Kord
"From notes to nodes"
About
The problem it solves The global music industry is currently failing its most vital stakeholders, the creators. Even though the global market reached nearly $30 billion in 2024, the underlying infrastructure for royalty distribution remains stuck in a slow and convoluted process. This systemic failure is reflected in widespread artist dissatisfaction, with a recent survey showing that 7 out of 10 creators are unhappy with current streaming royalty models. We see this failure everywhere, from major lawsuits like Limp Bizkit’s $200 million claim against Universal Music Group for unpaid royalties to local disputes, such as Indonesian singer Ari Lasso receiving only a fraction of his reported earnings. These cases highlight "technical and administrative errors" that consistently disadvantage the artist. We have identified four critical root problems: lack of transparency, contractual ambiguity, heavy reliance on intermediaries, and opaque governance. Currently, artists have no way to verify if their royalties are calculated correctly or if their data is being tracked accurately by labels and Collective Management Organizations (CMOs). This dependence on centralized intermediaries often results in the "Black Box" problem, where an estimated $426 million in royalties remains unmatched and unclaimed due to poor metadata and inefficient tracking systems. For the many independent creators who now control nearly 47% of the global market, this translates to a permanent loss of income and a "liquidity crisis" characterized by months of waiting for earnings that are often underreported. Kord addresses these fundamental flaws by transforming traditional music copyright into immutable code. By leveraging a public blockchain ledger, Kord provides real-time auditability and eliminates the need for manual, centralized audits that often mask discrepancies. Through the use of smart contracts, we ensure that royalty splits are locked on-chain at the point of registration, enabling instant, automated payouts the moment a song is licensed or played. We are finally closing the gap between the music being played and the artist being paid, moving from a culture of delays to a new standard of immediate and transparent earnings.
How it's made
Challenges we ran into One of the main hurdles we faced was the technical complexity of combining traditional Web2 logins with decentralized wallet authentication. It was difficult to create a unified system that felt familiar to everyday artists while maintaining the security of the blockchain without confusing users who are new to Web3. Designing the infrastructure and database also proved to be a major challenge. We had to decide which data needed the immutable security of the blockchain and which could stay in a traditional database to keep the platform fast and cost-effective. Mapping out the multi-sign confirmation flow for song registration was equally tough, as we had to ensure every rights holder could securely approve their ownership split.