Aria Protocol (ARIAIP): Tokenizing Iconic Music IP as Real-World Assets
Aria Protocol is an onchain platform that tokenizes and monetizes iconic intellectual property (IP) as real-world assets (RWAs), making traditionally illiquid music rights accessible to a global audience. Founded by David Kostiner and backed by $15 million from Polychain Capital, Neoclassic, and Story Foundation, Aria Protocol (ARIAIP) is now available on Bitget!
What is Aria Protocol (ARIAIP)?
Aria Protocol is an onchain platform that tokenizes and monetizes iconic intellectual property (IP) as real-world assets (RWAs), making traditionally illiquid rights accessible to investors, creators, and fans.
The traditional IP market is valued at $61 trillion, but access and liquidity are limited because these assets are locked in legal contracts or corporate entities, accessible only to major players. Ordinary people rarely participate in the value or earnings from music, films, patents, or other iconic works.
Aria Protocol is the onchain infrastructure stewarded by the Aria Foundation, enabling investors to access and earn income from iconic intellectual property RWAs. Built on the Story Protocol blockchain (designed for IP management) and supported by Aria Protocol Labs Inc., the platform brings cultural assets (starting with music) onchain as liquid, fungible tokens.
Core Innovation: Aria Protocol transforms intellectual property into tradable, income-generating tokens and makes the IP asset class accessible and liquid.
The platform tokenizes and fractionalizes IP rights into affordable tokens (IPRWA tokens), allowing broader participation and distributed ownership. IP earnings (royalties from music catalogs) are brought onchain and distributed automatically to token holders. An onchain value chain from fundraising to trading and remixing opens passive income and creative opportunities.
Investors can browse, invest in, and earn from curated IP assets via purchase or staking of IPRWA tokens like $APL, which are linked to royalty-generating assets. Token holders receive proportional royalty distributions and can trade tokens on decentralized marketplaces. Rights holders can make IP remixable, launching contests and enabling new income streams for creators, remixers, and token holders.
Who Created Aria Protocol (ARIAIP)?
Aria Protocol was founded by David Kostiner (Co-Founder and Chief IP Officer). The team operates under Aria Protocol Labs Inc., in partnership with the Aria Foundation.
David Kostiner (Co-Founder and Chief IP Officer):
David is the founding partner of Counsel LLP, with expertise in IP law, digital rights and music business innovation. Kostiner co-founded IODA (Independent Online Distribution Alliance), which was acquired by Sony Music. He is an authority on music copyright, licensing, and tech-driven entertainment finance.
Core Team:
The team includes music executives, IP lawyers, blockchain engineers, and product developers with backgrounds in entertainment, Web3 startups, and finance. Key contributions come from advisors and partners in entertainment and decentralized technology, with input from Story Protocol, Polychain Capital, and Neoclassic.
The team brings expertise from digital music distribution, intellectual property law, blockchain infrastructure, and venture investment in crypto and entertainment. There is no single CEO publicly listed for Aria Protocol Labs Inc. Kostiner acts as a key executive and public spokesperson.
What VCs Back Aria Protocol (ARIAIP)?
Aria Protocol has raised $15 million through seed and strategic funding rounds, backed by investors in the crypto, IP, and entertainment industries.
Funding Rounds:
● Seed and Strategic Rounds (2025): $15 million raised at $50 million post-money valuation
● Public Launch: November 2025
● IP Acquisition Fundraising: $10.95 million raised in February 2025 via Stakestone's LiquidityPad to acquire rights in music IP portfolios, including songs performed by Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, BLACKPINK, and BTS
● Additional Strategic Investment: $500,000 from OKX Ventures and Selini Capital
Notable Investors:
● Polychain Capital (lead investor)
● Neoclassic Capital
● Story Protocol Foundation
● OKX Ventures
● Selini Capital
● Bron Labs
Major Partnerships
Aria Protocol has partnerships spanning IP infrastructure, blockchain ecosystems, entertainment platforms, and digital art.
