They’ll even pitch your songs for film, television, and video game opportunities! Ecuador’s government will help on marketing and we all expect to get 20 – 25 million downloads in a month from around the world, but all royalties will go directly to help people. I am not a musican – just a writer. It’s still way too early to say “hey where’s my royalties”. I'm still waiting for their customer service to contact me. It’s important to note that if you entered into a ‘Work For Hire’ agreement where you’re paid an upfront fee for your contribution to a song, you may have given up any ownership stake on the song and would not be entitled to royalties. I know that HFA does have free non-affiliated accounts but I’m trying to better understand which firm is better on the global scale, as I’ve read that HFA is primarily more focused on North American royalty collections. ), so I wasn’t sure if SongTrust collected the same ones that Rumblefish might. I hoped maybe Songtrust would dig some of that up. Thanks for all the info. We have entered into a license with Facebook in the USA and have various licenses in other territories as well. The no upfront fees or any cost whatsoever is super nice about AWAL. I was hoping there was a pot of gold waiting for me when I joined Songtrust, but it was more like a jar of pennies. They should be able to field all your questions, and if they’re not familiar with Songtrust, that might inform your decision too. Nothing wrong with that, but again… what are you expecting Songtrust to do? Brian Hazard is a recording artist with over twenty years of experience promoting eleven Color Theory albums, and head mastering engineer and owner of Resonance Mastering in Huntington Beach, California. I don’t bother with YouTube monetization. Total deal breaker. Great article. There is both a performance and mechanical/sync royalty. From Songtrust’s FAQ: Your account starts with 50 song credits for free. You’re right, you need a good amount of listeners to make a lot of this worthwhile. These royalties include performance royalties paid by Performing Rights Organizations (e.g. Just wanted to say thanks for the Songtrust code (remember to use the capitals). ; Businesses Get complete song performance insights and new ways to collect revenue. Great info. Elligibility. I do really appreciate this dialog Brian . I believe I’m currently receiving all possible writer and publisher royalties (from BMI), but don’t believe I’m collecting any mechanical royalties (thought I was, but after much reading online, seems not). what about if you already with a p.r.o. The alternative is having to directly affiliate with all of these pay sources (many of which will only accept publishing companies of a certain size while charging large upfront initiation fees) and registering each of your songs with correct writer, co-writer, publisher, co-publisher and song data (title, ISRC, ISWC) at every pay source individually. Are you considering posting your lyrics online, and worried about them being stolen? Do labels even have staff writers? I am a BMI affiliate and I've entered my IPI correctly but its still not working. When I called they brushed me off by saying I should “First pay the publishing fees” When I explained I was the publisher & owner of BMI affiliated Original Sound Music. I wouldn’t bother registering your songs with Songtrust until they’re released. I used the code without even reading the article and have since gone through and read it and am now wondering if I’ve made a mistake. Register for Songtrust Join 300,000+ songwriters, producers, and rightsholders who use Songtrust to collect their global publishing royalties None of these numbers are very big for me, and cover the peace of mind and simplicity I’ve had with DistroKid. After cdbaby having probably 3 owners since I joined, I haven’t received on iTunes a payment that represents a “sale” as compared to “streaming”. My personal feelings are that under new ownership of cdbaby I haven’t received one “download” in three years. Content ID isn’t worth the trouble IMHO, and not worth the pennies I like to let people use my music in their videos, and whitelisting the permitted URLs is a hassle. They will collecting some of your royalties(the PRO will collect some as well) and take 15% of your publishers cut of performance royalties. I’ve added both ISRC’s to our licensing document we send over monthly to HFA to make sure those works get licensed and paid out ASAP.”