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$400 Million Says Your Fans Are Worth More Than Your Streams
The Set Newsroom · Tue Sep 15 2026
Steven Bartlett just lined up $400 million to turn creators into brands. The thing he's betting on is the same thing every independent artist is building. Here's what it means for you.
Steven Bartlett just lined up as much as $400 million to turn creators into brands. Not ad deals. Brands. Products, licensing, live experiences and global distribution, built around people with loyal audiences.
If you make music, read that again. Because the thing they are betting on is the same thing you are building every time a fan follows you.
What just happened
Bartlett, the host of The Diary of a CEO, launched a venture called OBSN with Authentic Brands Group, the company behind more than 50 global brands. According to Variety, they plan to put up to $400 million into creator businesses over the next few years.
The split is simple. Bartlett's company, Steven.com, brings the media and creator know-how. Authentic brings the machine: product, licensing, partnerships, digital commerce and distribution in more than 150 countries, per Authentic's announcement.
One of the first bets, reported by WeRSM, is a seven-figure investment in creator Maggie Sellers Reum.
The real headline: your audience is the asset
WeRSM summed up the shift in one line: "A creator with a loyal audience is no longer just a media placement or sponsorship opportunity."
For years, the deal was simple. You build an audience, and brands pay to borrow it for a post. Now the money is going the other way. Big players want to build businesses around the person who owns the audience.
Artists have been stuck in the old deal even longer. A label or a playlist borrows your songs. A streaming app pays fractions of a cent per play. The fans, the attention and the story are yours, but most of the money flows past you.
What this means for independent artists
You are a creator. You just happen to make music. That means the same playbook applies to you:
- Your fans are worth more than your streams. A thousand fans who buy merch, tickets and early releases can out-earn a million passive listeners.
- Products beat plays. Merch, vinyl, limited drops, sample packs and live shows are real businesses built on your name.
- Licensing is on the table. Your sound, your look and your story can be licensed for sync, brand collabs and products.
- Experiences are the new album. Listening parties, private shows and fan clubs are exactly the kind of thing OBSN says it wants to build for creators.
The catch nobody puts in the headline
Deals like this go to creators who already have big, loyal audiences. And investment money almost always means giving up part of what you build. The public announcements don't spell out the ownership terms creators sign.
So the lesson isn't "wait for a Bartlett to call." It's that the value is in owning the audience and the business around it before anyone offers you a check. The more you own, the better any future deal looks for you.
What to do this month
- Get your fans' contact info. Followers can vanish with an algorithm change. An email list and a fan list on a platform you control can't.
- Sell something direct. A shirt, a signed CD, a paid listening party. Start small and learn what your fans actually want.
- Pick one product lane that fits your music, and build it on purpose.
- Keep your masters and register every song so the money finds you. Our free Get Paid guide walks through every place to register.
- Tell your story on camera every week. That story is the brand investors are paying for. Here's how to film a month of content in one day.
Where The Set fits
The Set was built on the same idea at the independent level: your page, your store, your fan list and your masters stay yours. You keep 80% or more of what you sell. And if you want a team building the brand with you, that's what VIP is for, or book one-time marketing and video and photo.
Big money just confirmed what independent artists should already know. Your fans are the business. Start building yours on The Set.
Questions
What is OBSN?
OBSN is a venture from Steven Bartlett's Steven.com and Authentic Brands Group that plans to invest up to $400 million in creator businesses, helping creators build products, licensing, experiences and distribution.
Can independent musicians get deals like this?
These deals go to creators with large, loyal audiences. The best move now is owning your fan list, selling direct and building products around your music so you have leverage later.
How can artists make money beyond streaming?
Merch, tickets, limited releases, fan clubs, sync licensing and brand collaborations. [Join The Set](/join) to sell direct and keep 80% or more.