Discussion draft · 30 September 2026
A funding proposal grounded in released records.
An established studio benchmark. A repeatable live programme. Two separate funding and recoupment pools.
1. The ask
Two separate asks, each with its own funding and recoupment. All amounts are GBP. Edit any figure to test the scenario. These are negotiating positions, not agreed terms.
Ask 1A · Studio album
£300k advance and £500k marketing. Recoups on its own, separate from the live albums.
| Funding pool | Releases | Advance / release | Marketing / release | Total ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio albumRecoups separately from the live programme | 1 |
How the studio marketing is spent
| Spend | When | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| India music videoShoot with Sid, around the Bengaluru festival | December 2026 | £100,000 |
| Wiz Khalifa music videoLA shoot | January 2027 | £100,000 |
| Album campaign marketingFirst tracks and videos, then the album release | Early 2027 to album release, end of 2027 | £300,000 |
| Total studio marketing | £500,000 |
Ask 1B · Live albums
Eleven live albums across 2027 to 2029, at £100k advance and £75k marketing each. All live albums share one pool.
| Funding pool | Releases | Advance / release | Marketing / release | Total ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live programmeAll included live releases cross-collateralise within this pool |
2. Deal timeline
Lock the deal in the next four to six weeks. That secures the India and Wiz Khalifa music videos, so marketing spend can start in December and January.
- Now to mid-November 2026Sign the dealFour to six weeks. Locks both music videos and releases the first marketing budget.
- December 2026India music videoShoot with Sid around the Bengaluru festival. First marketing spend.
- January 2027Wiz Khalifa music video and No I.D. recordingLA. Second music video in the can.
- Early 2027First studio tracks and videosThe album campaign starts.
- Through 2027Cape Town, Ethiopia and Kenya live albumsAlready filmed, released through the year.
- End of 2027Studio album release
- 2028 and 2029Four live albums each year
Once the deal and both videos are locked, the studio album has two strong music videos behind it. The rest of 2027 is delivery.
3. Release schedule
Four albums a year. In 2027, three live albums that are already filmed, plus the studio album. Four live albums in 2028 and four in 2029.
2027
Three live albums and the studio album
- LiveCape TownFilmed
- LiveEthiopiaFilmed
- LiveKenyaFilmed
- StudioStudio albumSessions from January 2027
2028
Four live albums
- LiveEgyptLive show 18 or 19 October 2026
- LiveJamaicaProduction being planned
- LiveSenegalEarly talks
- LiveHaitiIn talks
2029
Four live albums
- LiveKazakhstanFilming planned for April to May 2027
- LiveLive project 10To be chosen
- LiveLive project 11To be chosen
- LiveLive project 12To be chosen
Key dates
| When | Type | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| By mid-November 2026 | Deal | Deal signed. Locks both music videos and releases the first marketing budget. |
| December 2026 | Music video | India music video, shot around the Bengaluru festival. First studio marketing spend, £100k. |
| January 2027 | Music video | Wiz Khalifa music video, LA. £100k. |
| January 2027 | Recording | Studio recording with No I.D., LA. |
| Early 2027 | Release | First studio tracks and videos. The album campaign starts. |
| Through 2027 | Release | Cape Town, Ethiopia and Kenya live albums. Already filmed. |
| April to May 2027 | Filming | Kazakhstan live album filmed, for release in 2029. |
| Summer 2027 · proposed | Festival | Summer Dayes. A live moment to sell records. |
| 29 September to 7 October 2027 · offer | Tour | Australia and New Zealand dates. |
| End of 2027 | Release | Studio album release. |
| 2028 | Release | Egypt, Jamaica, Senegal and Haiti live albums. |
| 2029 | Release | Kazakhstan and three more live albums. |
Release years are targets and depend on the deal closing, delivery and collaborator availability. Egypt, Jamaica, Senegal, Haiti and Kazakhstan are named but not yet filmed. Live projects 10 to 12 are still to be chosen.
4. What the catalogue has already demonstrated
Top-line estimated label value reconstructed from the available sales and royalty figures. Black Classical Music provides a central benchmark of approximately £925,000.
| Released record | Estimated underlying label value |
|---|---|
| Black Classical MusicStudio benchmark | £900k–£1m |
| The Yussef Dayes Experience: Live at Joshua Tree | ~£220,000 |
| The Yussef Dayes Experience: Live From Malibu | ~£184,000 |
| The Yussef Dayes Experience: Live From Mt. FujiFuji account plus the separately reported Amami single account. | ~£107,000Reported activity · H2 2025–H1 2026 |
Estimates reflect available accounting, not verified label cash receipts, profit or complete lifetime totals. The £900k–£1m range is a rounded presentation of the BCM benchmark.
Mount Fuji: Approximately £107k of reported transaction amounts across the recovered Fuji and Amami accounts. This is a different accounting measure from the reconstructed royalty bases above, not a complete lifetime project total or verified label cash receipts. It remains outside the default live-release benchmark.
5. How the proposed funding could recoup
Test a new release programme against those benchmarks. Funding is assumed to recoup from the label/artist allocation; the distributor's fee is shown separately.
100% eligibility is a simplifying assumption, not proof that the historic royalty base equals new-deal receipts. Zero additional costs means no allowance has been entered. Include manufacturing, mechanicals or other costs only where additionally recoupable and not already within the advance/marketing budget. Share and recoupment terms remain subject to contract.
| Indicative economics | Studio pool | Live pool |
|---|
This is a recoupment illustration, not investment ROI or a repayment-date forecast. Distributor fees are revenue before its operating costs; recouped funding is repayment of capital, not profit. Any post-recoup balance belongs to the label/artist side under its agreement, not automatically to CT alone. Studio surplus is never used here to clear a live deficit.
Basis of the proposal
Warner: six original royalty statements, January 2023–December 2025, reversed using line-specific 20%/22% ordinary and 50%/55% sync rates. BCM £924,569.58; Joshua Tree £219,833.29; Malibu £184,482.30. Printed-line reconciliation differs from statement totals by £2.35 across the repertoire. Mount Fuji: recovered H2 2025/H1 2026 transaction exports report £104,077.56 in contract 4894 plus £2,718.75 in separate Amami contract 5006, totalling £106,796.31. The headline rounds this to £107k of reported activity. Core physical sales less returns total 6,285 copies. The full project total is not established; Fuji remains excluded from the scenario selector. The film launched 30 January 2025; record editions followed in December 2025 and March 2026. Republic of Music: figures supplied via Brownswood, 20 August 2026. The 25% fee / 75% recoupment allocation is based on the CV discussion and recap, not an executed agreement.
Calculation: eligible receipts = benchmark × performance × eligibility. Distributor fee = eligible receipts × fee rate. Recoupment credit = eligible receipts × (1 − fee rate). Recoupment balance = credit − (advance + marketing + additional recoupable costs). Receipts needed to recoup = total recoupable funding ÷ (1 − fee rate). No timing, financing interest or tax assumptions are introduced.