What is Beyond Music? Details explored as the music company acquires BTS' ‘Butter’ copyright through collaboration with songwriter Stephen Kirk

On February 18, 2025, Beyond Music announced on its website that it had secured a copyright stake in BTS's global hit Butter through a collaboration with renowned songwriter Stephen Kirk. The company described this acquisition as part of its broader strategy to strengthen its music IP portfolio and expand its influence in the global market.

Beyond Music is a music IP investment and data management company. Since its founding in 2021, the company has emerged as a major player in the global music industry, specializing in acquiring and managing valuable music intellectual properties.

In their official statement, Beyond Music highlighted that the deal reinforces its standing as Asia’s leading music IP investment and data management company. The CEO of Beyond Music, Jinwoo Jo stated,

“Acquiring a copyright stake in BTS’s global hit ‘Butter’ is a major step forward in our music IP investment and value-up strategy. We will continue to expand our presence in the global market through strategic acquisitions, portfolio diversification, and innovative monetization strategies, securing sustainable growth for years to come."

The company further mentioned this step aligns with its long-term vision to drive global growth through portfolio diversification and collaborations with creators like Stephen Kirk.

Stephen Kirk, one of the co-writers and producers of Butter, played an important role in crafting the song. As a multi-platinum and Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter, Kirk has also collaborated with artists like Dixie and Jessie Murph.

Beyond Music has executed over 100 large-scale music IP acquisitions, resulting in a vast catalog of more than 35,000 copyrights. This includes both publishing and master rights.

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More about Beyond Music, BTS' Butter, and its record-breaking achievements

Beyond Music’s total investment exceeds 350 billion KRW. In addition to BTS’s Butter, their catalog includes tracks such as Adele’s One and Only, Dua Lipa’s Garden, and Taeyeon’s A Poem Titled 'You'.

BTS’s Butter, released on May 21, 2021, has become one of the group’s most globally recognized tracks. The song blends disco-pop, dance-pop, and EDM elements, and was co-written by Jenna Andrews, RM, Alex Bilowitz, Sebastian Garcia, Robert Grimaldi, Stephen Kirk, and Ron Perry. The production of the track was handled by Grimaldi, Kirk, and Perry.

As BTS' second English-language single, Butter received widespread acclaim for its catchy melody and summer-ready vibe. The song achieved record-breaking success almost immediately upon its release. It set a new YouTube record for the highest number of views within 24 hours, amassing 108.2 million views and surpassing BTS's previous record with Dynamite.

The premiere of the Butter music video drew over 3.9 million concurrent viewers, setting an all-time high for the platform. On Spotify, Butter became the most-streamed song in a single day globally, earning a Guinness World Record and securing a spot in Spotify’s exclusive “Billions Club” for reaching over one billion streams. As of recently, the music video surpassed a billion views on YouTube.

On the Billboard Hot 100, Butter debuted at No. 1 and held the top spot for seven consecutive weeks, breaking the 23-year record for the longest-running No. 1 debut by a group, a title previously held by Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing.

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Meanwhile, BTS is currently on group hiatus, with five of the seven members, RM, V, Jungkook, Jimin, and Suga actively serving their mandatory military duty. Jin and j-hope completed their military terms in June and October, respectively. The group is anticipated to reunite in June 2025.