Story Protocol: Aria is built on Story Protocol, a Layer 1 blockchain designed for IP management and programmable licensing. The Story Foundation is a tech partner and strategic investor, with Aria tokens integrated into the Story ecosystem and 10% of ARIAIP supply reserved for the Story IP community.
Global Music IP Holders: Aria partners with rights holders and catalog owners to acquire music IP, launching income-generating tokens tied to songs performed by global artists including Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, BLACKPINK, BTS, and Jisoo.
Stakestone & LiquidityPad: Collaborated in February 2025 for a $10.95 million fundraising event to acquire music rights, using Stakestone's LiquidityPad platform for decentralized capital formation.
Sedition Art Platform:
Partnership to expand onchain IP tokenization to visual arts, allowing digital artists to fractionalize and monetize their work using Aria's infrastructure.
Binance Alpha and Bithumb: Listing and trading partners for the ARIAIP token, providing global exchange access and airdrops.
Aria PRIME (Korean Music Partnership): Institutional arm with a $100 million initiative focused on Korean music IP, in partnership with local industry leaders.
Chainlink: Integrates with Chainlink for onchain pricing, asset verification, and royalty distribution.
How Aria Protocol (ARIAIP) Works
Aria Protocol turns iconic music and creative IP into blockchain tokens, allowing anyone to invest in, earn from, and remix these assets.
Blockchain Infrastructure
Aria Protocol operates on the Story blockchain, a Layer 1 protocol engineered for intellectual property management and tokenization, and leverages Ethereum-compatible standards for its smart contracts and asset interactions. Story is a proprietary Layer 1 chain optimized for IP management, programmable licensing, and royalty automation. Smart contract deployments and asset standards are compatible with Ethereum, facilitating interoperability and cross-chain activity.
Technical Architecture
Aria uses a three-layer architecture:
Layer 1: Story Protocol Foundation
● Story blockchain foundation for legal-enforced digital rights
● Integration with DeFi platforms and marketplaces supporting Ethereum-based assets
Layer 2: Asset/Token Contracts
● IP Vault Contracts manage IP asset deposits, auctions, fractionalization, revenue tracking, and automated royalty distribution
● Programmable, upgradeable smart contracts
● On-chain rights management sets permissions for licensing, remixing, and revenue splits
Layer 3: Ecosystem Apps/Tools
● UI/UX for creators, IP owners, and investors
● Developer SDKs and API endpoints for customization and deployment
How It Works
1. IP Digitization: Songs and media rights are acquired by Aria. They become digital assets ("IP vaults") on the blockchain, with royalties and revenue managed onchain
2. Tokenization and Investment: Each IP vault is broken into thousands of blockchain tokens called IPRWA tokens (IP Real World Asset tokens), such as $APL. Users buy these tokens from Aria's platform or crypto exchanges to own a part of the underlying IP
3. Earning Royalties: When the song earns money (from streaming, licenses, etc.), Aria automates the collection and payout to token holders using smart contracts. Investors receive royalty payments to their wallets, based on how many tokens they own
4. Remixing and Licensing: Creators and fans can join remix contests or license the music/IP to create new works, with winners or contributors sharing future royalties through Aria's platform
5. Trading and Community: Token holders can buy/sell their rights through supported exchanges or within the Aria app, and use tokens to participate in governance or exclusive community events
You can access the platform at ariaprotocol.xyz and explore documentation at docs.ariaprotocol.xyz.
Aria Protocol Token (ARIAIP) and Economics
The $ARIAIP token is a Story-native ERC-20 token used for governance, liquidity, community rewards, and powering the protocol's IP RWA ecosystem.
