Almost two years ago, in November 2019, Beyoncé’s father said he was very impressed with the development of ANote Music. At the end of a 15-minute conversation, the American music executive--he has worked as the producer of Chaka Khan, Destiny’s Child, Solange Knowles, Beyoncé, and Earth, Wind & Fire--offered his business card.

Fast-forward to Wednesday, 13 October, when the Technoport-housed startup announced that Mathew Knowles had become one of its two special advisors. “Since first meeting ANote at an industry event in 2019, I’ve been thoroughly impressed by Marzio and his team's pioneering approach to alternative funding solutions for music rights owners. As a new era approaches for the music industry, I am excited to play my part in entrenching ANote’s role in it,” said Knowles in an ANote statement.

Joining him will be Carlo Antonelli, the former editor of Rolling Stone Magazine and Wired who has become a producer of Italian artists.

“Despite the challenges faced, 2021 has proven to be a defining year for the growth and development of both our platform and the music industry more generally. Thus, at this key transition point, we are honoured to have Mathew and Carlo join the ANote family,” said the startup’s CEO and co-founder, Marzio F. Schena. “[Knowles is] widely recognised in the entertainment industry for his innovative approach to developing and promoting award-winning artists, [and] we look forward to harnessing Mathew’s creative spark as we continue to make waves across rights ownership and investment. Likewise, Carlo brings a first-class knowledge of the entertainment industry and will be a true asset when it comes to expanding our presence in our key markets,” he said.

The startup, which is completing a new investment round, has received €400,000 from a ministry of economy innovation programme. It has raised €1.5m since it was founded to enable artists to generate new revenue streams.

This article in Paperjam. It has been translated and edited for Delano.