Frequently Asked Questions

Visit our homepage and click "Apply Now" or email artists@thehatchery.studio with:

• Your artist name and links to your music
• Brief bio (what you're working on, your goals)
• Why you want to join The Hatchery

We review applications on a rolling basis and typically respond within 1-2 weeks.

Step 1: Submit application (music links + bio)
Step 2: Initial review by our team (1-2 weeks)
Step 3: Interview call (30 minutes, discuss your goals)
Step 4: Facility tour + meet the team (Jacksonville)
Step 5: Final decision + onboarding

Total timeline: 3-4 weeks from application to acceptance.

For the facility: Yes, once our Jacksonville facility opens in Q3 2026, you'll need to be in the area or willing to travel here regularly to use our Dolby Atmos suite, Performance Lab, and Creator Pods.

For remote services: No. We also offer remote production via our Hatchery Talent Network (vetted global engineers) accessible from anywhere.

Many artists use a hybrid approach: record remotely, then come to Jacksonville for final mixing/mastering in our Dolby Atmos suite.

All genres. We're genre-agnostic and focused on talent, work ethic, and commercial viability rather than specific styles.

Our founding cohort will span hip-hop, indie rock, R&B, electronic, country, pop, and beyond. If you're making great music and want to build a sustainable career, we want to work with you.

You give up 30%. You keep 70%.

This is for a 30% equity stake in your artist LLC (which owns your masters). In exchange, you get:

• Unlimited facility access (Dolby Atmos, Performance Lab, Creator Pods)
• Early-stage capital (marketing, distribution funding)
• Hatchery OS platform (Fortune Wallet, Attribution Engine, AI tools)
• No recoupment (you see revenue from day one)
• Real-time royalty tracking (24 hours vs industry 6 months)

Year 1: 50% to you, 50% to Hatchery
Year 2+: 70% to you, 30% to Hatchery

This is on net revenue (after distribution costs). And remember: no recoupment. You see money from dollar one, unlike traditional labels where you earn $0 until you've paid back 3-5x your advance.

There isn't one. Here's the deal:

• We take 30% equity in your artist LLC (you keep 70%)
• We take 50% revenue share in Year 1, then 30% thereafter
• You get unlimited facility access, AI tools, real-time tracking, no recoupment

The trade-off: You give up 30% equity, but you OWN 70% of your work (vs traditional labels where you own 0%). We succeed when you succeed. That's the model.

Q3 2026 - Jacksonville facility opens.

We're currently:
• Accepting applications for our founding cohort (targeting 20 artists)
• Finalizing facility search in Jacksonville
• Refining Hatchery OS platform and infrastructure

First cohort onboards Q3 2026. Apply now to be part of founding class.

Traditional Label:
• They own 100% of your masters
• You earn 15-20% AFTER recoupment
• Recoupment debt is 3-5x actual costs
• Quarterly statements (6-month delays)
• No transparency, no audit trail
• Takes 2-5 years to see first dollar

The Hatchery:
• You own 70% of your masters
• You earn 50% Year 1, 70% Year 2+ from day one
• Zero recoupment
• Real-time ledger (24-hour tracking)
• Complete transparency (Fortune Wallet)
• See revenue immediately

We're not a label. We're a venture studio. We invest in you like Y-Combinator invests in startups. You're not talent to exploit—you're a founder building a business.

Our agreements are 3-5 year terms depending on the level of capital investment we make in your career.

However, you're not locked into servitude. If things aren't working, we can discuss buyout options. Our goal is to build long-term partnerships with artists who want to grow with us.

Most importantly: you're building equity in YOUR company from day one, so leaving means walking away from 70% ownership in your own catalog.