I've sort'a watched Royal Gold out of the corner of my eye for decades.  I know they follow a business model innovated earlier by Canadian investment visionary Pierre Lassonde, who, with a partner, created the royalty and streaming concept with a public company called Franco-Nevada.  There are now a number of companies like it across the globe, including Royal Gold.  

I don't recall meeting Pierre when he worked in San Francisco, but my office frequently contracted with his for mining and pipeline projects.