Aria Protocol Labs Inc. and the Aria Basis introduced right this moment they’ve raised $15 million in mixed seed and strategic funding to develop a novel push: bringing revenue-generating, real-world mental property (IP) onchain as liquid, fungible tokens. The spherical consists of main participation from Polychain, Neoclassic, the Story Basis and different strategic companions throughout crypto, IP and leisure.
Aria’s strategy already has a high-profile proof level. In February 2025 the staff launched its first IP-backed token, $APL, which represents partial royalty rights to songs carried out by world superstars together with Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, BLACKPINK and BTS, a transfer that adopted a $10.95 million elevate on Stakestone’s LiquidityPad and is being billed as one of many largest music-IP tokenizations up to now.
“Onchain IP isn’t only a artistic frontier, it’s a monetary one,” mentioned David Kostiner, Co-Founder and Chief IP Officer of Aria Protocol Labs Inc. “By turning IP into liquid, fungible tokens with embedded licensing logic, Aria creates capital formation rails that defend artistic integrity and reward participation. This $15 million funding permits Aria to proceed constructing programmable IP infrastructure and scaling a brand new IP economic system.”
Scaling Capabilities
Aria is positioning itself to handle a rising market problem: as AI-generated media and fast digital distribution flood channels with content material, demand for genuine, licensed materials is rising. The platform embeds attribution, licensing and automatic royalty distribution onchain, enabling issues like programmable remix licensing, automated income splits and community-aligned participation. The contemporary funding is meant to scale these capabilities throughout music, artwork and movie/TV.
“The market is lastly waking as much as IP as a real-world asset class,” mentioned S.Y. Lee, CEO of Story. “Aria is exhibiting what’s attainable when traditionally illiquid IP is introduced onchain in a programmable, rights-respecting approach. They’re constructing the way forward for IP finance and artistic capital.”
Aria Basis, a Cayman-based nonprofit created to steward the protocol, will help developer grants, neighborhood initiatives, liquidity applications and different ecosystem efforts designed to assist IP holders, creators and followers take part within the new market. Aria Protocol Labs, based by music-industry veterans, says it’ll proceed rolling out a slate of extra IP token launches throughout artistic verticals.
Business observers view the fundraising as one other signal that traders are more and more treating IP, particularly music royalties, as investable real-world belongings that may be unlocked with blockchain primitives. For Aria, the problem might be balancing liquidity and tradability with rights administration and creator protections as the corporate scales.
