THE HOUSE OF PEARLS
One Maison.
Many Pearls.
Music deserves better. Artists deserve better. Fans deserve better. Maison is house in French, and that's why we have built a better home.
ABOUT US
We believe extraordinary artists are like pearls. Rare. Shaped by time. Different. And valuable precisely because they are.
Maison Pearl was created to challenge an industry that has more listeners, more platforms and more money than ever — yet too often leaves the people making the music last in line. We are here to change who the value flows to.
OUR FOUNDER
Chris Brown
BASSIST · PRODUCER · FOUNDER
SOUL II SOUL · KYLIE MINOGUE · MARIAH CAREY · STING · MADONNA · LADY GAGA · DURAN DURAN · ASHANTI · MTV BASE (MUSICAL DIRECTOR)
and more
Maison Pearl was founded by musician Chris Brown, a Laney-endorsed bass player whose career spans the iconic British collective Soul II Soul and stages and studios with artists including Kylie Minogue and Mariah Carey. Having experienced the industry from inside it, Chris has seen both its extraordinary possibilities and its frustrations.
Better artist development. Better partnerships. Better economics. And ultimately, better music.
The ambition is to build the music company I wish existed when I was coming through.
THE PROBLEM
The industry has forgotten who creates the value.
Somewhere between the artist and the listener, an enormous industry has developed. Labels, platforms, publishers, managers, agents, promoters, distributors and countless other intermediaries. Each can play an important role — but when everyone takes a piece, too little can be left for the person who created the music in the first place.
A music company should succeed because its artists succeed — not at their expense.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Build artists. Don't manufacture them.
We aren't looking for the next disposable hit. We're looking for artists with something to say. A sound. A story. A point of view. A voice that makes someone stop what they're doing and listen.
Development should enhance what makes an artist different — not remove it. Our job isn't to turn artists into something we can sell. It's to help the world discover what was already there.
THE MAISON PEARL MODEL
Artists earn on the way up.
For too long, emerging artists have carried the creative risk while receiving the smallest share of the reward. Traditional recording deals can leave artists receiving as little as 10–20% of revenue, while advances, recording, marketing and other costs may be recouped before the artist receives meaningful royalty income. So a track can be streaming. A career can be growing. Everyone around the artist can be getting paid — and the artist can still feel like they are broke.
Where we differ is we invest alongside the artist and they receive pro rata earnings from the start. Instead of waiting until all fees are recovered, the artist earns 40p in every pound from day one — rising to 60p once the initial investment is recovered and no follow-on investment is made.
Example: for every £100,000 generated.
40%
THE ARTIST
The creator shares in success from the very beginning.
40%
MAISON PEARL
Funds the people, expertise and infrastructure that build careers.
20%
INVESTMENT RECOVERY
Recovers the agreed investment in recording, production, marketing, touring and development. Typically this stage recoups within the first few releases or an agreed campaign window. Once recovered, this pool ends — and with no further follow-on investment, the artist's share rises to 60%.
After the initial investment is recovered, the 20% recovery pool closes. If Maison Pearl and the artist agree to no further follow-on investment, revenue splits move to 60% artist / 40% Maison Pearl.
OUR OPEN VALUES FOR ARTISTS
What you can expect from us.
Transparency
You should understand your deal and where money goes.
Fair participation
You should benefit financially as your career grows.
Creative identity
We develop artists. We don't erase what makes them different.
Honest conversations
Sometimes the answer will be difficult. It should never be dishonest.
Long-term thinking
We're interested in careers, not just singles.
Mutual commitment
We invest in artists who are prepared to invest themselves.
And we expect artists to hold us to the same standards.
FIVE PILLARS
OUR ARTISTS
Meet the Pearls.
The first voices are still waiting to be discovered.
This could be you
ARTIST · YOUR GENRE
This could be you
ARTIST · YOUR GENRE
PLATE F.01 — THE STUDIO
AUDITION
We are always listening.
You don't need millions of followers, and you don't need to sound like whatever is trending this month. We're looking for something much harder to find: identity.
- — Your best two or three tracks
- — A short introduction to you
- — Your social channels
- — Live performance footage if available
- — What you want to achieve, and why you make music
We will listen for the pearl.
Submit your auditionA FEW QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE
Audition questions.
- Do I need to be unsigned?
- You don't need to be currently signed — but you do need to be free of an existing deal. Many of the artists we're most interested in have been signed before and underestimated. A past deal doesn't disqualify you; an active one does.
- What genre are you looking for?
- No fixed genre. We're listening for identity, not a category.
- How long until I hear back?
- We personally listen to every submission. Expect to hear from us within 2–3 weeks.
- What happens if I'm selected?
- We'll set up a conversation first — no contracts, no pressure. We want to know if it's a fit on both sides before anything else.
FAN ZONE
Fans aren't customers. They're part of the story.
Music doesn't become culturally important inside a boardroom. It happens when somebody hears a song and tells somebody else.
- 01Discover new Pearls and releases first
- 02Share music so it travels beyond algorithms
- 03Vote on demos, artwork and emerging artists
- 04Support music, merchandise and tickets directly
- 05Experience intimate gigs and listening sessions
- 06Recommend artists we should hear
The next extraordinary artist might not be discovered by an A&R executive. They might be discovered by you.
PLATE G.01 — THE ROOM
PLATE G.02 — THE LOVE
THE MOVEMENT
When extraordinary people are given the freedom to create extraordinary things, everybody benefits.
The artist. The Maison. And most importantly, the people listening.
One Maison. Many Pearls.