Token Details
● Token Ticker: $ARIAIP
● Blockchain: Story Protocol Layer 1 (Story-native ERC-20 standard)
● Total Supply: 1,000,000,000 (1 billion tokens)
Token Distribution
● Core Team: 21% (20% unlocked after 1-year cliff; 2-year linear vesting thereafter)
● Early Investors: 18% (20% unlocked after 1-year lockup; 2-year linear unlock thereafter)
● Ecosystem & Partners: 21% (33% unlocked at TGE; 3-year linear unlock thereafter)
● Community Growth: 21% (33% unlocked at TGE; 3-year linear unlock thereafter)
● Foundation: 10% (100% unlocked at TGE)
● Initial Liquidity: 9% (100% unlocked at TGE, includes community airdrop, CEX and DEX liquidity)
Token Utilities
● Governance: Token holders vote on protocol upgrades, IP asset listings, fund flows, reward distribution, and community initiatives
● Staking for Rewards: Users stake $ARIAIP tokens to earn yield, protocol fees, and additional community rewards
● Royalty Distribution: Holders of IP RWA tokens receive royalty payouts from actual income generated by the underlying IP through smart contract-automated distributions
● Access to IP Vaults & Remix Events: $ARIAIP tokens unlock participation in remix competitions, exclusive licensing events, and special asset launches
● Liquidity Provision: Token holders supply liquidity to trading pairs or asset vaults, earning swap fees and protocol rewards
● Protocol Fee Payments: Some service or product modules may require $ARIAIP payments
Why Aria Protocol?
Traditional internet systems are inadequate for making IP assets liquid and accessible. Aria Protocol addresses these gaps with proven technology and ecosystem support:
Programmable IP on Story: Aria is built on Story Protocol, using on-chain primitives for permissioning, licensing, and revenue splits. Story-native design allows automated licensing and royalty logic to execute transparently and composably across apps, enabling IP to function like DeFi assets.
Audited IP Vault and Staking Mechanics: Core IP Vault contracts for tokenization, fundraising, and controlled distribution were independently assessed by Halborn. Staking contracts enabling time-locked participation and KYC-aware unstaking were also audited, supporting compliant yield workflows tied to IP tokens.
Off-Chain to On-Chain Royalty Pipeline: Aria implements operational rails that import music royalty income into on-chain ledgers, addressing multi-source reconciliation and verifiable payout streams. Public disclosures highlight daily royalty distributions for its first IP RWA token, demonstrating live, recurring yield.
Catalog-Scale, Culturally Significant Assets: Aria brings rights linked to hit songs from global artists like BTS, BLACKPINK, Justin Bieber, and Miley Cyrus on-chain, proving the model at scale with recognizable, revenue-generating catalogs.
Remixable, Licensed Creativity: By pairing programmable licensing with contests and legal remixing, Aria turns IP from a passive right into an active creative market where derivatives share revenue via on-chain splits.
Proven Leadership: Founded by David Kostiner, music IP expert and founding partner of Counsel LLP. Co-founded IODA (acquired by Sony Music). Authority on music copyright, licensing, and tech-driven entertainment finance.
Institutional Backing: $15 million raised from Polychain Capital, Neoclassic, Story Protocol Foundation, OKX Ventures, and Selini Capital. Additional $10.95 million for IP acquisition.
Strategic Partnerships: Story Protocol for L1 infrastructure, global music IP holders (Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, BLACKPINK, BTS), Stakestone & LiquidityPad for fundraising, Sedition Art Platform for visual arts, Binance Alpha and Bithumb for listings, Aria PRIME for Korean music ($100M initiative), Chainlink for pricing and verification.
Developer Tools: Technical documentation at docs.ariaprotocol.xyz covering smart contract APIs, integration guides, and architectural details. Web app for investing, staking, and royalty management. Specialized remix and licensing modules.
Aria delivers an audited trust layer for IP real-world assets that people and institutions can rely on at scale.
Aria Protocol (ARIAIP) Goes Live on Bitget
We are thrilled to announce that Aria Protocol (ARIAIP) is now listed in the Innovation and RWA Zone.
Trade ARIAIP/USDT on Bitget!
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are for informational purposes only. This article does not constitute an endorsement of any of the products and services discussed or investment, financial, or trading advice. Qualified professionals should be consulted prior to making financial decisions.
