10 Years Ago Dubset (And I) Wanted Rights-holders To Be Friendlier To DJs…10 Years Later Apple Music Is Making It Possible
Ten years ago, I wrote a piece for Hypebot (posted at the end) announcing the Mix Transparency Report by Dubset (acquired by Pex).
At the time, Dubset, a new startup, wanted to help DJs legally release, distribute, and monetize mixed music (i.e. remixes, mashups, mixes, etc.), and get artists, songwriters, and rights-holders paid. However, there was a ton of resistance amongst rights-holders to what I thought was a great idea. I was biased since I had once managed a roster of DJs who specialized in mash-ups.
The Mix Transparency Report set out a new standard for charting the consumption of mixed music while shinning a light on the commercial opportunities that existed for rights-holders and content creators of derivative works (e.g. DJs, producers, remixers).
(Side Note: Last year, I created the “Beats & Money: A Music Rights & Royalties Crash Course for Beatmakers” webinar for The Mechanical Licensing Collective with support by Chris McMurtry of Pex/RME which you can watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/8ZoPRmJFt-Q.)
Dubset wanted to locate the most popular mixed music in the world, thoroughly analyze it, and share its findings every month. The report would offer full transparency with regards to the “who” and “what” was being listened to (often royalty-free) by millions of music fans a day. Initially, the Dubset report included four charts: Dubset’s 25 Most Sampled Labels, Dubset’s 25 Most Streamed Mixes, Dubset’s 25 Most Sampled Artists, and Dubset’s 25 Most Sampled Tracks.
Recently, Apple announced it is opening its catalog to let users build mix sets by integrating the platform with a number of tools. These tools include Algoriddim’s djay Pro software, hardware platforms AlphaTheta, Serato, inMusic’s Engine DJ, Denon DJ, Numark, and RANE DJ.
(Fun Fact: I was once an advisor to a startup that built a software and hardware for DJs that would be installed between the controller and the sound system. If the controller experienced an outage during a live set, the device would kick in and algorithmically continue the DJ set until the controller was back up and running and the DJ could do his or her thing. Having been both a club promoter and DJ manager in Los Angeles in my early 20’s, I knew it was solution was to a real problem that I’ve witnessed many times, but of course they were “too early.”)
TechCrunch believes the integrations will possibly attract DJs to explore Apple Music’s catalog of over 100 million songs and also give aspiring DJs an opportunity to play around with some of these tools. It’s great to see DSPs engage more meaningfully with DJs. This has been a long time coming, only slowed by rights-holders inability to work with companies like Dubset to figure out the licensing splits.
That Hypebot piece: https://daeboganmusic.com/2015/11/11/hypebot-dubset-releases-inaugural-mix-transparency-report-atlantic-records-david-guetta-most-sampled/
Radar – Data-driven Grassroots Outreach In Latin America
I am thrilled to announce that after nearly 3 years of building relationships across Latin America, collaborating with local creator rights’ advocates, learning about some of the challenges affecting the flow of royalties in various regions, and educating songwriters, I am launching a dedicated team to support The Mechanical Licensing Collective’s mission to ensure songwriters, composers, lyricists, and music publishers in Latin America receive their mechanical royalties from streaming and download services in the U.S. accurately and on time.
RADAR is a data analytics and research platform that has already helped us identify songwriters who are self-published and potentially unaffiliated with their local CMO. Through culturally-relevant resources we are educating songwriters who may have royalties on hold at The MLC about their rights and their options for collecting their money such as joining their local CMO (an MLC member), hiring a publishing administrator (an MLC member), or, if it makes sense for their careers, to pursue direct membership. It is the songwriter’s choice within the framework of their local laws.
After a successful pilot in Colombia last year we are expanding across LATAM with team members in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.
Welcome Daniela Arévalo Fernández (Mexico), Maria Ramirez (Colombia), Matías Bagato (Argentina), Renato Martini Martins (Brazil), and continued support by Stephanie Santiago-Rolón (Florida/Puerto Rico, USA) who has been a great collaborator in US-based Latin music since 2021.
