Last year, JME split the streaming royalties from his 2015 track Integrity into 100 shares. He priced them at £1 each. They sold in seconds.
Since then, those shareholders have been paid over £4,900. Some of those £1 shares are now trading for £200.
That's a 200x return. On a song from 2015.
What's actually going on
Strade Base is a UK platform that lets artists sell fractional ownership of their streaming royalties directly to fans — no label, no middleman. You buy a share, the track gets streamed, you get paid.
Founded by Dwight Okechukwu (Skepta's business partner), with JME as an advisor, the platform has since onboarded Skepta, Jammer, Wretch 32, and Tiwa Savage. Skepta called it "the future of music streaming royalties."
Why this matters to you
If you're in your 30s or 40s, you grew up with this music. You were there when grime was on pirate radio, when it wasn't on the radio at all, and when it finally took over.
The whole time, the money went elsewhere.
Strade Base changes the structure. Your streams generate returns for you, not a label's shareholders. You invest in music you actually believe in — and you get paid every time it plays.
For artists coming up now, it goes further. Instead of signing a deal to get funded, you raise directly from your community. Your most loyal fans become investors — they have skin in the game, so they show up differently.
The bigger picture
Grime built itself with no budget, no co-sign, and no industry support. Now the same generation that built the music is building the financial infrastructure around it.
When the platform is owned by the culture, the money stays in it.
The labels have run the economics of music for a long time. The artists are building their own table.
Worth watching? Or just another fintech play that won't last? Reply and let us know.
🗞 This Week In Brief
Nearly half of Britain is side-hustling now
46% of UK adults now run a side hustle — and the average earner is pulling in £872 a month spending less than 5 hours a week on it. The old model of one job, one income, one pension is fading fast. The question is whether your side hustle is building something or just buying time.
Young investors are going harder than their parents ever did
41% of Gen Z and 33% of Millennials are planning to start or increase regular investing this year — driven by a desire to build long-term wealth, not just save. Stocks & Shares ISA growth is being led by under-35s. The generation that was told they'd never own a home is finding different ways to build equity.
£15k equity-free funding for Black founders — deadline June 2
The Black Equity Organisation's F100 Growth Fund is still open. Up to £15,000, no equity taken. If you're building something and haven't applied, you've got less than a month. Pass this on to anyone who needs to hear it.
Barclays Black Founder Accelerator is back in London this month
Sessions on 20 May and 28 May in London. Designed specifically for Black-founded businesses — mentorship, funding access, and ecosystem connections. Free to attend.
That's it for this week. If the JME story sparked something — a thought, a question, an argument — hit reply. I read every one.
— Vincent, The Graft