Malith Jayasinghe is a Canadian music executive and entrepreneur who’s all about putting artists first. He doesn’t just talk about it—he’s out to build music companies that actually make sense for artists in the long run. When he talked about how he got into the industry, he didn’t sugarcoat it. He basically said he had to figure things out on his own, mostly because he wanted to know how the whole machine worked: music distribution, rights, royalties, all those moving parts.He started by diving deep into how money flows through the music world. Jayasinghe taught himself about distribution models and publishing deals, how neighboring rights work, what mechanical royalties are, and where performance income comes from. He really got into the weeds, looking at how contracts and collection agencies can either help or hurt independent artists. And he kept running into the same problem: most artists just don’t have access to solid, straightforward info about how their music makes money, or how who owns what affects their careers.For Jayasinghe, it’s not just about the money—it’s about the whole structure. Independents are out there hustling, but they’re often left in the dark, with little support and a ton of confusion. That’s what pushed him to start building companies with real transparency and fair frameworks right at the core.His whole philosophy is pretty simple: keep things clear, fair, and easy to understand. He wants artists to actually get what’s going on, without needing a law degree or spending hours decoding contracts. Instead of treating artists like assets in a big corporate engine, Jayasinghe builds systems where artists keep control of their work but still get access to top-tier distribution and rights management.He’s not interested in quick wins. For him, it’s all about sustainability—setting up artists with systems that grow with them, track royalties accurately, and let them hold on to what they’ve built over time. Jayasinghe thinks giving artists knowledge is just as crucial as offering them services. So, clear reports, plain-language deals, and honest conversations are at the heart of how he does business.Looking ahead, he wants to help build a music industry that’s actually honest and up-to-date—one where independent artists don’t have to give up control just to get ahead. Everything he does comes back to this: real commercial success should go hand-in-hand with fairness and transparency, so artists can own their work and see exactly how their efforts pay off.
