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Insights, tips, and news about music publishing, royalties, and the music industry. Stay informed on the latest trends and best practices
A music catalog is every copyright you own or control, and even a small one generates income if you register it correctly. This guide walks you through the registrations, metadata standards, and royalty streams that turn your songs into a paying asset.
Royalties
14 min
Royalties
14 min
Royalties
11 min
Music Business
14 min
Distribution agreements determine how your music reaches listeners and how you get paid. This guide breaks down the essential terms every independent musician must understand before signing, from revenue splits to reversion rights, so you can negotiate deals that protect your catalog and your income.
Legacy royalty systems fail creators through black box statements, 18-month delays, and unexplained deductions. Modern accountability requires transaction-level transparency, immutable audit trails, and standardized data formats that let you verify every payment.
Most vinyl collectors overlook 45 RPM singles, but systematic valuation reveals hidden gems worth hundreds or thousands. This guide teaches you to assess pressing details, grade condition accurately, and use market data to price your collection correctly.
360 deals let labels take 15-50% of your income across recorded music, touring, merch, brand deals, and sometimes publishing. This guide explains exactly what labels claim from each revenue stream and how to negotiate better terms in 2026.
Most songwriters leave money on the table through registration gaps, territory blind spots, and misunderstanding royalty streams. These seven song royalty tips fix the operational gaps that cost writers thousands in unclaimed music royalties every year.
Most songwriters focus on streaming and performance royalties while missing dozens of niche revenue streams. These uncommon ways your song can make you money require active catalog management but collectively represent significant income that independent writers leave unclaimed.
Songwriting camps compress months of networking and creative output into a few intense days. The difference between a productive camp and a frustrating one often comes down to what you do in the week before you arrive.
Songwriting camps separate career writers from hobbyists faster than talent alone. The difference is not who writes the best hook but who understands co-writing etiquette well enough to get invited back.
Songwriting camps promise collaboration and industry access, but structural failures leave most participants without meaningful revenue or rights. From upfront publishing grabs to administrative breakdowns, here are the five costly mistakes that make camps a poor investment for most writers.
Mistakes songwriters should avoid during song registration determine whether you collect every dollar your music earns or leave thousands on the table. Registration errors fragment your catalog and break royalty matching across CMOs, DSPs, and mechanical licensing databases.
Songtrust Spotlight gives songwriters visibility into royalty flows across territories and DSPs. This guide walks through the five-step setup process, from account linking to your first data sync, so you can start tracking what you're owed.
Songtrust: Business and Technology Partner to the Creative Community provides global music publishing administration for independent songwriters and composers. This guide covers account setup, catalog registration, royalty collection from CMOs worldwide, and when Songtrust makes sense for your publishing rights.
