T-Pain says selling his music catalog was about protecting his family’s future

The Grammy winner said shrinking streaming payouts made holding onto his catalog a growing financial risk.

T-Pain is speaking about his decision to sell his music catalog, saying it was driven by long-term financial security rather than a quick payday. During a recent Twitch livestream, the Grammy-winning artist argued that declining streaming payouts made selling his catalog the best way to protect his family’s future.

Born Faheem Rashad Najm, T-Pain sold his publishing catalog and select master rights to HarbourView Equity Partners in February 2025. According to People, The deal was widely reported to be worth around $100 million. T-Pain explained that the modern music business, particularly the economics of streaming, made holding onto his catalog a growing financial risk “When streaming started, nobody came to any artist and said, ‘Hey, we’re about to put your s— on streaming platforms. How much do you want your music to cost?'” he said.

The “Buy U a Drank” hitmaker argued that artists had little control when streaming reduced music revenues.

“Suddenly, out of nowhere and without anybody’s consent, all of our music went from a dollar a song to 0.003 cents per play. Nobody asked us s—,” he said. According to T-Pain, declining streaming payouts mean the long-term value of music catalogs continues to shrink. “My catalog is worth less and less and less without any kind of consent from me,” he explained.

The decision came down to protecting his family’s future. “I’m not leaving my kids’ future in the hands of the music industry at f—in’ all,” T-Pain said. The artist shares daughter Lyriq and sons Muziq and Kaydnz with his wife, Amber Najm. When HarbourView Equity acquired his catalog in 2025, T-Pain described the partnership as an opportunity to preserve the legacy of his music while allowing it to continue reaching new audiences.