SIKI launches with MTV co-founder and Trevor Daniel to pay royalties on live streams

SIKI has launched as a music and live-streaming platform that counts songs played on live streams as real streams and pays artists and curators in real time. The rollout includes partnerships with MTV and VH1 co-founder Les Garland and multi-platinum artist Trevor Daniel, with the company aiming to reshape how live music is discovered, monetized and shared.

Why it matters: - SIKI is positioning live-streamed music as a revenue-generating format, not just promotional content. - The platform says artists and curators are paid in real time when tracks are played live, which could change how creators earn from live digital audiences. - The launch targets a gap on other live platforms, where music can be muted, removed, or left uncompensated.

What happened: - SIKI announced its official launch in Las Vegas on November 4, 2026. - The company launched alongside partnerships with Les Garland, co-founder of MTV and VH1, and Trevor Daniel, a multi-platinum artist and songwriter. - SIKI says every track played live on the platform is counted, licensed, and paid out in real time. - The platform also says artists earn and curators receive credit when their music is played during live streams.

The details: - SIKI is a music and live-streaming platform built around live performance, chat, discovery, and direct fan support. - Les Garland said he was captivated by the platform’s approach to music artists and fans and compared the experience to the early days of MTV and The Box Music Network. - Christopher Moraites, SIKI founder and chief executive officer, said the company wants creatives to benefit from technology rather than be neglected or replaced by it. - Nick Gangi, co-founder and chief operating officer, said building SIKI has been about conviction, timing, and team alignment. - Gianni Cures, co-founder, said the platform is entering a new era where artists and creators can change the music industry through live streaming and content creation. - Trevor Daniel said independent artists can build deeper community on SIKI instead of relying only on feeds and charts. - Trevor Daniel said the platform feels different and that no other company is doing the same thing for music right now. - The platform says it already has a growing roster of major and independent recording artists, DJs, and creators. - Recent artist partner RMR joined the platform and described the broader movement with the quote, “First, you are crazy, then you are the blueprint. Aspire to inspire.” - SIKI says artists, curators, investors, and fans can join live sessions and start streaming at siki.io. - SIKI says the company was founded by Christopher Moraites, Nick Gangi, Jason Dowd, and Gianni Cures.

Between the lines: - The launch frames live streaming as the next monetization layer for music, not just a distribution channel. - Landing a founder tied to MTV and a current artist with billions of streams gives SIKI credibility with both legacy industry and creator-first audiences. - The messaging focuses on ownership, independence, and direct fan connection, which suggests SIKI is aiming squarely at artists frustrated by traditional platform economics.

What's next: - SIKI is inviting artists, curators, investors, and fans to join live sessions on the platform now. - The company is likely to use early artist partnerships and live usage to prove that its real-time royalty model can scale. - The platform’s next challenge will be converting interest into sustained creator adoption and measurable listening activity.

The bottom line: - SIKI is betting that live music can be treated like a paid, licensed stream in real time, and that creators will move to a platform built around that promise.