Music Industry Guides

Guides on US royalties and rights, plus general advice on the music business for independent artists and managers.

Industry guides

• Why This Site Exists
• Why Music Is Worth Chasing - A Life Well Lived Through Sound
• You Don't Need Millions of Streams: Why 1,000 Loyal Fans Is Enough to Go Full-Time
• US Music Royalties Explained: The Essential Registration Guide
• ASCAP, BMI and SoundExchange: What Is the Difference and Do You Need All Three?
• How to Join ASCAP or BMI: A Step-by-Step Guide
• How to Register with SoundExchange as an Artist and Rights Owner
• How to Join The MLC
• What Does The MLC Actually Pay You? How US Mechanical Royalties Work
• How a Stream Becomes Money: Where US Music Royalties Come From
• How to Get Paid When You Play Live in the US
• What Are IPI, ISWC and Work IDs? The US Version of the Tunecode
• What Are ISRC and UPC Codes? How to Get Them for Your US Release
• Record Deal Advances Explained: What You Get, What You Owe and What to Watch Out For
• Why doing this all yourself is a pathway to burnout
• The Importance of Boredom: Why Doing Nothing Might Be the Most Creative Thing You Do
• Why Sigur Rós Refuse to Play by the Music Industry's Rules (And Keep Winning)
• The EP Is Your Best Marketing Tool as an Emerging Artist, But Only If You Plan It Properly
• Why Staying Silent Is Also a Political Choice: A Guide for Independent Musicians
• So the Superstar Thing Didn't Happen. Here's What's Actually Available.
• Stop Wasting Money on Merch That Doesn't Sell: A Practical Guide for Independent Artists
• How to Stop Dreading Feedback and Start Using It to Grow Your Music Career
• Posting Every Day and Still Getting Nowhere: What Your Social Media Is Really Telling You
• You Are Not the First Artist to Feel Like Throwing It All In. Here Is What to Do Next.
• Stop Wasting Money on Budget Microphones: The AKG 414 Is What Your Home Studio Actually Needs
• I Fed My Own Unreleased Song Into AI. Here Is What Came Back.
• How to Finish a Song and Make a Demo
• Starting Out in a Band: The Do's and Don'ts Nobody Tells You
• "Build It and They Will Come" - Will They?
• The Follow-Up: How to Contact Someone After They've Shown Interest in Your Music
• The Working Musician's Guide to Vocal Health on the Road
• What Makes a Bar a Legitimate Music Venue? A Practical Checklist for Independent Artists
• The Streaming Paradox
• Things Young Musicians Get Wrong in the Practice Room
• When to Use Plugin Presets and When to Build Your Own Sounds From Scratch
• Can You Still Gig, Record and Tour After Having a Baby? Here Is the Truth
• Nobody Is Coming to Find You
• Is Your Music Career at the Right Stage for Crowdfunding? A Practical Checklist
• Good Student vs Good Musician: What Music College Doesn't Teach You
• Not All Advice Is Equal: How Independent Artists Can Filter What Actually Applies to Them
• Are DIY Acoustic Panels Actually Worth It for Your Home Studio?
• Why Not Everyone Will Love Your Music (And Why That's Actually a Good Sign)
• Is Self-Taught Always Enough? What Independent Artists Lose When Theory Knowledge Runs Out
• Capo or Transpose? A Practical Guide for Gigging Musicians
• The Break-Even Point: How to Know When Cancelling a Show Is the Right Financial Decision
• The People Who Change Your Music Career Are Not Who You Think
• My Biggest Music Career Regret: Waiting Too Long to Release
• How to Get Rid of Songwriter's Block for Good
• Every Musician Needs Someone Who Will Tell Them the Truth
• The Producer: From Maestro to Multi-Hyphenate
• THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS BIGGER THAN YOU THINK: ROLES, RELATIONSHIPS & FINDING YOUR PLACE IN IT
• Finding Your Team: Managers, Publishers & the Art of Being Worth Investing In
• The Cover Gig: School, Trap, or Both?
• Networking: It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Actually Are
• Is It a Hobby? Good. That Might Be the Best Thing For You.
• Band vs Solo Artist: Difficulties & Benefits
• Music Education: What's Actually Worth Your Time & Money
• The Disappearing Middle Class of Music
• You Are Competing With Famous People's Kids (And That's Fine)
• Digital Distribution Compared: DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, Amuse, and EmuBands
• Pots, Pans and DAWs: Choosing the Right Digital Audio Workstation
• What Is Copyright and Why Every Independent Musician in the UK Needs to Understand It
• What I Need From a Session Musician
• How to Improve Stage Presence: Stop Performing, Start Connecting
• The Music Industry: What Nobody Tells You Before You Start
• Why Your Mailing List Is the Most Important Thing You Are Not Building
• The Music Business: Understanding the Trade-Off Between Art and Commerce
• Protecting Your Hearing: The Thing Nobody Tells You Until It Is Too Late
• What Is a Contract? A Conversational Guide to Music Industry Agreements
• Work-For-Hire Contracts: When You Own Your Music and When You Don't
• NFTs and Web3 for Musicians: Where It Actually Stands Now
• Building a Real Fanbase Without Buying Followers
• Social Media Content Strategies That Don't Feel Like Selling Out
• Press Kits That Actually Get Read: What Journalists and Bookers Want
• DIY Touring on a Budget: Booking Agents, Guarantees, and Rider Basics
• Publishing Deals vs Recording Deals: What Is the Difference and Which Matters More for You
• How the Music Industry Already Lived Through What Gaming Is About to Experience
• How the Spotify Algorithm Works and What Artists Can Actually Influence
• Producing Beats Online: Licensing, Exclusives, and Leases Explained
• Ignore, Block or Report? A Practical Guide to Dealing With Trolls as a Music Professional