ARTISTS + SPONSORS
LOIs reported in place
Dondria · Benny the Butcher · Curren$y
Broader artist pipeline
Durand Bernarr · D Smoke · Talib Kweli · Sasha Keable · Tiger La Flor · Florence Road · Space Junk · Rick Hyde · Tony DeSare · Eric Andersen · Tweet · Travie McCoy / Gym Class Heroes · Westside Gunn
Additional Upstate prospects
Danielle Ponder · Joywave · X Ambassadors · Brian McKnight · Lou Gramm · Che Noir · 38 Spesh · Armani Caesar · RXK Nephew · Scorey · Jae Skeese · V. Ciannii
Stages vary: outreach, management discussions and contract preparation. Names do not establish bookings. Track terms, next steps and announcement approvals individually.
First-wave sponsor opening asks
| West Herr | $35,000 |
| M&T Bank* | $25,000 |
| Greenlight Networks | $20,000 |
| ESL* / KeyBank* | $15,000 each |
| Five Star Bank* / La Nova | $10,000 each |
| Salvatore’s / Dinosaur Bar-B-Que | $7,500 each |
| William Mattar | $5,000 |
$150K gross asks, not closed revenue. With only the largest bank ask retained, compatible asks total $110K. *Banks compete for overlapping exclusive category rights. Delta Sonic is a second-wave prospect; ask unscoped.
Initial sponsor conversations are underway; no signed or paid sponsor commitments have been supplied. Names imply no affiliation. LOI terms require review. Sponsor-specific work, inventory and exclusivity must be scoped before sale.
WHAT THE CAPITAL FUNDS
Proposed $75,000 allocation
| Upstate core delivery | $24,725 |
| Anchor guarantee allowance | $12,000 |
| Sponsor reward allowance | $2,250 |
| Launch Week preparation | $11,025 |
| November–December shared operations | $15,000 |
| Additional liquidity reserve | $10,000 |
| Total | $75,000 |
Working-capital allocations, not a fully costed three-event budget. Expenses counted once; sponsorship receipts replenish advances. Shared operations exclude event-charged labor.
Upstate internal core budget
| Team + fulfillment coordination | $17,500 |
| Paid promotion | $2,500 |
| Streaming + event tools | $1,500 |
| Contingency: 15% of $21,500 | $3,225 |
| Core delivery | $24,725 |
Potential Benny exception: $12,000 working request; approximately $6,000 before announcement. Reserve the full obligation. Guarantee treatment and schedule require agreement.
Exclusions: unpriced custom builds, additional guarantees, artist-side crews, extra rights, taxes and overhead. Standard artist offer has no guarantee.
Internal allocations, not verified vendor quotes. $2,250 reward example: 3,000 users × 10 sponsors × 5 event IDs × $0.015. One series event ID = $450. Credits are closed-loop, not cash-redeemable; reserve treatment is proposed. At a $50K close, the $38,975 subtotal leaves $11,025 before exclusions.
TARGETS, TIMING + CASH
2026 commercial opportunities
| Program | Current planning basis |
|---|---|
| Upstate Takeover | $75K / $80K / $100K sponsorship targets |
| Launch Week | $150K working / $200K stretch combined funding + revenue targets; split pending |
| Miami Art Week | Sponsor target pending; $25,645 production requirement |
| Additional opportunities | Rhyth Art Week, additional artist programs and sponsor extensions; unpriced |
These amounts cannot be added as Rhyth revenue. Investment is financing; ticket and tip proceeds belong to artists. Future contracts and sales remain unconfirmed.
Upstate residual at $80K collected
$80,000 − $38,975 planning subtotal = $41,025 before excluded costs. Not profit.
Working-capital release gates
- Oct. 16: signed anchor or approved alternative and credible lineup; fund deposits under written terms.
- Oct. 23: committed costs funded, contingency intact, capacity and backup tests passed.
- November: release funded Launch Week scope; shared operations proposed at $5K early and $5K late month.
- Before Miami: complete full budget and collect or allocate enough cash for obligations.
- December: proposed final $5K shared operations; settle accounts and cost Q1.
Downside: $25K more spent than collected leaves $50K from the raise. Late invoices are not December cash. Protect reserves and unpaid obligations; reduce or defer unfunded scope.
Contracted sponsor payments can support timing assumptions; conversations cannot be booked as receivables. Weekly payment and collection dates remain to be documented. Year-end cash is not company valuation or an automatic investor return.
WHAT WE WILL MEASURE
Proposed success criteria
- Four distinct paying sponsors; two paid or signed follow-on engagements.
- 20% repeat attendance among fans with another event opportunity within 30 days.
- Two artist repeat-booking expressions of interest across the full pipeline.
- 20% contribution margin on one repeatable format, after all direct costs.
- Track registration conversion, successful access, setup hours, artist settlement and cash timing.
Commercial terms to finalize
Artist ticket and tip proceeds: after processing, refunds and chargebacks; taxes excluded. Proposed physical-merch referral: 5% of attributable net sales, excluding signed VIP items. Proposed digital-merch split: 70% Rhyth / 30% artist from defined net cash receipts. VIP terms separately agreed.
Sources
- Founder-provided company strategy, artist LOIs, experience and sponsor-conversation updates.
- Upstate Takeover Internal Proposal and Sponsorship Plan, Oct. 4, 2026.
- Rhyth Strategic Funding and Partnership Proposal, Oct. 5, 2026.
- Rhyth About-page source and Jessica Smith / Mhalik Baldwin LinkedIn profiles.
- Roblox advertising update, January 2026: category evidence only.
Investment diligence
Confirm entity, ownership, existing liabilities, investment instrument, valuation and investor rights. Review LOIs, vendor quotes, paid sponsor scopes and complete later-program budgets.
Strategic milestones and financial illustrations are proposed, not achieved performance. This presentation begins a company investment discussion. Financial participation and commercial relationships require separate agreements.