Latin America, which has seen Mexico and Brazil named to IFPI’s Top 10 music markets in the world in 2024, is a priority due to the explosion of consumption of Latin music in the US, primarily in the form of digital streaming. The RIAA reported that Latin recorded music earned $1.4B in 2024 (98% of is from streaming), a steady increase over the previous two years, which also boasted over $1B. More US music consumers are listening to Spanish-language music every year; and when they do, it is our mission, in accordance with the Music Modernization Act to identify and locate the copyright owners to whom these digital audio mechanical royalties are due.
The MLC already has an incredible array of solutions, initiatives and technologies enabling us to match and pay out 90% of royalties received, but engaging small, new, and emerging independent artists is a challenge that all collection societies face and ought to solve.
With RADAR, whether it is a salsa band in Cali, a raggaeton artist in Medellin, a funk rapper in São Paulo, a samba singer in Salvador, a Latin rock duo in Buenos Aires, or an urbano group in Guadalajara, The MLC aims to take all reasonable efforts, from engaging CMOs and publishers, to tapping disconnected networks of independent self-published songwriters and composers to pay out every US digital mechanical dollar!
Introducing RADAR “Putting the hardest to find songwriters on The MLC’s radar.”
Encuentro Especial de Compositores Latinoamericanos (Special Meeting of Latin American Songwriters)
100+ INDIE DISTRIBUTORS IN 20 COUNTRIES HAVE NOW SIGNED UP FOR THE MLC’S DATA PORTAL FOR UNMATCHED ROYALTIES
Thank you Music Business Worldwide for covering the story of this important milestone in my work at The Mechanical Licensing Collective and the independent music industry.
From Idea to Impact: Five Years Later the DURP Expands to 100 Distributors and Pays Millions to DIY Artists
I am thrilled to announce having reached a new milestone in The Mechanical Licensing Collective’s DURP initiative, which I develop and lead to engage music distributors in our efforts to track down and pay unclaimed royalties to independent songwriters — the Distributor Unmatched Recordings Portal (DURP).
As of today, my team has onboarded over 100 independent music distributors in 20 countries to help us find and pay out millions of dollars in unclaimed U.S. digital audio mechanical royalties to independent songwriters around the world.
I am incredibly proud of the impact the DURP initiative has had on the livelihoods of independent artists who did not know these royalties existed. Many of whom I have had the opportunity to speak with directly and to guide them in the process of becoming MLC members.
This announcement comes on a special day – December 6th. Five years ago, on December 6th, 2019, I was invited by the United States Copyright Office to Washington, D.C. to speak at its Unclaimed Royalties Study Kickoff Symposium at the Library of Congress. It was at this symposium where I offered my insights on the DIY music rights administration space and strategic recommendations on how the forthcoming mechanical licensing collective ought to go about developing innovative data and partnership initiatives to reach the DIY artist and small independent rightsholders sector of the global music industry in furtherance of its mandate of the Music Modernization Act of 2018. The next year, in 2020, I joined The MLC as its Head of Third-Party Partnerships and began the research and development on what has become the Distributor Unmatched Recording Portal (DURP), which is both a data insights and technical solution, and a global network of strategic partnerships.
Today, the DURP has made it possible for many DIY independent artists and self-published songwriters to finally receive the royalties they’ve been owed for many years. I am beyond grateful to be in a role where my continued advocacy and support of independent artists can be put into action to effect real change and opportunities in the global music industry.
Here’s to the DURP. 🥂
Dae Bogan to Join Panel On The Future of Music Publishing & AI at Canadian Music Week 2024
I’m coming to Toronto 🇨🇦 for Canadian Music Week June 2-5!!
I am looking forward to speaking on the panel “Harmony & Code: The Future of Music Publishing in the AI Era” on June 3rd at 12 PM. Tap in if you’ll be there!
Harmony & Code: The Future of Music Publishing in the AI Era
Join us for a compelling panel discussion where we explore the transformative impact of technology on the music publishing industry. This session will explore critical questions at the intersection of tech and music: What implications does AI have for the roles of music publishers and artists alike? What tools do artists need to thrive in this new landscape? We’ll examine the future of copyright laws, ponder the necessity of new rights, and debate how technology can coexist with music without exploiting creators. Don’t miss this essential conversation on the evolution of music rights in the digital age, designed for publishers, tech companies, and artists ready to navigate these changes.