. I hope this is accurate, and that Brian or someone will confirm or clarify if not. First, am I correct that Songtrust is the only publishing administrator not to also aid in digital distribution? So it’s not quite as simple for Brit songwriters to compare. With Sentric, you keep £8. ie the chicken or the egg, register demos with songtrust before applying to a record company, or wait till they say they want to work with me and then register my whole “catalogue” and for each track they want, change the info at songtrust to reflect new co-writers and where royalties go? You can hold off even setting up a publishing company until you’ve got royalties to collect, like a big sync placement. So what they are telling me is that after over a year and a half with them and several queries about this, they never bothered to check to make sure if my music was properly registered with HFA. We classify this a “Micro sync” License or User Generated Content license(Very similar to how Youtube pays out). I believe that you collect mechanical royalties from YouTube through their ContentID system, which you can access through most distributors, or Songtrust. We do not register your music with any of the above. So if I submit music directly to a music library, would I still have to register that music with a P.R.O. For me now at my age, 72, and have been doing the singer/songwriter thing for a long time and also the coffee house scene for a long time I now play my acoustic guitar and sing for my own enjoyment. Hi. Always enjoy your answers. It doesn’t add up. If I’m registered with ASCAP as a songwriter and publisher, and I also register with Soundexchange, will that pick up all of my over-seas royalties?? I was pretty disappointed! Luckily, Songtrust has a network of these performing rights organisations (PROs) in North America, or collective management organisations (CMOs) in Europe. But, I’m confused. As you can see, Songtrust collected plenty for me that I wouldn’t have otherwise received. Creators Songwriters, producers and creators collect royalties globally from your songs while keeping 100 percent of the rights. I have a question for you. The TAXI and Songhunters submission fees are more of a disincentive than anything, to stop people from sending in anything and everything. I’d also like to know if CDBaby allows you to charge 1,29$ per iTunes download as with Tunecore. I didn’t even have to set up a checking account to receive checks under the business name, since ASCAP does direct deposit. I figured that since I’d earned a few hundred bucks from Spotify via CD Baby, the mechanical royalties Songtrust would collect for me would cover the cost of signing up. And I’ll make a small commission, which will go towards future experiments! So if you want your overseas mechanicals, you still need something like Songtrust. That combined with the fact that they have my credit card on file (I used it for the initial $100 registration fee), I fear if I cancel know, they'll charge my card. You also don't have to after you distribute your music through us. CD Baby Pro partners with Songtrust. what about international performance royalties. CD Baby Pro looks promising but…given that a copyright lasts the life of the composer, plus 70 years, it seems antiquated for an Account Holder to have to provide co-writers with writer splits and sales updates for a lifetime. like most of already do. So question one: Is it possible to claim my royalties for works as old as 2014?? I don’t believe Songtrust revealed that to me. The tone I believe has a lot to do with why people listen. The only problem is that it isn’t my song and the UPC number is not mine also. My understanding is that you need publishing administration to collect mechanical royalties on international Spotify streams. I believe they have targeted the independent singer/songwriter that is still trying to make it to the big time. SongTrust vs ASCAP/BMI/SESAC Can someone please explain what is difference of using a resource like Songtrust vs Direct registration with the P.R.O.'s. Tieran, if you aren’t sure I suggest checking out https://www.songtrust.com/estimate-your-streaming-royalties this will give you a better estimate of your royalties. BMI, Broadcast Music, Inc. Stem looks like a good option at the moment – but it’s invite only! They take 5% AND have partnered with Loudr so that you’re able to release covers. I’m registered as a writer in France with a PRO (SACEM) and registered as my own publisher in the US with ASCAP, so what will be the difference if i’ve join to songtrust? They ignored me. Your music is good. If you are close to that number, growing, or have high expectations around your next project I suggest pulling the trigger sooner than later so that you can increase your long term cashflow and ensure the royalties don’t fall into the black box. None of the agencies you’re working with has anything to do with copyright. If you need more than 50 credits, we charge 10$ per 10 songs going forward. The breakdown is in the article. That’s certainly beyond the scope of my experience, but there are plenty of services using ContentID that could help police YouTube content. As for distribution, I’ve never needed to handle splits, so I’m not sure what other options there are. I suppose it would depend on what kind of publishing deal you got, but assuming they didn’t want to take over admin, and