Microsoft Is Shutting Down Groove Music – Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Claiming Mechanical Royalties Before It’s Too Late!
Microsoft is shutting down Groove Music. Here’s everything you need to know about claiming mechanical royalties before it’s too late!
5 Tips For Making, Marketing And Monetizing Holiday Music This Season
Happy October! It’s officially holiday season. Over the next few months thousands of holiday songs will be streamed and downloaded by millions of consumers around the world; especially in Washington D.C., but not so much in Idaho.
The holiday season is pretty much the only time of year when arrangements of public domain works are highly rotated in commercial music. Cover songs are also very popular as music consumers enjoy classic and updated renditions of their favorite holiday tunes from their childhood. And for the most creative among us, original new holiday songs can also have a huge impact this season.
Whether you decide to release a rock version of Silent Night, an R&B cover of Silver Bells, or an original new pumpkin spice rap record, here are a few tips to help you along the way:
1. Song Selection – From a legal standpoint, there are three options when it comes to song selection: original song, public domain song, or cover song. If you plan to write and record a completely original song — original music, melody, and lyrics — then you will own the copyright in all of its components and can release it just like any of your other original song. If you want to create your own arrangement of a public domain song (e.g. Jingle Bells), you will own the copyright in your sound recording, but not in the underlying composition (unless you create a completely original arrangement; in which case you could own the copyright in the arrangement). However, you do not need to secure a mechanical license to record and distribute the public domain song, nor do you need to secure a synchronization license to use the song in a video that you would upload on YouTube. Public domain songs have fallen out of copyright protection and are freely available to perform and monetize by anyone without seeking permission and paying royalties to the original author(s) of the public domain song.
5 Royalty Streams Every Indie Artist Should Know
Cover songs (e.g. Feliz Navidad) are new versions of songs that are still under copyright protection. Therefore, you must obtain a mechanical license in order to record and distribute the song and you are limited in how much you can alter the song lyrically and stylistically. If your performance of the song you’re covering is drastically dissimilar from the original, you begin to navigate into the realm of derivative works and your mechanical license would be in jeopardy. You’d have to get permission from the copyright owner instead of being able to utilize the compulsory mechanical licensing process, which does not require permission per se, but rather a notice and payment of royalties. You would also need to get a synchronization license directly from the copyright owner (e.g. publisher) to use the song in a video to upload to YouTube, or risk having your cover version taken down.
How To Legally Record And Sell A Cover Song In 3 Steps
Whichever you choose, make sure to know what obligations you have for your song. CD Baby put together this awesome quick-read on public domain vs. cover songs.
2. Release – Depending on your song selection, you will be required to complete several or few steps before you’re able to release, as far as securing proper licenses. Once you’re cleared to release, create a single release campaign. In addition to the release, consider giving the song away to friends and family as a holiday gift. I like that CD Baby now offers physical on-demand. This may be a good way to get physical CDs with nice artwork available without the upfront cost of having to get them pressed up on your own dime.
10 Steps To Building A Single Release Campaign
3. Marketing & Promotion – If your holiday song is great, it could land on a holiday playlist on Spotify or Apple Music or, if submitted in a timely manner, it could end up on a Pandora channel or Music Choice holiday channel. I personally like to listen to a holiday channels on Pandora from November 1st through December 31st.
R&B/Pop Holiday Radio on Pandora
There’s also placement on retail radio. Hundreds of millions of shoppers will hit their local shopping center and mall this season; especially during the weeks leading up to and immediately following Black Friday (Black Friday is a shopping day for a combination of reasons. As the first day after the last major holiday before Christmas, it marks the unofficial beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Additionally, many employers give their employees the day off as part of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Wikipedia). Background music and in-store music video networks are good opportunities for exposure; especially if you’ve delivered your song to Shazaam and SoundHound. When I owned my in-store music video network, I programmed holiday music for 150 youth-targeted retail stores. Every major retail chain plays holiday music, so submit as soon as possible to services such as PlayNetwork and Mood Media.
4. Performing – Performing small live shows can be an income-generator during the holiday season. Coffee shops, shopping centers and malls, hotel lobbies, retail stores, restaurants, and other non-traditional venues could be great to perform for a small talent fee plus tips. Many communities organize community events during the holiday season. Reach out now to your local city council’s office regarding performance opportunities. The exposure on their event posters, newsletters, website, and social media could be good for you locally and add to your electronic press kit going into 2018. (Tip: If you are performing original songs, make sure to submit your set list to your PRO — ASCAP, BMI, SESAC — to potentially earn performance royalties in addition to your talent fee and tips). You may also wish to host online concerts via YouTube or Facebook Live; or a platform that enables tipping, like YouNow.
