How To Make Money With Your Music!

Understanding Music Royalties

Overview: In this video, Rick Barker, founder of the Music Industry Blueprint and former manager of Taylor Swift, explains the importance of registering with a Performance Rights Organization (PRO) and other organizations to ensure that artists are paid for their music. He also provides resources to help artists understand their rights and collect past royalties.

Registering with a PRO

• Every time a song is played, streamed, or downloaded, the songwriter is entitled to royalties.

• To receive these royalties, the artist must register with a PRO in their country.

• For those in the US, there are three options: BMI, ASCAP, and CSAC. Canadians have SOCAN, and Europeans have various options depending on the region.

Collecting Royalties

• Spotify, Apple, and Deezer will not pay out royalties until the artist registers with their PRO.

• Songtrust.com provides an easy and reliable resource to estimate royalties and learn more about music publishing.

• Unfortunately, not all royalties are collected in one place, so the artist must register with multiple organizations to ensure they are paid.

• These organizations include Sound Exchange, which collects royalties from I Heart Radio, Pandora, and Sirius XM.

• Artists can also enter their songs into Sound Exchange to collect past royalties, which can go back up to three years.

Conclusion

• It is the artist's responsibility to understand their business and register with the necessary organizations to ensure they are paid for their music.

• Resources such as Songtrust.com and Sound Exchange can help artists understand their rights and collect past royalties.

Understanding Mechanical Royalties

Overview: This section covers the importance of registering your music properly in order to collect mechanical royalties. It also explains how companies like Song Trust can help you do this, and why it is important to invest in understanding the business of music publishing.

Registering Your Music

• Song Trust is a company that helps you collect mechanical royalties. They have relationships and understanding of how to do this.

• Utilizing organizations like Song Trust is beneficial as they get paid a small percentage to collect your money for you.

• Until you register your music properly, no one knows who to pay.

• If you are working with a distributor, they will ask you questions about who will collect your Rider's share.

• You should also set up your own Publishing Company, as some people pay the Publishers directly.

• The Modern Guide to Music Publishing from Song Trust is the best resource available to understand the business.

Getting Paid

• It is important to invest in understanding the business of music publishing before spending money on playlists or PR campaigns.

• If you have a question, you can leave it in the comments or DM Rick Barker on Instagram.

• If you paid for it, you own your master.

• The person who owns the master makes the majority of the money.

• As an independent artist, if you wrote the song by yourself, you have 100% of the writers share and 100% of the publishing share.

• When you register with your PRO, you will say you own 100%.

• If you co-wrote the song, it is split 50/50.

• You can list all your songs and register them after the fact.

• If you released a CD about a year ago and made mistakes, you can re-release it.

Music 101 for the Independent Artist

Overview: This section covers the basics of music marketing and promotion for independent artists, including the most effective and cost-effective ways to reach the right audience, how to register songs with a PRO, and the benefits of using a service like Songtrust.

Advertising

• Ads are the most effective and cost-affordable way to reach the right audience.

• If you don't want to wait, shoot a DM for more information.

Publishing Services

• If you're using Ditto Music, they offer publishing services which you may need to register for.

• Double check your business and make sure you're registered with a PRO.

Opt-In Model

• For questions about an opt-in model for collecting revenue, contact Songtrust for more information.

YouTube

• YouTube won't allow longer texts, so break it up into pieces.

International Distribution

• When uploading to streaming services, your songs will be heard all over the world.

• Your Irish PRO will register your songs, and other countries may honor them and collect on their behalf.

• Non-Americans cannot register in other countries, but American PROs and Songtrust will collect royalties.

Understanding Mechanical Royalties

Overview: This section covers the basics of mechanical royalties, how to make sure you are taken care of, and how to register your music with the appropriate Pro.

Understanding Mechanical Royalties

• Listening to Spotify or radio in your country will give you an idea of what people are listening to.

• Songtrust can collect your mechanical royalties as it starts branching out across the world.

• As digital service providers like Spotify and Apple start to pay more money out to songwriters, make sure you are taken care of.

Registering Your Music

• Make sure you get yourself taken care of and protect your business.

• Visit songtrust.com for a list of countries and Pros.

• Ask the end user (your Pro) if you need to register separate versions of a single song.

Additional Resources

• Visit Sound Exchange to get taken care of.

• Subscribe to Rick Barker's channel for more videos.

• DM Rick Barker on Instagram at rickbarker music for faster response.

• Attend Rick Barker's live trainings every week.