Pop singer Kesha has launched a startup “Smash,” which according to her Instagram post will be a “community-based platform to connect and protect music creators.” This aligns with the stated mission of her new record label, announced last year.
“I want a place where artists and music makers of any kind can have community, they can collaborate, they can hire each other and retain all the rights to everything they create,” Kesha said in an interview with WIRED. “There’s no gatekeeping of contacts.” She went on to describe Smash as “LinkedIn for music creators,” or a “Fiverr-style marketplace” but with artist’s rights being given priority at every point. The platform’s waitlist reached 50,000 creators within 72 hours of its announcement, with the demand being strong from GenZ and millennial artists.
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The timing for this initiative also seems right, considering that according to a 2024 Music Business Worldwide survey, 83% of independent artists now prioritize rights retention over traditional label deals.
Kesha’s motivation to found this startup comes from personal experience. At 18, she signed what she later described as a “predatory” contract, leading to years of legal battles for creative independence. Her legal struggles lasted for a decade, and cost an estimated $50 million.
While artists often have to choose between autonomy and access, Kesha aims to eliminate this dichotomy. She envisions a secure, supportive environment where songwriters, producers, engineers, and performers can connect, collaborate, and conduct business while maintaining ownership and creative control.
While the exact figures for the ongoing seed funding is not known, Smash has drawn interest from music-tech-focused VCs, artist-led funds, and Kesha herself. Industry insiders point to WndrCo (the $460 million fund behind Mixcloud’s global expansion) as a likely strategic investor, alongside artist-backed funds such as The Weeknd’s Blue Icon Group. The company is projected to reach $2.97 billion by 2032, while tapping into the $528 billion global creator economy.