriters in mainstream genres.
Strengths
- +Publicly traded (NASDAQ: RSVR) with transparent financial reporting and institutional backing
- +~$1 billion deployed with 55+ deals per year demonstrating consistent acquisition capacity
- +Global publishing administration and sync licensing capabilities
- +Mix of legacy and emerging artist acquisitions provides portfolio diversification
- +Full-service approach: publishing admin, sync pitching, creative services, and artist development
Limitations
- −Primarily focused on commercially established artists and mainstream genres
- −Deal sizes and evaluation processes not designed for small indie catalogs
- −As a public company, acquisition decisions are driven by shareholder return metrics that may not align with niche-genre economics
- −Complex deal structures and extended due diligence timelines typical of institutional buyers
Feature comparison
| Feature | SPACE | Reservoir Media |
|---|---|---|
| Target seller | Independent and emerging creators in niche genres | Established and emerging artists primarily in mainstream genres |
| Company structure | Private company | Publicly traded (NASDAQ: RSVR) |
| Capital deployed | Privately funded, niche-focused | ~$1 billion across 55+ deals per year |
| Genre focus | Ambient, lo-fi, meditation, wellness | Mainstream — pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop, country, Latin |
| Minimum catalog size | No strict minimum | Generally requires established commercial performance |
| Services offered | Direct catalog purchase (full or partial) | Publishing administration, sync licensing, creative services, catalog acquisition |
| Payout speed | Typically within days | Weeks to months (institutional due diligence and legal review) |
| Commission / fees | No commission or fees | Deal terms negotiated individually; admin fees apply for publishing services |
| Creative control | Retained by creator | Varies — Reservoir manages acquired rights for commercial optimization |
| Valuation approach | Human evaluation with mood-music expertise | Financial modeling, streaming analytics, and projected revenue analysis by institutional team |
Our verdict
Reservoir Media and SPACE are built for different creators in different markets. Reservoir is an institutional acquirer with the infrastructure, capital, and global team to manage major publishing and master rights portfolios — they complete over 55 deals per year and their acquisitions are driven by the financial performance expectations of a publicly traded company. If you're an established songwriter or artist with a commercially significant catalog in a mainstream genre, Reservoir's full-service approach (publishing admin, sync pitching, creative services) can meaningfully grow the value of your catalog post-acquisition. If you're an independent creator in the ambient, lo-fi, or wellness space, Reservoir is likely not evaluating catalogs in your genre or at your scale. SPACE is purpose-built for this segment: no minimum size, no commission, fast payouts, and deep understanding of mood music economics. The right choice depends entirely on your catalog's genre, scale, and what you need from a buyer.
Common questions
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