As the year comes to a close, many in the media and entertainment industry are reflecting on the tools and processes that could make operations smoother in the new year. If you’re grappling with clunky spreadsheets or outdated software for rights management, the itch to take matters into your own hands may be all too real. Maybe you’re tempted to rally your engineers, sketch out the perfect system, and build a custom tool tailored to your every need. Or perhaps, in a fit of optimism, you’re eyeing that spreadsheet and thinking, “How hard can it be?”We get it. The urge to DIY is strong, but as experts who have been on this road for years, we’re here to share some hard-earned wisdom. While the motivation to build your own rights management solution is understandable, the reality of such projects often leads to more frustration—and costs—than you might expect. Here’s why.
At first glance, building your own rights management tool seems like a logical investment. You already have a skilled IT team, and no one knows your business better than you do. But the truth is, developing an in-house system often ends up being far more expensive than anticipated.
These projects have a tendency to spiral. From unexpected development hurdles to the ongoing need for updates and maintenance, the costs stack up quickly—not just in dollars, but in time and focus. Your engineers might spend months, or even years, building a tool that still doesn’t fully meet your needs, leaving critical opportunities on the table.
By the time your in-house solution is functional, you could have spent that budget—and far less time—on a sleek, fully integrated platform like Molten Cloud. Designed specifically for media operations, Molten Cloud eliminates the guesswork and gives you access to advanced rights management capabilities from day one. Why reinvent the wheel when a better, faster, and more cost-effective solution already exists?
One of the biggest drawbacks of going it alone is the knowledge gap. When you build an in-house tool, your insights are limited to your own operations. While this might seem sufficient, the truth is that the most effective tools are born from a much broader pool of experience.
At Molten Cloud, we’ve spent years working with distributors, producers, and streamers across the industry. Our platform is shaped by collective feedback, real-world workflows, and thousands of feature requests. We’ve already solved many of the challenges you’re facing—not just for one company, but for an entire industry.
This collaborative approach means you don’t have to spend years figuring out what works. You get a solution that has been refined and battle-tested, constantly evolving to meet the needs of the industry. In 2025, when media operations are more complex than ever, tapping into this collective wisdom is a game-changer.
The technology landscape is evolving rapidly, and staying ahead requires continuous innovation. At Molten Cloud, we’re not just keeping pace—we’re pushing boundaries. Our engineers have built tools that many in the industry couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago.
Take our AI-driven rights management tool, for example. It can transform longform contracts—even as PDFs or image files—into searchable rights and avails, dramatically reducing the time and effort required for manual data entry. We’ve also developed a fully automated royalties tool that connects deeply to your data, helping major media companies streamline their financial operations like never before.
These innovations didn’t happen overnight. They’re the result of years of investment, collaboration, and iteration. Building similar capabilities in-house would take not just time but also specialized expertise, significant resources, and a lot of trial and error. With Molten Cloud, you get immediate access to these groundbreaking tools, allowing you to focus on what you do best—managing and monetizing your content.
As we approach 2025, it’s the perfect time to rethink your operations. The new year offers a chance to leave behind the inefficiencies of outdated systems and embrace tools that will help you scale. But DIY isn’t the answer. It might seem tempting in the short term, but the long-term costs—in time, money, and missed opportunities—are simply too high.
Instead, consider a solution that’s ready to go, tailored to the unique demands of media operations, and built to adapt as your needs evolve. Molten Cloud offers all of this and more, providing a platform that integrates seamlessly with your workflows and keeps you ahead of the curve.
Make 2025 the year you say goodbye to DIY.
