Services / 03

We broker music catalogs,
read with taste and proof

LA MANO runs music catalog M&A and brokerage in the mid market, deals from $1M to $100M. We sit between catalogs and capital, reading value where others hear only noise. Catalog brokerage, valuation, rights and royalty diligence, and a Grammy-nominated management roster, under one roof.

Range$1M to $100M
RosterGrammy-nominated
DefaultConfidential
03 / The work

What a music catalog broker does

A music catalog broker and M&A advisor stands between the people who own songs and the capital that wants to buy the income. On the sell side, we value a catalog, prepare it and place it with the right buyer without putting it on open display. On the buy side, we bring qualified deal flow and the diligence to act on it. The same discipline runs both ways.

The work is forensic. Every stream, split and clause is read before money moves. We model the royalties, trace the rights, structure the terms and carry the deal to close. Taste tells us which catalogs matter; proof tells us what they are worth. We keep both in the same set of hands.

This is for sellers, songwriters, producers, estates and labels weighing a sale, and for buyers, funds, publishers and operators acquiring rights in the mid market. We take a few engagements at a time, by referral or pitch, and we stay confidential by default.

What we do

Catalog work, end to end

Process

How a deal moves

  1. Source & qualify We identify the catalog or the buyer, read the shape of the opportunity and confirm there is a real deal before anyone spends time on it.
  2. Value the catalog Royalties, trend and durability modelled into a defensible number. OptiCat scores daily deal flow and runs the valuation engine behind the figure.
  3. Diligence the rights & royalties Ownership traced, splits confirmed, statements reconciled. Every stream, split and clause read before money moves.
  4. Negotiate Terms structured and argued on evidence. We hold the table and keep the process discreet from first number to agreement.
  5. Close Paper signed, rights transferred, royalties redirected. A clean handover that holds up long after the deal is done.
Proof

Taste and proof, same hands

$1M to $100MDeal range
GrammyNominated roster
DailyDeal flow scored

The edge is intelligence. OptiCat, our private in-house system, scores daily deal flow across Spotify and TikTok, runs a valuation engine and carries an AI contract copilot. It means a catalog is read from evidence before sentiment ever enters the room. Taste decides what is worth pursuing; proof decides what it is worth paying.

Related

The rest of the hand

Private · In-house
OptiCat Music-rights deal-flow scoring and valuation engine. Scores daily flow across Spotify and TikTok, with an AI contract copilot.
Product · Live
Sample This Royalty-bearing music sample marketplace with audio watermarking, made with charting artists. samplethis.com ↗︎
Roster · By referral
Artist Management Grammy-nominated clients who have worked with the biggest names in music. Careers run with intent.

Other services from the studio: AI Product & MVP Engineering and AI & Automation Consulting.

FAQ

Questions, answered

How do I sell my music catalog?

You start with a quiet conversation, not a listing. We qualify the catalog, read the rights and royalties, and set a defensible value before approaching capital. From there we run a discreet process to the right buyers, structure the deal and carry it to close. Nothing moves to market until you decide it should.

How much is my music catalog worth?

Value sits in the income, its durability and its rights. We model historical royalties, the split picture and the trend across streaming, then weigh genre, decay and concentration to land on a multiple a buyer will actually pay. OptiCat scores daily deal flow across Spotify and TikTok and runs a valuation engine, so the number is read from evidence, not sentiment.

What does a music catalog broker do?

A music catalog broker sits between catalogs and capital. We source and qualify deals, value the rights, run diligence, negotiate terms and close, on either side of the table. The work is part advisory, part introduction, part forensic reading of every stream, split and clause before money moves.

What size of catalog deals do you advise on?

We work the mid market, roughly $1M to $100M in deal value. That is large enough to demand real diligence and structure, and small enough to stay discreet and personal. We take a few engagements at a time, by referral or pitch.

What is rights and royalty diligence?

It is the forensic read of what is actually being bought. We trace ownership and control, confirm splits, check writer and publisher shares, and reconcile reported royalties against the statements behind them. Every clause, term and termination window is read so the income holds up after the deal closes.

Do you represent buyers or sellers?

Both, though never the same deal from two sides. Sellers come to us to value and place a catalog without noise. Buyers come for qualified deal flow and diligence they can trust. The mandate is set in writing at the start, and we hold to it.

Is the process confidential?

Confidential by default. Catalogs, names and terms stay private unless you choose otherwise, and a deal is only shown to buyers you approve. Discretion is the product as much as the price.

Talk catalogs with us.

A few engagements at a time, by referral or pitch. Tell us what you hold or what you are looking for. We respond under 24 hours, confidential by default.