solely based on my own experience, yes, Songtrust would then be listed as admin publisher. . The amount of time it would take to do that would be a full time job which is why publishing administrators exist. Does the DMP sync pitch team get access to the songtrust tracks? It looks like there is an option for HFA to collect outside of the US on your behalf, but that would still leave uncollected mechanical royalties from sources like Pandora and Soundcloud, etc. After attempting to register earlier, I discovered the discount code was not working for me either. But, I’m working with an artist who’s relatively small, but growing over time. An ISWC is an identifier usually assigned by a collection society, like ASCAP in North America, to a musical work. I’m not sure non-Premier artists can collect royalties, except through Repost, which SoundCloud just bought, so…. I will let you know how it goes, maybe “staff writer” isn’t the right term!!! Thanks! On top of that Songtrust has a higher setup fee of 100$ (25$ higher than tunecore), a 15% cut (tunecore 10% & 20% for active) and while it seems with Songtrust you can only submit a maximum of 15 songs for the setup fee. ; Creator Reps Managers and lawyers connect with the most extensive, accessible publishing network in the industry. That’s the lion’s share of the royalties due. Creators Songwriters, producers and creators collect royalties globally from your songs while keeping 100 percent of the rights. . You could set up your own label/business, sign yourself to that business, release a song, then apply for HFA affiliation that way, which would basically allow you to keep that 15% commission Songtrust takes. ; Businesses Get complete song performance insights and new ways to collect revenue. As for all the “grabbing hands,” it really depends on how you look at it. Any chance that will be working again? Fantastic! The answer may be in earlier posts but I didn’t see it. Feel free to reach out at [email protected]. Hi Brian, If you only have a release or two, and have no plans to ever switch distributors, CD Baby Pro might be a better option for you. They are usually from Spotify but have gotten them from other companies. It cleared a lot of things up for me. I get my Pandora money from SoundExchange. I really have appreciated your feedback. But then I see mention of soundexchange. When you register your titles with ASCAP the money is split with 50% to the writer and 50% to the publisher so you have to register with ASCAP as a writer and a publisher. Hope you don’t mind, I edited down your comment to remove the form text. I used the discount code … I was already planning to sign up so this worked great for me. you pay once if your release does nothing for you, but cdbaby takes 9% of everything you earn. In fact, since Songtrust takes a 15% commission, that $467 would’ve been $549 directly through ASCAP. ; Businesses Get complete song performance insights and new ways to collect revenue. So essentially, CD Baby + Songtrust = TuneCore + TuneCore Publishing. If you’re not with a PRO already, Songtrust will help you get set up. No conflict whatsoever. And SoundCloud through Premier monetization. I’m learning as I go. Thinking I probably won’t register with Songtrust since I’m already on ASCAP as both a writer and publisher. The thing on my cdbaby account summary sometimes says “a sale” but if you click on the details it’s shows a “stream”. What's the Difference Between Songtrust and Audiam? They take the same 15% commission. I haven’t tested it with this tight a deadline, but it seems like it can be up next day. What about on year five, when you have to decide whether to pay your annual TuneCore fees or pull the release? Songtrust exists to help you collect the money you’re owed, but you aren’t generating any yet. Obviously it was the right call for me. In fact, since Songtrust takes a 15% commission, that $467 would’ve been $549 directly through ASCAP. My mechanical royalties through Soundtrust are pretty meager! The sign up process was very easy and I will report back with some stats/ info. or Sound Exchange? I wonder if it’s just the genre? Distrokid is a distributor and Songtrust is a publishing admin, but both offer YouTube monetization. If you do really well, this construction could set you back plenty of dollars.. Publishing is complicated. Your ASCAP payments will come through SoundCloud. My iTunes sales are down too. Sorry to hear you’ve had so many problems. I’m not happy about it. And how do you collect this money? How will I know I’m collecting the royalties that I deserve? I’ve included a copy below. There are quite a few articles related to Harry Fox in the Songtrust Help Center, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the answer were buried in one of them! Your email address will not be published. ; Businesses Get complete song performance insights and new ways to collect revenue. As I understand