Kobalt Music in Rangsit: how Mint learns how a London company founded in 2000 used software to show songwriters their royalties, and checks for a pickup first

Mint is fifteen and lives in Rangsit, where she writes songs in her bedroom on a cheap keyboard and her phone. She has uploaded a few of them to streaming services through a free distribution website, and one has earned a tiny amount of money. She was thrilled, but also confused. Where exactly did that money come from, and who decided how much she should get?

Her older cousin works in the music business in Singapore, and during a video call she told Mint that the answer is complicated. A song earns different kinds of money, called royalties, whenever it is streamed, played on the radio, performed live or used in a film. Different organisations collect each type, often in different countries, and the amounts pass through many hands.

For decades, songwriters often received statements that were hard to understand and arrived months or even years late. They had little way to check whether they were being paid correctly. Her cousin said that one company became famous for trying to change this. It was called Kobalt Music Group, and it was founded in London in 2000.

Kobalt's founder was Willard Ahdritz, an entrepreneur from Sweden. His idea was to treat music publishing as a technology problem. Instead of relying on slow paperwork, Kobalt built software to track how songs were used around the world and to collect royalties more quickly and accurately. Songwriters who signed with Kobalt could log into an online portal and see detailed information about their earnings.

This transparency was a big change. Writers could see which countries and services their money came from, often down to the individual song. Kobalt also generally let writers keep ownership of their copyrights, instead of taking ownership as many traditional publishers did. Many successful songwriters and artists signed with the company over the years.

Making royalties visible

Kobalt also launched a business for independent recording artists called AWAL, which helped them release music without a traditional record deal. AWAL grew into a significant service and was later sold to Sony Music in a deal completed in 2022. Mint found it interesting that a company focused on transparency now sat inside one of the biggest music companies in the world.

For her school project on business innovation, Mint decided to focus on Kobalt. She explained to her class that the company did not invent a new instrument or a new style of music. Instead, it invented a better way of counting and sharing money, which is just as important for musicians who want to make a living.

Mint's own musical training is still developing. She began piano lessons and AI piano lessons last year with TIGA ALPHA, an online piano learning app, because she wanted to understand chords properly instead of guessing. The AI piano teacher shows her which notes she is playing and helps her fix her timing, which has made her songs sound much tighter. She wants to play piano confidently enough to perform her own songs live and play music with a full band.

Songwriting has made her pay attention to the beginnings of songs. Mint glances over the first bar of each song she practises and checks for a pickup, a small incomplete bar that sets the melody going before beat one. Many pop songs begin this way, and noticing it has helped her write lyrics that fit the rhythm more naturally.

Her piano course has taught her common chord progressions, and she uses them in almost every song she writes now. The app lets her slow down a backing track, so she can practise singing and playing together without feeling rushed. She has written three new songs since starting, and she thinks they are her best yet.

In her school music lessons, students recently discussed how musicians earn money. Mint shared what she had learned about royalties and Kobalt, and the teacher was impressed. Several classmates admitted they had never thought about how a stream turns into money for a songwriter.

For any young person who wants to learn piano and write songs, the business side matters too. Knowing how royalties work, who collects them and how to read a statement can help a songwriter protect their work. Mint plans to learn much more before she ever signs a contract.

She now keeps a simple spreadsheet of her own songs, listing where each one is uploaded and how many plays it has. It is tiny compared with anything Kobalt handles, but it makes her feel like she is running a small business. Tonight she will practise a new song on the keyboard, check how it begins, count in and record a demo. If it ever earns a royalty, she wants to know exactly where every baht came from.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What is Kobalt Music Group? A: Kobalt is a music rights company founded in London in 2000 by the Swedish entrepreneur Willard Ahdritz. It became known for using technology to track royalties and give songwriters detailed, online access to their earnings.

Q: What is a music publisher? A: A music publisher manages the rights to songs, meaning the words and melodies, and collects royalties when those songs are played, streamed, performed or used in films and adverts.

Q: What happened to Kobalt's AWAL label services? A: AWAL, Kobalt's service for independent recording artists, was sold to Sony Music in a deal completed in 2022.

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