5. Merchandise – Consider hiring an graphic artist to make a really good cover art for your song, then use a made-on-demand merchandise service such as CafePress or Merchify to sell coffee mugs, tote bags, postcards, and more with your cover art. Because there is very little upfront cost besides the designer fee, this additional component to your holiday campaign could add significant extra income. (Tip: Make sure to have your designer sign a work made for hire agreement and transfer the copyright ownership in the artwork to you OR give them a royalty on merch sales to reduce your upfront design cost.)
In conclusion, the holiday season is a great time to create and release music that makes people feel good. Whether you select a recognizable favorite or choose to explore your hand at writing holiday music, if done well, you just might make the Billboard Holiday 100 charts while making some money along the way.
Here’s a little treat: Durand Bernarr‘s Silver Bells (2015)
Featured photo by leonie wise on Unsplash
Have You Searched The Royalty Claim Database? What Are You Waiting For?
Royalty Claim Announces Unclaimed Neighboring Rights Database – Launches With Nearly 1 Million Records
Neighboring rights is becoming a hot ticket music rights issue as download decline (and thus, mechanical royalties) and Internet streaming soars. However, the fact that US music creators and rights owners get the short end of the stick in terms of the global view of neighboring rights protections and financial reward, it is more important than ever of US stakeholders to see where and how their music is performing around the world. Neighboring Rights Agencies have boomed over the last several years to address this issue, but they’re still highly selective and most work with a few dozen performers, if any at all.
Dae Bogan’s Fall 2017 Appearences
9/27 – Dae Bogan to speaks at RightsTech Summit at New York Media Festival 2017 in New York City (Details at http://wp.me/p2GxIU-XC)
9/28 – Dae Bogan Music Popup Meetings in Brooklyn (Schedule a meeting at http://wp.me/P2GxIU-Yx)
9/29 – Dae Bogan Music Popup Meetings in New York City (Schedule a meeting at http://wp.me/P2GxIU-Yx)
9/30 – Marcato Academy‘s Music Industry Entrepreneurship Masterclass in Brooklyn (Free tickets at http://wp.me/p2GxIU-XW)
10/14 – Marcato Academy‘s Music Industry Entrepreneurship Masterclass Tour in San Francisco (Free tickets at http://wp.me/p2GxIU-XW)
10/14 – Dae Bogan Music Popup Meetings in Oakland (Schedule a meeting at http://wp.me/P2GxIU-Yx)
10/16 – Dae Bogan Music Popup Meetings in San Francisco (Schedule a meeting at http://wp.me/P2GxIU-Yx)
10/17 – TuneRegistry hosts Open Music Initiative SF Music Tech Summit Coffee Hour (Details at http://wp.me/p2GxIU-WZ)
10/17 – Dae Bogan speaks at SF MusicTech Summit in San Francisco (Details at http://wp.me/p2GxIU-WZ)
10/21 – Marcato Academy‘s Music Industry Entrepreneurship Masterclass Tour in Cleveland (Free tickets at http://wp.me/p2GxIU-XW)
10/25 – Music Business Association presents “Demystifying Black Box Royalties – Practical Solutions For Unlocking Your Royalties” webinar by Dae Bogan Music (Members to receive details via email from MBA)
10/26 – SoCal Music Industry Professionals Meetup Hosted by Dae Bogan Music. Location TBD. (Details at www.meetup.com/scmiponline)
10/28 – “DIY Musician’s Starter Guide To Being Your Own Label & Publisher” Ebook Launch Webinar presented by TuneRegistry and CreativeFuture(Follow TuneRegistry on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for more details)
11/18 – Marcato Academy‘s Music Industry Entrepreneurship Masterclass Tour in Los Angeles (Free tickets at http://wp.me/p2GxIU-XW)
Royalty Claim Unleashes Another 22 Million Section 115 NOIs
Royalty Claim Initiative‘s mission is clear:
“To aid in creating transparency in the global music licensing ecosystem.”
We do this by conducting research into the global music licensing ecosystem to understand where and why royalties go uncollected. The Royalty Claim Platform is a FREE online search engine empowering music creators and rights-holders with access to the data about unclaimed royalties and music licenses.
