Today I stumbled upon an artist that is using the internet and YouTube to do what so many people talk about doing…..making a living and finding fans. Tyler Ward has used the net to get his music out and find tons of fans….and fans turn into money. I always find stuff like this inspiring, so I hope you do to!
The key to making a living or just making some extra money from music is to diversify.
If you are a songwriter there are a few key ways to generate revenue from your songs. I thought I would list some ways that I have been able to generate royalties from my works.
1. Licensing: This means getting your song used on TV, radio, internet, etc. Many times the user will negotiate a fee for use. The fee is less if it is a non-exclusive contract. How do you license your work? Well, I have done it 2 ways. The first way is to work directly with music supervisors. I have been lucky enough to have them find me online and request music. The other way that has worked for me is to used services like Pump Audio. They have a database of music submitted and they help license and negotiate with potential users.
2. Performance Royalties: These are the money collected by BMI and ASCAP when media broadcasts works. So once you get placements, when the use is reported to BMI or ASCAP, you get royalties for the public performance. The more the music airs, the more money you get.
3. Mechanical Royalties: This is what you get paid when someone records one of your songs on a commercially available CD. It is done on a per song, per unit basis. The fee now is somewhere around 9.5 cents per song, per CD. This is usually a statuatory rate set by Congress every coupld of years.
4. Live Performance: This is where you actually get off your butt and get out and perform your own songs and charge a fee for your performance. Many times you start out small at coffee shops playing for tips, etc. Then once you prove you have a following, and the chops you can start charging more.
**number one rule is all of this is to NEVER pay someone to ‘publish’ your song. If they want to use it, they should be paying you. Also, never just ‘sell’ your rights to someone, unless they pay you a HUGE sum of money…songs are property and can build value over time….don’t sell yourself short for quick cash**
I am excited to let you know that C-Sharp Productions and I now offer professional song critiques. Having your song critiqued is a great way to get an unbiased opinion of the strengths and weaknesses of you songs. All songwriters should know how their songs are coming across.
If you are planning to send your songs to publishers or labels, you really should have your song critiqued. It will give you some idea of how other people are hearing your songs. Friends and family members listening will be biased, since they know and love you. Someone in the music industry, like a publisher, will be very direct and can sometimes tear your work apart.
If you want to have my professional opinion of your work you can vist my professional song critique page. For $20 I listen to your song and give you a detailed critique of your work. It is a small investment to find out if you are the right track to making your music career better.
- Chad
The actual magazine has been out for a couple weeks, but you can now read the article that features me and C-Sharp Productions in More magazine. You can read the story and my quotes.
If you want to buy the April Issue of More Magazine, Helen Mirren is on the cover.
Tonight I am off to Saint Paul for the Minnesota Association of Songwriter meeting. — Chad
It is official! C-Sharp Productions has landed in the pages of the April issue of More Magazine.
One of the editors interviewed me for a story they did on women who have followed a dream. They wanted to see how much it costs to go after all kinds of dreams. The dream I was asked about was recording a CD. C-Sharp Productions has been around since 1996 so I have helped all kinds of bands and artists record CD’s. I have worked with people on 1 song demos, all the way up to full CD’s.
So next time you are at a book store, look for More Magazine with Helen Mirren on the cover. It is the April issue. My little 15 minutes of national fame is on page 119. There is also a great photo and write up of jazz singer Sharon Rae North.
Please let me know if there are any music business topics you may want discussed on this blog. —- CHAD
I wanted to share some info about a great group that I am a part of here in Minnesota. It is the Minnesota Association of Songwriters. It is a group of songwriters that meet to help each other write better songs and get published.
MAS meets the last Wednesday of every month from 7 to 9pm at the McNally Smith Music School in Saint Paul, MN.
At each meeting there are songwriting educational lectures and song critiques. The critiques are a great way get comments on your songs. Once you get the comments you can work on making yourself a better songwriter.
You can attend as a guest twice before becoming a member….but being a member is only $25 per year. So it is very affordable.
Check out the Minnesota Association of Songwriters. —- CHAD SHARP