it…You can register with a PRO as publisher and writer(performance royalties). I appreciate any answers at all! ), but it sounds to me like it’s just another way of saying you’re free to pitch your stuff for sync placements with whoever you want — Songtrust only handles administration. It will have to be done manually, so you’ll need to email [email protected]. Personally, I’d rather pay once and be done with it. Your email address will not be published. It’s too bad that your downloads dropped so dramatically, but that’s most certainly what happened (same with me). All feedback is appreciated and thank you to everyone in advance! You should check your dashboard and make sure the songs actually get registered, and review your royalty statements. Songhunters.com will let you know all who are looking for a certain type of music and all I have to do is send in every song I have that fits what they want, the only problem is I have to send in 15 dollars for each song. Secondly i am in a music group and also a solo artist (for eg. We register your songs globally and collect on your behalf. Click here to login, The ability to reply to and create new discussions, Access to members-only giveaways & competitions, Interact with VIP industry experts in our guest Q&As, Access to members-only sub forum discussions, Get INSTANT ACCESS to the world's best private pro audio, Promote your eBay auctions and Reverb.com listings for free. Thanks for this candid, well-written article. Please share your experience in the comments! It’s not like there’s any real competition in the space. I say complex because there seem to be many hands now dipping into the music of the independent artist. I actually sent an email to them same time i posted my comment. I have had more optimal customer service experience with Songtrust, more so than Tunecore Publishing. I’ve heard great things about them from Pete Byrne of Naked Eyes. I believe there are still problems for the songwriter. If so, their work is done. Hi Brian and thanks for this post, You’re in the same boat I was in when I signed up. It sounds like you haven’t released a lot of material. (Seeing as that is where i am from). It would be lovely if Songtrust offered better and alternative payment options for non-US residents using their services. I assume TuneCore is just straight distribution and not their publishing, which would be redundant with Songtrust. Hi Brian, Your article is super informative but i have like a series of questions i’m hoping you can help with to help me make my decision if Songtrust is best for me. What publishing outfit would you recommend i use being that i am neither american, canadian or from the UK and how do i go about it. I work with Marmoset and they’ve generated a couple great placements for me. We act as a publishing administrator for our clients, meaning we can register songs and collect royalties on their behalf without owning any percentage of their copyrights. Even if the numbers didn’t work out in my favor, I’d still be glad I went with Songtrust. But royalties never appear like magic. This thread being as old as it is, I was surprised to see someone successfully used it last month! After I joined Songtrust I started getting performance royalties and mechanical royalties from Spotify and Youtube. ASCAP vs BMI vs SESAC – How To Get Your Royalties. I believe the PASSIVE-ST promo code is evergreen, unlike the early codes that expired after a certain number of uses. If your split is already registered at your PRO then you should be fine to register your share with Songtrust so we can begin collecting your global performance and mechanical royalties. How do you know they’re lyrics and not poems? Why Songtrust; Who Uses Songtrust. Regarding your publishing company: If you don’t mind, could you detail how you registered it with Songtrust? Hi Brian, This can make a big difference in some cases. Are there any other options I overlooked? I questioned them on this several times and they kept fobbing me off. The next year they changed their pricing structure to the current $100 plus 15% commission. As a newbie, I didn’t know better when I signed up with CD Baby AND TuneCore. I am confused by some of the items addressed in the comments though. Maybe not all of it? The site stated $100 to join, and they would take 15%. Quickly? I have learned that publishing is where the money comes in as far as the music industry is concerned. A publishing administrator, such as Songtrust, has direct relationships with these various pay sources throughout the world (including HFA, MRI, and MediaNet) which allows us to register your songs globally and collect any royalties generated within those territories. Just when I become confident with my knowledge in one area, I move to another subject, only to find I didn’t know as much I thought I did. Or is Songtrust the go to? If someone uses your music in their YouTube video, they catch it, put