The studio
wins when
you win.
Cover Equity is the alternative to "deliver files, send invoice, disappear." For the artists, authors, and labels we believe in, we lower the upfront fee and take a small back-end royalty on the artifact. The cover becomes an asset we both own. When the album, book, or film performs, the studio shares in the upside.
Three tiers. Transparent terms. A public roster of every cover we hold equity in.
Three ways to work with us.
Studio rate is the standard commission. Equity rate trades upfront fee for back-end share. Patron rate is reserved for first-time artists and authors we elect into the roster ourselves.
Studio
The standard commission. Most clients work with us this way.
- ↳Three distinct directions in week one
- ↳Two rounds of refinement standard
- ↳Press-ready files + master + social cuts
- ↳Index Score sheet at delivery
- ↳Permanent Atlas specimen entry
- ↳Six-month performance retrospective
Equity
For artists and authors whose work we want to be aligned with. Lower upfront, back-end share.
- ↳Everything in Studio
- ↳Public Equity roster entry
- ↳Studio-led promotion at launch
- ↳Extended refinement rounds (3 standard)
- ↳One redesign pass at 12-month mark
- ↳Five-year alignment term, sunset clause
Patron
We seek out first-time artists and authors we believe in. We pay them, not the other way around.
- ↳Everything in Equity
- ↳Studio covers cost of cover + a stipend
- ↳Highest priority of any client
- ↳1–2 Patron commissions per year, max
- ↳By invitation only
- ↳Studio chooses the artist, not the other way around
Plain-language terms.
No SAFE notes. No 40-page contracts. The arrangement is short enough to read in one sitting and clear enough to leave a lawyer with nothing to redline.
You pay less upfront.
50–60% off our Studio rate, depending on medium. The lower number is the absolute floor for the work to be commercially viable for us.
Studio holds a back-end royalty.
1.5–3% of the artifact's net revenue across all configurations — physical, streaming, licensing, adaptation. The cover is half the artifact's job.
Five-year term, sunset clause.
The arrangement runs five years from launch. After that, all royalty rights revert to the artist permanently. No automatic renewal, no perpetuity.
Public roster.
Every Equity arrangement is listed publicly with terms. We refuse confidentiality on this — alignment that nobody can see isn't alignment.
Every cover we hold equity in.
Eight artifacts on the Equity roster as of June 2026. Five-year term in every case. Sunset clauses logged.
What artists & labels
actually ask.
Why would the studio take less money upfront?
Because the model is uncorrelated with the studio's monthly burn. Studio rate work funds the studio's operations. Equity work funds the studio's long-term cap table. A successful album we hold 2% of pays for ten Patron commissions over the next decade.
What counts as "net revenue" for the royalty?
Gross artifact revenue (album sales, streaming, book royalties, film distribution, licensing) minus distribution costs minus manufacturing/production costs (where applicable). Marketing and tour costs are not deducted. Audit rights once per term, on 30 days' notice.
Does the studio interfere creatively after launch?
No. We design the cover and ship the files. Post-launch involvement is limited to the one optional redesign pass at the 12-month mark, which the artist elects into or not. The royalty share doesn't buy us editorial seat.
What if the artifact never makes money?
Then the studio is out the discount. That risk is real and accepted. We pick the Equity roster precisely because we think the discount is recoverable. Not every Equity arrangement will be — that's why we keep the back-end share small and the roster public.
Why five years, not perpetuity?
Five years is long enough to capture the artifact's commercial arc and short enough that the artist isn't carrying us forever. After year five, all royalty rights revert to the artist. The cover is theirs. The specimen entry stays public.
Can I move from Studio rate to Equity later?
No — the arrangement has to be structured at the time of commission. Once a cover ships at Studio rate, it stays at Studio rate. You can always commission a new cover under Equity terms for your next artifact.
How does Patron actually work?
We pick one or two first-time artists or authors per year whose work we think is significant. We cover all costs, pay a small stipend, and commit to designing the cover at the highest priority in the studio. In exchange we hold a 5–8% back-end share for the standard five-year term. Patron is by invitation — you can nominate yourself or someone else but we make the final call.
Think your
next thing is
worth aligning?
If you're working on something the studio could meaningfully be aligned with — album, book, film, brand — apply to the Equity roster. We respond to every submission within ten business days.