After a rocky launch weekend, we are happy to announce that we’ve just made over 22 Million more Section 115 NOI records searchable. Copyright owners (or their agents) can create a free account, search for free, and initiate claims for free.
Harry Fox Agency, Music Reports Inc, MediaNet and Loudr are among the licensee agents that will receive claim notifications via Royalty Claim for Section 115 NOIs filed on behalf of digital service providers such as Spotify, Google Play Music, Microsoft Groove Music, Pandora, iHeartMedia and Amazon Music.
Join today and search for free at www.royaltyclaim.com
What I Read To Stay Current On Music Industry Affairs — For Better Or Worse
(UPDATED 10/15/17 – Added more outlets to the list)
Music industry professionals — especially consultants who work with a variety of clients across numerous sectors of the music industry — are behooved to stay up-to-date on the latest affairs and current events in the music industry. We do this a number of ways such as catching up with colleagues, attending conferences and networking events, and (the easiest) following and reading music industry trade publications and certain bloggers.
There are many publications and bloggers out there, and they range dramatically in terms of depth and breadth of coverage, level of objectivity, and overall value of insight.
Media analyst Mark Mulligan is known and respected for his in-depth and research-driven approach to offering deep dives into music industry trends via his work at MIDia Research and his blog Music Industry Blog while music attorney Chris Castle offers critical analysis of nuanced legal matters, especially those affecting copyright owners, on his blogs Music x Technology x Policy and Music Tech Solutions.
Then, there are some publications and some bloggers, while they offer interesting insight and news, can come off as “gossipy” from time to time (as one artist manager put it, when I shared this list in the Artist Manager’s Connect Facebook group); while others rant on about nothing of significance (said another).
Moreover, some publications are loaded with advertorial that is sometimes disguised as news (an “advertorial” is the term used to refer to an article that has been paid for (or commissioned in some way) by a brand and written (sometimes by the brand itself) for the purpose of advertising the brand without the content coming off as an advertisement — thus, advertisement + editorial = advertorial). Generally, you can recognize an advertorial and read through the advertisement to extrapolate what’s important to you (if anything). Advertorial falls into the wider spectrum of content marketing (content created by or for a brand to reach and engage target customers; including blogs, videos, advertorials).
Not all content marketing is inherently bad, though. Many articles written by or for brands offer enriching insight for its target audience, like this one that I wrote, which was published on Bandzoogle’s blog and RepostNetwork’s blog. While the article does promote my company TuneRegistry at the very end, the majority of the article details “5 Royalty Streams Every Indie Artist Should Know” and helps DIY musicians and artist managers wrap their heads around these issues.
So, whether you’re a seasoned music industry professional or an up-and-coming DIYer, if you want to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in the music industry, subscribing to a few outlets may be helpful.
Below is a select list of the music industry publications, blogs, and newsletters to which I am subscribed. Where applicable, I included the name of the primary curator/blogger and their personal Twitter handles. Follow them or connect with them up on LinkedIn.
—(A-Z)—
ArisTake (Ari Herstand | @aristake)
ASCAP Daily Brief (Dean Kay)
BillboardBiz
BMI The Weekly
CD Baby’s DIY Musician Blog (Christopher Robley | @chrisrobley)
Dae Bogan Musc (shameless self-promotion — Dae Bogan | @daeboganmusic)
Digital Music News (Paul Resnikoff)
Hypebot (Bruce Houghton)
Leftsetz Letter (Bob Leftsetz | @leftsetz)
Library of Congress Blog
MediaNet Blog
Motive Unknown (Darren Hemmings | @mr_trick)
Music Ally (Wesley A’Harrah | @adreadpirate & Anthony Churchman)
Music Business Worldwide
Music Industry Blog (Mark Mulligan | @mark_mulligan)
Music Tech Solutions (Chris Castle)
Music Think Tank (Bruce Houghton)
Music x Tech x Future (Bas Grasmayer | @basgras)
Music x Technology x Policy (Chris Castle)
SXSW Daily Chord
The Trichordist (David Lowery)
Added on 10/15/2017 from reader submission
- CMU Daily (Complete Music Update)
- ICMP Global Briefing (ICMP)
- Music World News (IMC – International Music Council)
- Music Week Morning Briefing (Music Week)
- Music REDEF (REDEF)
- Platform & Stream
- Synchtank Weekly (Synchtank)
There are several publications not listed here because they do not soley cover the music industry, but are still good sources of information when they periodically publish music industry related pieces (e.g. Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Forbes, Techcrunch).
