RZA Invests in Copyright Administrator AYO Music Group

Wu-Tang Clan founder RZA has invested in AYO Music Group, the invitation-only music copyright administrator founded by DMG Clearances’ Deborah Mannis-Gardner and Tracklib founder Pär Almqvist. The size of the investment was not disclosed.

Also investing:

• Chaka Zulu and Jeff Dixon, founders of Disturbing Tha Peace Records.

• Atlanta- and Johannesburg-based family office CIH Group.

• New York entrepreneur David Goldberg, owner of Ewing Athletics and AYO’s first investor.

What it does:

• Founded in 2023, AYO seeks to ensure artists, songwriters and producers collect all the royalties their music earns.

• It cites the example of GRAMMY Award-winning songwriter and producer Domingo, who signed with AYO in 2024. The company subsequently uncovered significant publishing revenue owing to him from 2003 release “Internally Bleeding,” co-written with Immortal Technique.

• AYO's clients include MC Lyte, Pete Rock, LeToya Luckett and Lil Mama, among others.

What they said:

• RZA: “I have spent 30 years making sure the people who created the music got paid for it, and I have watched a lot of money disappear into paperwork along the way. Deborah and Pär have built something that actually finds it. That is a mission I want to be part of.”

• Pär Almqvist, Co-Founder and CEO of AYO Music Group: “Most music creators have never seen a full accounting of what their music actually earns. That is a data, business model, and supply chain problem, and fixing it is the main reason AYO exists. This round of investments lets us sign and actively serve more clients to collect what they are already owed – fulfilling our mission to get music creators paid.”