ads on it, and pay you. like most of already do. Thanks for the kind words Joni! Best, This is because it typically takes up to 12 months for Songtrust to register your songs globally...". The 2% transfer fee is extortionate, considering money transfer services can do it for a fraction of that cost. The 150k streams number is assuming a 40-60 cent per 1,000 streams USA weighted steam-count on interactive streaming services(e.g. If not, what are you waiting for? Why Songtrust; Who Uses Songtrust. Yes, you absolutely positively still need SoundExchange. Looks like a good service. If we don’t get an official response soon, feel free to remind me and I’ll email CJ. CD Baby has always been my recommendation, and the bulk of my discography is with them. I use Songtrust and they only collect the Publisher's share of my royalties. I've contacted CS, so far nothing.I feel completely screwed! That’s quite an undertaking you’ve got going there! Relieved to know my publishing company will [most likely] remain on my songs/catalog. Which brings me to my main question: What exactly is the relationship between Songtrust and HFA? . I’ll do my best, but keep in mind I wrote this article three years ago and haven’t made a point of keeping up. Lastly, is there any other way aside from using Songtrust that would allow me to sign up with a PRO without having to make a vanity publishing company? Hi JM – Thats a great question and something a lot of people get confused about. its said “You retain the exclusive right to negotiate and grant sync licenses on whatever terms you establish for the use of your Compositions via “traditional” means, as that term is understood in the U.S. music publishing industry, such as one-off licenses for use in films, television productions, commercials, and video games. Wow, thank you so much for writing this article! The (only? I see two things that I seem to missing but I was hoping you could clarify. The trade-off is that you’re giving up 15% (our commission) of your royalties in exchange for direct global registration to +50 pay sources with the convenience of only entering your song information once. I have read you telling a few people that they shouldn’t be in a rush to attain a publishing admin until they create a fan base and have actual royalties to collect internationally. Thank you very much for writing. I don’t remember reading that Songtrust would show up on my ASCAP account as 50% publisher. And after that, it’s only a buck a song, which shouldn’t be much of an imposition. Am I correct? I asked for a refund. Fortunately, Songtrust more than made up for it by collecting an additional $322 for me that I wouldn’t have otherwise received: $73 in international performance royalties; $212 in US mechanical royalties; $27 in international mechanical royalties I might be wrong, but this seems to be the case. If that is the case, does HFA take their 11.5% for licensing fees and Songtrust takes their 15% as well? I am new to music publishing. There’s a catch though: TuneCore requires that you work with them exclusively for licensing. i live outside of the us. ; Creator Reps Managers and lawyers connect with the most extensive, accessible publishing network in the industry. Is that right? I tried out DistroKid recently, thinking $20 per year was a great value. It seems that there are a lot of artists that have something to say about this! Well, it’s not so simple: for one thing, since SESAC is invitation-only, the choice is really between BMI and ASCAP, and … Creators Songwriters, producers and creators collect royalties globally from your songs while keeping 100 percent of the rights. Secondly, if that is the case and I am left with either TuneCore or CDBabyPro, which would you recommend for somebody who will likely not release more than a couple singles and 1 album in the foreseeable future? But before I fill in all my information and attach my catalog …. Thankyou Brian for shedding some light on the “publisher” thing on ASCAP. Hello Brian good Article. Sounds like someone didn’t read the article. I hear mechanicals are are larger in comparison. I may drop Songtrust. Do me and my group members register with a PRO under the collective name or do we just run individual accounts and split percentages when we work togther?? If it really bothers you, I guess the next step is to contact your PRO and/or Harry Fox, but I don’t see any point in pursuing it. All of my songs now on ASCAP say, “me, writer 50% and Songrust, publisher 50%. they would be kind of like my internet police preventing other youtube/soundcloud etc. I’m thinking registering with Distrokid or Indigoboom and waiting with registering with an admin publisher. If I sign up for Songtrust, their website says they align a writer’s registered songs with HFA. Thank you. It doesn’t feel secure in mine either. The comment dates help, but not ideal. . 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