Sony-backed Soneium outlined an expanded entertainment strategy on October 26, bringing together digital rights records, licensing information and automated payments. Its proposed infrastructure connects original works with derivatives and AI-assisted creations, allowing participating rights owners to define permitted uses and payment rules. The strategy also includes investment products tied to entertainment revenue, including concert royalties and a diversified royalty fund. These are distinct functions: permission to use music and a financial interest in its revenue are not interchangeable.
A smart contract is a computer program stored on a blockchain that executes coded instructions when triggered by a transaction. In a music application, it could distribute a received payment among designated recipients using agreed percentages, reducing the need to process each payment manually. It still depends on accurate ownership information, payment inputs and properly written code; it cannot independently decide who legally owns a song or resolve a disputed royalty split.
Soneium’s K-pop partner, DayOneDream, is an entertainment business involved in artists, concerts and intellectual-property management, with an associated roster and projects including BTOB, Lee Chae Yeon, MEMI and 2F. Its WAVIST platform turns interests in entertainment assets and their associated revenues into blockchain-based tokens. The companies announced their partnership on September 28, before Soneium’s broader October strategy update. According to that announcement, WAVIST had already completed an earlier tokenized K-pop financing bond’s lifecycle, including repayment and retirement of its tokens. Participation in future offerings remains subject to eligibility and regulatory requirements.
The proposed Tokenized IP Bonds would connect financing with revenue from entertainment businesses, including K-pop concerts. “Tokenized” means that a financial interest is represented and tracked through digital tokens; it does not automatically mean the buyer owns a song’s copyright. Soneium also describes IP Tokens, which can function as collectibles or currencies within a creator’s or entertainment property’s community, and IP Vault, intended to provide access to royalty-related investments. These products should not be treated as equivalent: a collectible, a financing instrument and a share in a pooled investment carry different rights determined by their terms.
An October 27 announcement added specifics for IP Vault. Soneium said it would open to eligible users on October 28, alongside the dollar stablecoin ipUSD, offering exposure to a $549 million royalty fund managed by Partners Group and tokenized by Asseto. Users would deposit ipUSD and receive vault shares after settlement, with the first settlement scheduled for November 2. Soneium describes music as the fund’s largest component, alongside other entertainment and non-entertainment royalty streams. Share values would reflect fund performance and be updated monthly. The advertised annual yield of 7–9% is an estimate, not a guaranteed return, and withdrawal availability depends on liquidity and settlement arrangements.
The licensing element centers on ERC-8432, a proposed technical standard called the Onchain IP Asset and License Registry. It is a shared format for software to identify creative assets, read licensing terms, record agreements and check whether permission exists. For example, an AI video service could locate a registered recording, check whether its proposed use is permitted and record a license through a compatible application. The aim is to make different registries and services work together without requiring a separate technical integration for each one. Soneium’s October 6 explanation described ERC-8432 as a draft open for review; it standardizes how licensing information is handled, not copyright law, prices or the rights a licensor actually controls.
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