RARE Entity, the venture group co-founded by Dave Stewart, has acquired a strategic stake in Lounges.tv, a livestreaming platform backed by Simon Cowell. This partnership aims to expand access to live entertainment through premium livestreaming, direct-to-fan engagement, and monetization tools, offering artists 80% of streaming income and faster payouts.
This partnership highlights the shifting power dynamics in the creator economy where direct-to-fan monetization is prioritized over ad-revenue sharing. By providing near-instant liquidation of streaming earnings, Lounges.tv addresses a major pain point in the music and live entertainment industries. Within the broader streaming ecosystem, this trend forces incumbent platforms to reconsider their payout schedules and revenue splits to retain top-tier talent. As live event pricing becomes a barrier to entry for fans, watch for whether these decentralized livestreaming models can capture a meaningful share of the premium live-content market or remain niche alternatives to stadium tours.
Lounges.tv operates in a crowded field of direct-to-fan livestreaming platforms competing for artist loyalty. The platform's 80% revenue share and 24-hour payout model positions it against established players like Twitch and YouTube Live, which typically retain 30-50% of creator earnings and process payments on monthly cycles. Simon Cowell's involvement in Lounges.tv was first reported during its 2023 funding round, which valued the company at £20 million, signaling early institutional confidence in the premium livestreaming thesis.
The strategic investment from RARE Entity reflects a broader pattern of music industry veterans backing creator-economy infrastructure. Dave Stewart's venture group has focused on tools that give artists more control over distribution and monetization, aligning with a wave of artist-first platforms that emerged after the pandemic accelerated live-streaming adoption. The 80% revenue split Lounges.tv offers stands in contrast to traditional concert promotion models where artists typically receive 70-85% of gross ticket revenue after promoter and venue deductions, but where streaming rights have historically been bundled into broader label or platform agreements.
The livestreaming market for music and entertainment has seen significant consolidation and investment activity. Platforms like Veeps (acquired by Live Nation in 2021) and Moment House have pursued similar direct-to-fan models, though with different revenue structures and payout timelines. Lounges.tv's emphasis on faster payouts and higher artist revenue shares represents a competitive differentiation strategy aimed at attracting mid-tier and emerging artists who may lack the negotiating leverage to secure favorable terms from larger platforms.
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