T-Pain says he has no regrets about selling his music catalog.
In February 2025, the rapper and singer sold his publishing catalog and select master rights to HarbourView Equity Partners in a deal reportedly worth around $100 million. More than a year later, he is explaining what led to the sale.
“Let me tell you something,” T-Pain explained during a recent Twitch livestream. “When streaming started, nobody told us, or nobody came to any artist and said, ‘Hey, we’re about to put your s— on streaming platforms. How much do you want your music to cost?’ Suddenly, out of nowhere and without anybody’s consent, all of our music went from a dollar a song to 0.003 cents per play. Nobody asked us s—.”
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T-Pain argued that artists never had a say in how streaming platforms priced their music. As payouts continue to shrink, he said, music catalogs become less valuable over time.
“Now imagine that that gets lower and lower as life goes on. My catalog is worth less and less and less and less without any kind of consent from me, without anybody asking me if that’s what I want to charge for my music,” T-Pain said. “You think I want to leave that to my kids?”
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T-Pain shares daughter Lyriq and sons Muziq and Kaydnz with his wife, Amber Najm. He said he refused to leave their financial future in the hands of an industry he believes can change overnight.
“Out of all this s— that I’ve told y’all that’s happened to me in this f—in’ industry, you think I’mma leave my kids’ life and their future in the hands of the music industry? You got me f—ed up. I’ve got to figure something out,” T-Pain said.
He said selling the catalog gave him financial certainty instead of leaving his future income up to royalty payments.
“I’m not leaving my kids’ future in the hands of the music industry at f—in’ all,” T-Pain said. “I know exactly what I want. I know exactly how much I want right now. I know exactly what I would need to live out the rest of my life, and if I get that and I’m satisfied with that and I’m content, I’m not looking for more.”
