Guild Raises $2M to Give Artists and Creators the One Thing Labels and Big Tech Won't: Ownership

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Guild, a new platform designed to return ownership to artists and creators, is launching in public beta with $2M in pre-token financing. Unlike traditional platforms, Guild gives music creators a direct stake in their work, the network they grow, and the AI it powers.

Tech companies are racing to train AI music models, and labels are suing in their best interest alone. Once again, creators are being left out of the upside. While investors and executives get equity, those generating the IP and culture are scraping by.

Guild turns everyday creative activity into ownership. Whether it's uploading music, engaging fans, or contributing data, artists earn "Note" tokens that give them a stake in the platform itself. Not play-to-earn, it's create-to-own.

Music has always driven technology - from vinyl and MP3s to TikTok. But while platforms and labels capture most of the value, the creators fueling it have seen little ownership and even less control. Now, as AI and blockchain become infrastructure, the stakes are higher than ever.

"Labels often own the rights. Tech founders and employees get stock," said Guild Founder Phillip Rather. "Guild is giving artists what no one else will: rights and ownership." According to Spotify and Linktree respectively, only 1.7% of Artists make more than $10,000/yr, and less than 4% of creators earn a sustainable income.

Guild combines the tools creators need into a single platform:

• Smart Contracts – for on-chain provenance, IP protection, royalty splits, and gated access.
• AI Agents – to help ideate, design, post, distribute, and analyze across platforms.
• Spaces – immersive locations for rare content, community, and rewards.
• Remuneration – for artists who opt in to AI training, with on-chain attribution and fair payouts.

Importantly, Guild has pledged to:

• Restrict early token holders with cliffs and vesting - avoiding dumping and rugpulls.
• Preserve governance for contributors, not short-term speculators.

"We needed early capital to build," said Rather. "But creators should hold the lionshare. We've designed a buyback and token model to make that possible."

Guild introduces a dual-token model:

• "Note" Tokens – a fungible token earned through platform use, supporting rewards, payouts, and commerce. Over 1/3 is allocated to the community, and real accrual is visible in the dashboard.
• Access Passes – unique tokens granting lifetime access, tools, early Note allocations, IRL events, and exclusive Spaces.

This isn't a meme economy. It's an ownership and community layer for artists building lasting careers - forget chasing trends, signing away rights, and watching others profit from your work.

Recent moves by major platforms show licensing artist catalogs to train AI, or burying opt-outs to exploit IP without consent. Creators aren't consulted - and rarely compensated.

Guild flips the model. Artists can opt in to contribute to training and be rewarded as a community. Attribution is on-chain. Usage is transparent. Revenue sharing is viable.

"AI isn't going away," said Rather. "But it doesn't have to be extractive. With Guild, artists can help build the next generation of tools - and own the rights and the data that power them. They don't need another app - they need a new model."

Over 2,500 artists have helped shape Guild's development - from early product testing to dataset curation. Goldman Sachs projects the global creator economy to surpass $480 billion by 2027.

Backers include Capital Factory, Polygon, and ex-Meta leaders. Rather left Meta as a SMB platform exec to build for the fastest growing segment today - creators. Bruce Kalmick, the Austin based Founder and CEO of WHY&HOW management and Wyatt Road Records, has boarded as an advisor.

Media Contact:
Phillip Rather
512-589-9437
[email protected] 

SOURCE Guild