How MW8 sits on the cycle

01 · Epic budget

Compound spend

• Sessions billed to Epic / FakeBusy at the Compound rate card ($4,500/day default).
• 17 held/booked days in the base case. Conservative 8. Aggressive 22.
• 25% of billed studio revenue returns to Lunchbox as the Scale Fund.
• 10–16 records. Target 12. No aesthetic drift for volume.

02 · Rights

Publishing

• MW8 admin or co-pub on new works written in this cycle.
• Catalog ingest before Block 1. Splits, ISWC, existing co-writes.
• PRO registration on first playback, not after delivery.
• Sample watch is a deliverable. Scale Fund can cover clears.

03 · Operator

Management

• MW8 runs Compound booking, PO conversion, and the rate card.
• Closed A&R playbacks with Epic / FakeBusy in the room.
• Scale Fund draws approved against the lane brief, not against trends.
• YouTube is the growth surface. Spotify CRM on cadence. No paid playlist adds.
• Next 90-day drafted before this one closes. Unused fund rolls.

Publishing playbook

• Admin or co-pub

  Default is MW8 administration on new works from this cycle. Co-pub if Lunchbox wants MW8 on the copyright. Side letter names the election before Block 1.

• Catalog ingest

  Existing Lunchbox splits, ISWCs, and co-writes land in MW8 before the first playback. After Hours Patent is already clean. Nothing new registers until the ingest is closed.

• PRO + MLC

  Works register on first A&R playback, not after mix. MW8 runs the MLC / neighboring-rights path so black-box money from this cycle does not sit unmatched.

• Clears before mix

  Sample and interpolation watchlist is a Phase 2 deliverable. Scale Fund can cover clears. If it is not flagged before mix, it does not ship in this 90.

Management playbook

• 90-day operator

  MW8 books The Compound, holds the rate card, and converts holds to booked once the FakeBusy PO is on the work order. Nile runs the floor. Cove owns the lane.

• A&R with Epic

  Closed playbacks at The Compound, not a Dropbox dump. Joey floats the Scale Fund number in the Epic conversation. FakeBusy is in the room for playback 1.

• Scale Fund governance

  Draws are for producers, features, mix overage, travel, and clears. Not points. Not a recoupable advance against masters. Harper reconciles against billed studio at close.

• Who the cycle is for

  85.7% male, 18–34. London, Brooklyn, LA, Toronto. YouTube is up; Chartmetric is soft. Ads stay there. Scale Fund does not buy a female playlist lane.

• Next cycle before this one ends

  Unused Scale Fund rolls. Q1 Compound blocks lock before Nov 29. Management does not go quiet between cycles.