Story Protocol Expands Its RWA Tokenization Efforts by Acquiring Copyrights to Maroon 5 and Katy Perry Hits

Story Protocol recently announced the acquisition and tokenization of partial copyrights for two hit songs, “Nobody's Love” by Maroon 5 and “Daisies” by Katy Perry.

Story Protocol, a protocol focused on narrative content and storytelling on a blockchain, has announced the acquisition and tokenization of partial copyrights for two hit songs: Nobody’s Love by Maroon 5 and Daisies by Katy Perry.

This move brings the iconic band and pop star’s music to the blockchain domain, potentially opening up a new wave of investment.

Maroon 5, renowned for their three Grammy Awards and over 135 million records sold, and Katy Perry, with over 100 million records sold and multiple diamond-certified singles, are top-tier artists with massive fan bases.

Their music generates sustainable passive revenue through streaming, and by tokenizing the copyright for these songs, the rights will be divided into digital tokens that investors can trade or hold.

"Katy Perry and Maroon 5 aren’t just topping charts anymore—they’re topping investment portfolios," remarked one X user.

This integration marks part of a broader plan to acquire portions of over 50 copyrights from major artists, including BLACKPINK, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, and others, as previously announced by Story Protocol.

The combination of music copyrights and blockchain technology could present interesting possibilities for the music industry.

However, there are also potential challenges that need to be considered.

Story Protocol Is Integrating Music Copyrights Into Its Ecosystem

According to an official announcement, Aria protocol—part of the Story ecosystem—has acquired and tokenized a portion of the copyrights for the hit songs Nobody’s Love and Daisies.

The choice of Maroon 5 and Katy Perry likely stems from their status as top-tier artists with massive fan bases. Maroon 5 has won three Grammy Awards and sold over 135 million records worldwide, while Katy Perry has sold over 100 million records, with multiple diamond-certified singles.

Both Nobody’s Love and Daisies have high streaming numbers, generating sustainable passive revenue. Tokenizing the copyright for these songs allows for the rights to be divided into digital tokens that investors can trade or hold.

This move is part of a broader plan to acquire portions of over 50 copyrights from major artists, including BLACKPINK, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, and others, as previously announced by Story Protocol.

The potential of Real-World Asset Tokenization in the IP sector seems vast. According to CoinGecko data, as of press time, the market capitalization of RWA-related projects stands at over $32 billion.

"It’s clear that the world’s largest financial market infrastructures see a huge opportunity emerging from the DLT/Blockchain industry’s ability to connect counterparties around various forms of RWA tokenization," said Sergey Nazarov, Co-founder of Chainlink.

Moreover, Security Token Market recently predicted that the tokenized RWA market could reach $30 trillion by 2030, with leading sectors including securities, real estate, bonds, and gold.

According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the economic value of Intellectual Property (IP)—including copyrights, patents, and trademarks—contributes around 38% of global GDP, equivalent to more than $30 trillion annually (based on a global GDP of $80-$100 trillion). The copyright industry alone (music, film, books) accounts for approximately $5.8 trillion.

Despite its massive value, the IP sector remains one of the least liquid asset classes. Buying, licensing, or valuing IP is often complex, time-consuming, and dependent on legal intermediaries. Tokenizing IP could enable more transparent, efficient transactions and management through digital tokens.

This is a potential sector that Story Protocol aims to solve. Story is a relatively new protocol, known for its narrative content and storytelling focus.

While it has potential, Story still faces significant challenges in capturing the IP RWA market. For instance, Story is not the only RWP-focused project.

Competitors like Ondo Finance (Ondo Chain), Centrifuge, and MakerDAO have already established a presence. Story is still relatively small and just recently launched its mainnet, meaning it must demonstrate unique advantages in the IP niche.

Additionally, tokenizing IP requires recognition from organizations like WIPO and compliance with the Berne Convention. Without overcoming these legal hurdles, Story may struggle to attract major IP holders.

Story Protocol’s move to tokenize the copyrights of hit songs aligns with its broader strategy to enter the IP sector. However, success in this space will require Story Protocol to quickly demonstrate its utility and overcome both legal and market adoption challenges.