What is an A-Corp?
An Artist Corporation (A-Corp) is a new type of limited liability company created by the Colorado Artist Company Act (SB 26-133) — signed into law in June 2026 — designed specifically for creative people and artistic purposes.
The Problem
Today, when artists want to formalize their creative work — to collaborate, share ownership, protect their intellectual property, or simply get health insurance — they're forced to use legal structures that were designed for conventional businesses.
LLCs, S-Corps, and C-Corps don't account for the unique realities of creative work — shared intellectual property, artistic mission protections, the way creative collaborations actually function, or the need to keep creative control in the hands of the people making the art.
The result? Most artists either operate informally — without protections, without benefits, without building equity — or they spend thousands on lawyers to retrofit business structures that weren't built for them.
The A-Corp
The Artist Corporation is a new type of LLC — a limited liability company organized under Part 12 of Colorado's LLC statute, with special provisions built into the law for artists. It provides a simple, accessible structure that reflects how creative people actually work.
Much of what the A-Corp offers is technically possible today if you hire the right lawyers and draft the right operating agreements. The A-Corp makes it a preset form — accessible and affordable to anyone.
Key Features
Artist Majority
Artists must own at least 51% of all voting securities at all times. This is locked into the statute and cannot be altered by an operating agreement.
Artistic Mission
Every A-Corp must have a stated artistic mission in its articles of organization or operating agreement. The company can specify that mission has primacy over financial objectives, that they're of equal priority, or define any other balance.
IP Protection
Artistic work assigned or licensed to the company can never be transferred to non-artist investors or third parties. Upon dissolution, it reverts to the artists who created it. These reversionary rights are retained interests that never fully transfer to the company and are not available to creditors.
Shares & Collective Ownership
A-Corps can issue ownership units — including fractional units — letting artists build equity and share ownership with collaborators. Equity can be based on capital contributions (including artistic work as in-kind contributions), equal shares per member, or fixed percentages. Artists can raise capital by issuing shares while maintaining majority control.
Separation of Rights
Economic rights can be separated from governance and control rights. Non-artist investors may hold rights to distributions, royalties, and revenue participation without corresponding voting power or decision-making authority.
Fiduciary Duties
Members and managers have duties to preserve the artistic mission, balance it with financial interests, and consult with artist-members on decisions materially affecting creative direction. These duties can be modified in the articles or operating agreement.
How It Happens
Establishing the A-Corp as a public good means passing laws. Senate Bill 26-133, the Colorado Artist Company Act, passed the Colorado General Assembly with bipartisan support — sponsored by Senators Bridges and Catlin in the Senate and Representatives Martinez and Taggart in the House — and was signed into law by Governor Jared Polis on June 3, 2026, making Colorado the first state in the nation with an A-Corp law.
Colorado is updating its filing systems through the rest of 2026, with the first A-Corps expected to be formed in early 2027 and the Secretary of State required to make simplified long-form articles of organization available by July 1, 2027. Other states are now the frontier — efforts to introduce A-Corp legislation modeled on Colorado's are going into motion across the country.
See What's Possible
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