QUICK TIP: Subscribing to many blogs and newsletters will result in many emails hitting your inbox. To keep your inbox free for your day-to-day business/personal email, create a new email address just for subscriptions (e.g. daesreadinglist@gmail.com). Then, all of the newsletters and new post announcements will go to that inbox and not clutter your primary inbox. Ok great, you now know how to keep your inbox clutter-free. But, what about keep up-to-date? Well, you can check the inbox once a week, twice a week, or whatever frequency that works for your schedule. I like to scan all emails on Monday. Some newsletters curate other stories, so they link to the same sources. Some publish original content. I like to read the headlines, choose what matters to me, and then read at my leisure.
My list is by no means exhaustive. And since I’ve already heard from some very passionate music industry folks about their support or disdain for some of the publications/blogs/bloggers listed, I’d like hear your thoughts.
Tell me in the comments what you read that isn’t on the list or feel free to share your opinion about any of the listed outlets.
Featured Photo by Muhammad Raufan Yusup on Unsplash
Billboard Highlights Dae Bogan’s Course At UCLA Herb Alpert School Of Music Among Its “15 Best Music Business Schools In 2017”
Billboard today published its list of “The 15 Best Music Business Schools In 2017” and among them, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music was recognized for the work it’s doing to launch a new hybrid musicology and music business degree program.
The article also highlighted the “Music and Entrepreneurship” course that will be developed and taught by me in Winter 2018.
I am honored to be mentioned among the many other programs and educators represented in the article. This comes on the eve of my free music industry entrepreneurship masterclass tour taking place in Brooklyn (9/30), Oakland (10/14), Cleveland (10/21), and Los Angeles (11/18) and the launch of a series of online music business courses that I will be developing under my brand Marcato Academy.
Read the full article here.
Dae Bogan Announces Marcato Academy’s FREE “Music Industry Entrepreneurship Masterclass Tour” 2017 – Brooklyn / Oakland / Cleveland / Los Angeles
For years I’ve been asked to live stream my classes and workshops. I’ve finally decided to do something even better: I’ve decided to develop an online music business academy.
Over the next few months, I will be developing and publishing music business education online courses under the brand Marcato Academy. In music theory, “marcato” is the Italian word for emphasis and here I use it to mean an emphasis on quality music business education.
To kick-off to this journey, I’ve decided to put together a series of FREE masterclasses in cities that I will be visiting over the next several weeks to speak at music industry conferences or catch up with family and friends.
The “Music Industry Entrepreneurship Masterclass Tour” will feature four spot dates of 2 hour classes held in Brooklyn, Oakland, Cleveland, and Los Angeles.
Topics To Be Covered:
- Intellectual Property (IP) – What is IP? What IP does your business create? How to protect your IP? What third-party IP does your business use? How to be compliant in the use of third-party IP?
- Rights Administration & Licensing – What rights do you own and/or control? How are rights licensed and monetized? What are some rights administration best practices? When and how to join music rights organizations?
- Business Formation – What business formation options are available to you? What are the pro’s and con’s between different entity structures? What are some tax implications that should be considered?
- Go-To-Market Strategy – How to conduct market research in the music industry? How to develop a go-to-market strategy? How to market on a budget?
- Team Building – When and how to build your team? How to seek, vet, and hire freelancers? How to leverage interns in a mutually beneficial manner? Best practices for remote organization management.
- Networking & Personal Branding – How to establish a personal brand as a music industry professional? How to find networking opportunities? Online networking best practices?
Ideal Attendees: Music industry entrepreneurs starting or currently operating record labels, music publishing companies, artist management firms, music production houses, and self-managed DIY musicians.
Tour Dates (Masterclass @ 11AM):
- Sat. 9/30 – Brooklyn – 395 Warehouse – 395 Johnson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11206
- Sat. 10/14 – Oakland – Zoo Labs – 1035 7th St, Oakland, CA 94607
- Sat. 10/21 – Cleveland – BOP STOP at The Music Settlement – 2920 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, Ohio 44113
- Sat. 11/18 – Los Angeles – SAE Insitute LA – 6700 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038
FREE TICKETS AT WWW.MARCATOACADEMY.EVENTBRITE.COM
Royalty Claim Launches Spotify Playlist Of Section 115 Songs
To raise awareness of the Section 115 copyright issue, Royalty Claim created a Spotify playlist containing songs on Spotify for which Spotify has not paid out mechanical royalties. Read the story here.
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