How Connect Music Is Using AI To Redefine Ownership And Black Music Wealth In A Multi-Billion Dollar Industry – AfroTech
As the streaming industry continues to grow, many Black artists still struggle to own their music and capture its full value — a gap Connect Music aims to close.
Founded in 2020, Connect Music is a Memphis-based independent music distribution, publishing, and rights management company that helps independent artists and labels monetize their work, secure funding, and retain 100% ownership. It operates as a curated, closed platform, meaning artists can’t simply sign up through a public portal.
The company’s catalog success includes Dee Mula’s viral hit “Blow My High,” alongside collaborations with Grammy-nominated producers Mike & Keys and artists including Sauce Walka, Don Trip, Boosie Badazz, and BIG30.
Scaling Connect Music
At its helm are President and CEO George Monger and Chief Technology Officer Ivan Walker. Together, they lead a tech-driven company operating at the intersection of finance, data, analytics, and culture — where strategy guides every move.
“When you recognize the leading genre is made more than likely by Black folks … that would mean that when you have this Black box on the publishing side of uncollected royalties and you see some of these deals and you see the artist of yesteryear complaining about their rights that they gave away, it became, ‘How do we build a closed platform where we’re not trying to serve everybody?” Monger said in an interview with AFROTECH™.
The platform also serves artists transitioning out of major labels: Those who have spent years building both their own brands and significant value for the companies behind them. Through Connect Music, Monger said, these artists still have access to capital, audience insights, and distribution support, but under more equitable terms.
The company recently secured $80 million in funding from Rockmont Partners and Variant Investments, which will help scale the business, according to information shared with AFROTECH™.
“We want to focus on artists that are coming out of the do-it-yourself world and need [label-like] infrastructure, know-how, relationships, and capital without giving up ownership to everything that they create,” Monger added, calling “perpetuity” one of the most dangerous terms artists encounter in contracts.
How AI Is Shaping The Future Of Music
As AI becomes more embedded in the music industry, the conversation is shifting from innovation to ownership, ethics, and the future of creativity.
At its core, Walker said the issue is twofold: Ensuring creators are properly licensed and compensated, and avoiding a future where AI relies so heavily on existing data that it produces repetitive, uniform output.
“There’s this democratization of access across the entire ecosystem, [so] there are certain things you don’t need me for now,” Walker told AFROTECH™. “And so it gives me time to really think about where my value adds across the ecosystem … It’s also across organizations — how are we using AI as a thought partner? There’s an opportunity for AI to scaffold across all industries, all verticals, [and] all horizontals, and accelerate execution.”
Monger views music as an asset class enhanced — not replaced — by AI. Through data modeling and analytics, he said, AI can improve the predictability of how audiences discover and consume music, helping artists and rights holders make more informed decisions.
“I think it’s important for companies like ours and others that represent rights holders to be sure that we create agreements with those companies that maximize tracking and collection of every dollar,” Monger said. “There’s going to be more opportunities for that as generative AI continues to develop.”
Two Paths, One Shared Mission
For Walker, a seasoned tech executive with decades of leadership experience, his path into the music and entertainment industry wasn’t as unexpected as it may seem. At the core of it was a simple belief: Investing in and empowering the right people — and he saw something special in Monger.
“There’s this thing in the startup industry where they say people invest in the founder, not the business. And George had that grit. Even when I reached out to him … I was like, ‘I saw something in you, and I don’t say that lightly,’” Walker said.
For Walker, success isn’t about reaching a personal milestone — it’s about raising the ceiling for others.
“I’m not your goal, I’m the shoulders you stand on to build your dreams,” he said, referencing what he often tells his mentees. “There’s no joy in me saying, ‘Oh, you reached my level.’”
Monger echoed that vision, emphasizing that the company’s impact goes far beyond money or music distribution.
“You really want to make a meaningful difference in the lives of these creators,” Monger said, adding that the most fulfilling part is being able to change their families’ lives and help build generational wealth.
Despite coming from different backgrounds, Monger and Walker have built something they say is both meaningful and necessary. Through shared partnership and vision, the duo is leveraging AI as a tool to restore value to historically underserved artists, creating pathways toward greater transparency, ownership, and generational impact with Connect Music.
