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Blokur is a London, England-based music data and licensing platform that connects music rights owners with online platforms using advanced data matching and rights identification technology. Operating as a business-to-business software provider, the company maintained a dedicated team of approximately 12 employees prior to its recent industry consolidation. On January 31, 2024, the enterprise was officially acquired by Music Reports, a rights administration firm backed by MidOcean Partners, to enhance its global music reporting capabilities. Before the buyout, the platform facilitated music integration and accurate royalty payments for digital services across the social media, gaming, and fitness sectors, securing strategic partnerships with entities like 7digital and Tuned Global. The startup previously received early financial backing from institutional venture investors such as the government agency Innovate UK. Blokur was founded in 2015 by Phil Barry.
Blokur has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round.
Blokur has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Blokur has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Blokur's investors include Ascension Ventures (UK).
Blokur has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $1.0M Seed in September 2017.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2017 | $1M Seed | — | Ascension Ventures (uk) | Announced |
Blokur is a London-based technology company that builds a music rights management platform simplifying licensing, royalty calculations, copyright data tracking, and global music reporting for digital products and services.[1][2][4] It serves music creators, rights holders, publishers, streaming platforms, and businesses like airlines integrating music (e.g., inflight entertainment), solving longstanding issues like inaccurate song data matching, misattributed royalties, and complex ownership tracking in a fragmented industry.[1][2][3] Founded in 2016-2017, Blokur raised $1.2M-$1.5M in funding before its acquisition by Music Reports in January 2024, with recent partnerships like Spafax for automated inflight music clearances launching in early 2025.[1][3]
The platform uses data engineering, machine learning, sub-graph matching, and blockchain to create a definitive, transparent record of rights, ensuring fair and timely payments while enabling seamless music integration.[2][3][4] Post-acquisition, Blokur operates as a subsidiary, enhancing Music Reports' capabilities and partnering with entities like the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC).[1][2]
Blokur was founded in 2016 (per CB Insights) or 2017 (per Wikipedia) by Phil Barry, a former recording artist frustrated by artists' ineffective royalty payments.[1][2][3] Barry's personal experience inspired a platform addressing song data misrepresentations, reporting difficulties, and licensing gaps, starting with blockchain and machine learning to track complex rights ownership, samples, and ownership changes.[2][3]
Early traction came via Digital Catapult collaboration on an Innovate UK-funded project for scalable Ethereum blockchain data writing, securing £1.5M in venture capital from funders like Innovate UK and Ascension.[3] Pivotal moments include 2020-2021 Songwriters' Reviews highlighting top global songwriters (e.g., Tones and I, Olivia Rodrigo), partnerships with 7digital, Tuned Global, and IMPEL, and 2023 MLC Supplemental Matching Network inclusion.[2] Acquired by Music Reports in January 2024, Blokur now powers integrations like Spafax's inflight music compliance.[1]
Blokur stands out in music rights management through:
Blokur rides the music streaming and digital content explosion, where global streams demand precise rights data amid rising creator payouts and regulatory pressures (e.g., MLC mandates).[2] Timing aligns with blockchain's maturation for immutable ledgers and AI/ML for data matching, tackling a $30B+ industry plagued by 10-20% unclaimed royalties due to mismatches.[3] (Inference: Industry stats from general knowledge, as results highlight persistent "complexity" without figures.)
Market forces like inflight/personalized audio growth and Web3 creator economies favor Blokur, influencing the ecosystem by standardizing data (e.g., IMPEL hub, MLC network) and enabling compliant music use in apps/services—accelerating "Internet of Creators" via fair monetization.[2][4][6] As a Music Reports subsidiary, it amplifies U.S.-global alignment, reducing friction for startups in audio tech.
Post-2024 acquisition, Blokur's trajectory points to expanded integrations in streaming, gaming, and enterprise audio (e.g., Spafax Q1 2025 rollout), leveraging Music Reports' scale for dominant rights tech.[1] Trends like AI-generated music, real-time royalties, and blockchain interoperability will shape it, potentially evolving into a universal "music rights API" amid regulatory pushes for transparency.
Its influence grows as a bridge between legacy PROs and digital natives, ensuring creators capture value in a $50B+ streaming market—tying back to Barry's artist roots by making "money and music flow effortlessly."[4] Watch for MLC expansions and Web3 pilots to solidify its ecosystem role.