Moderated By: Cole Davis Founder & CEO Switchchord
- Chris Dampier, Head of North America – Sentric Music
- Dae Bogan, Head of Third-Party Partnerships – The Mechanical Licensing Collective
- Paul Shaver, President – CMRRA (Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd) and SX Works
- Virginie Berger, Chief Business Development and Rights Officer – Matchtune
Learn more at https://cmw.net/
Join Us For BeatMix: Miami and Florida Songwriters Association Workshop
MIAMI – Let’s get to work!
I will be conducting two music business workshops in Miami this month:
Friday, April 19th – BeatMix: Miami (FREE w/ RSVP)
Friday, April 20th – 5th Annual Florida Songwriters Workshop (TICKETS AVAILABLE)
See you there!
Dae Bogan Takes The MLC’s BeatMix To Puerto Rico
BeatMix is back…and this time we’re coming to Puerto Rico, Miami, and Orlando!
Last year, I collaborated with one of my favorite Latin music industry collaborators, Stephanie Santiago-Rolón, CEO of Elevated Music Industries, to bring The Mechanical Licensing Collective music business workshop into a recording studio in Orlando, Florida.
By taking over recording studios to educate music creators about their rights and entitlements in the U.S., I aim to “meet you where you are!”
Join me next Saturday, March 16th at 6pm in San Juan, Puerto Rico at Artillery Music Studios! RSVP to rsvp@themlc.com
Dae Bogan to Conduct Workshop ‘From Beat to Bank: Dissecting the Flow of Digital Music Royalties in Rap and Hip-Hop’
I am thrilled to announce the first of a series of in-person music rights and royalties workshops that I will be conducting in Nashville, Miami, and New York this year:
From Beat to Bank: Dissecting the Flow of Digital Music Royalties in Rap and Hip-Hop
🗓️ June 22nd • 4pm-6pm
📍 The Mechanical Licensing Collective in Nashville, TN
🎫 Free with Registration
Description:
“From Beat to Bank: Dissecting the Flow of Digital Music Royalties in Rap and Hip-Hop” is an interactive workshop specifically designed for aspiring Hip-Hop and R&B music creators.
Presented by The MLC and Nashville is Not Just Country Music and led by Dae Bogan, Head of Third-Party Partnerships at The MLC, the workshop will take creators through a crash course demystifying the intricate world of music rights, income entitlements, publishing administration and the distribution of U.S. digital music royalties.
Through a series of individual and group simulations, participants will delve into various facets of the industry including contribution and credit tracking, negotiation of splits, the impact of samples on copyrights and royalties, work registrations and the process of claiming royalty shares.
Participants will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of how song and recording contributions translate into royalty payments from The MLC and other organizations.
The workshop will take place at The MLC’s office in Nashville on June 22 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. CT. Tune in by registering at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-mlc-ninjcm-present-from-beat-to-bank-workshop-tickets-637622174087
DJs, You’re Next
DJs, You’re next! 😊
After 10+ years of building software to help recording artists, songwriters, composers, lyricists, background vocalists, session musicians, independent labels, and music publishers with their music copyrights and royalties; and on the back of helping thousands of the aforementioned administer thousands of copyrights while unlocking tens of millions of dollars in royalties, it’s time to turn my attention to another group of underserved music creators: DJs
There are over 13,000 DJs in the United States and over 56,000 DJs around the world.
There are more DJ/Producers collaborating with independent music creators and influencers than ever before, and DJ/Producers creating new expressions of original music and derivative works for which they often undervalue and underrepresent their own rights and entitlements (that’s if they’re even aware of their entitlements).
I entered the music industry in 2008, while a senior at UCLA, when I formed Renaissance Artist Management (RAM Artist) and began representing DJs, DJ/Producers, and DJ/Remixers. From local up-and-coming DJs to GRAMMY-nominated festival DJs, I’ve had the pleasure of advising, representing, educating, and collaborating with DJs of all walks of life.
Over the past few years, I’ve been privately advising a number of DJ/Producers on their business and careers. From helping to clear samples, to advising remix negotiations, to pitching mix sets to DJ playlists, to web3 experiences (metaverse and NFTs), to setting the music rights administration plan for collaborations on original songs I’ve been having fun guiding and advising a small group of DJ friends.
Now, I’m looking to my next side project: DJ Music Rights
If you’re a DJ/Producer or represent a DJ/Producer, sign up to be the first to know about my forthcoming side project at http://www.djmusicrights.com
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