Musician Advice - How to Grow Your Music Career

“Musician Advice” Articles

Are You Getting Paid Everything You’re Owed from Spotify?

May 21, 2013{ No Comments }

Have you collected all the royalties you’re owed from streaming services like Spotify and Rdio?

If you don’t have a publishing administrator working on your behalf, the answer is probably NO. But I should make it clear upfront that this isn’t Spotify’s fault. It’s not like they’re holding out on you! It’s just one of those crazy things about how the world of music publishing works (or doesn’t) for indie artists. But don’t despair — CD Baby Pro offers a simple solution to this problem! (More on that later).

So which monies have you been missing out on? Read on to find out…

Four ways you can make money through Spotify

1. The regular ‘ole payment for the stream —

Some folks call this a “master use royalty;” others call it the “artist royalty;” technically, it’s a payment for streaming your licensed sound recording. Read more »

Developing a Live Fanbase with Better Song Intros

May 20, 2013{ No Comments }

How to court your concert audience with more creative song intros

Do you want to develop a fan base from stage or not? It begins with the introductions to your songs. (And I’m not talking about speaking to your audience!).

I always say there’s a difference between what you perform live and what you record.

For instance, song introductions on your recording need to be short and sweet. You’ve got to get to the meat of the song immediately (if you really want to be played on radio). But live is a different animal. In fact, live you want to be creative, draw your audience in, and captivate them – with the intro!

Most of you reading this blog are “dating” your audience. In other words, you haven’t sold millions of records, appear regularly on TV, and aren’t known by everyone watching & listening. So you need to win your audience as soon as you can. That won’t happen just because you play your songs correctly.

Watch this video and get a little taste of what I’m talking about:

For at least 10 seconds at the beginning of this artist’s performance, Read more »

What is a Musical Copyright?

May 17, 2013{ No Comments }

And what does musical copyright have to do with music publishing?

Copyright is a designation of intellectual property similar to a patent or trademark. Once an original composition has been fixed in a medium from which it can be reproduced (having either been recorded or written down in some fashion), the composer is granted exclusive rights to that piece of music, including:

• the right to reproduce the song

• the right to distribute the song

• the right to perform the song

• The right to create derivative works

One of the keys to understanding how money is made in the world of music publishing is the fact that every recorded piece of music has two separate copyrights (which are not always owned or exploited by the same persons or parties).

How to Copyright Your Music

May 16, 2013{ 2 Comments }

Why independent songwriters should register the copyright for their music

[This article is written by guest contributor Anthony Ceseri.]

Please Note: This article discusses opinions on copyrighting your music and should not be considered legal advice. If you’re unsure about how the copyright laws in your country will affect you, please contact a lawyer before proceeding.

When you submit a song for copyright you’re simply proving the date of submission of your work. The fine folks of the copyright office don’t sit around listening to every submission to see if they’ve heard it before. That would be an impossible task. When you write or record your song, technically, you’ve created it — and thus you own the copyright to it. By submitting a song to the copyright office, you’re protecting your music simply by acknowledging the date of its creation.

It’s also important to note that certain aspects of your song are not protected even if you’ve registered the copyright. These include:

* chord progressions

* the overall idea or concept of your song

* and a title or short phrase

1 Out of 14 Paid Downloads Starts with Shazam

May 14, 2013{ No Comments }

Get your music on Shazam, the world’s most popular music identification app!

According to our friends at Digital Music News, 7.2% of all download sales in 2012 were generated after a person used the Shazam app on their mobile device or iPad to identify a song. Then they immediately clicked over to an affiliated download store and purchased the track.

That’s $300 million in digital download sales (a figure which is projected to double by next year); and as DMN points out, those are only the sales that can be directly tracked (it doesn’t include folks who ID’d a song with Shazam, made mental note, and then purchased it later). If 1 out of 14 paid downloads begins with Shazam, shouldn’t your music be included in their database?

Good news: if you’re a CD Baby artist, your music IS on Shazam. (Or it will be soon — since we’re still making music deliveries to them).

For more details, read our article “How to Get Your Music on Shazam.”

The Stool Pigeon Guide to Music Journalist Bull$#!%

May 13, 2013{ No Comments }

Beware these music criticism clichés

Hipsters, indie-poppers, freak-folkers — come have a laugh at your own expense, and also at the expense of the journalists that write about your music.

The Stool Pigeon has put together a glossary of sloppy musical terms that will make you cringe, blush, and chuckle. Check it out and then make sure to avoid these terms when writing about your own music.

But don’t be TOO hard on yourself; I’ve been guilty of using at least 2 of ‘em over the past few years (“angular,” and “effort”).

Join The Stool Pigeon on “a magical journey through clichés as we look at the drivel that’s dearest to music writers’ hearts.”

Win a Free Scholarship to Dweezil Zappa’s Music Boot Camp

May 11, 2013{ 1 Comment }

The contest:

We’ve partnered with Music Masters to give one lucky winner a free scholarship* to attend Dweezil Zappa’s Music Boot Camp this July!

The scholarship includes all accommodations, food, beverage and classes (transportation to the camp is NOT included). Read more about the camp below and click the app labeled “Share to Win/Camp Contest” on the CD Baby Facebook page to enter!

Camp details:

Dweezilla Music Boot Camp

Monday, July 1 to Friday, July 5, 2013

Full Moon Resort in the Catskill Forest Preserve in Big Indian, New York

*Special thanks to Lagunitas Brewing Company for providing the scholarship.

About Dweezilla:

In its second year, Dweezilla Music Boot Camp is a guitar intensive course. Aside from guitar concentrated clinics and classes, Read more »

Who Owns Your Music Publishing Rights and How Does the Money Get Split?

May 10, 2013{ 2 Comments }

Your music publishing rights and you

If you’re a songwriter, and you’ve not signed a deal with a music publishing company — you own your music publishing rights!

What are those rights exactly? Well, you get to determine how the musical copyright to a song you’ve written (meaning the composition itself, as a separate entity from any particular master recording of that song) is used or “exploited.”

And you earn money any time that song is sold, performed, or covered.

How do publishing royalties get divided up?

For all publishing royalties that are generated from the usage of your music, 50% is paid to the songwriter/s and 50% is paid to the publisher/s.

As I mentioned above, if you’ve not signed a deal with a publishing company, Read more »

Download Your Free PDF of “Six-Figure Musician”

May 10, 2013{ No Comments }

Our friends at Oasis have partnered with David Hooper of MusicMarketing.com to offer you a free PDF copy of the book Six-Figure Musician.

Topics include:

* What it takes to make $150k/year, with only 500 fans.

* How to get record labels to approach YOU.

* “Superfan” secrets — how to develop fans that buy everything you sell.

* Why age doesn’t matter anymore.

* 4 proven cures for music business burnout.

* and more.

Click HERE to download your free PDF copy of “Six-Figure Musician” today!

Music Promotion for Independent Musicians