How a lack of credits in track metadata hurts the music industry. Producers, engineers, songwriters, and session players have all been hurt over the past two decades by a lack … Continue reading
Music Rights
Making the complicated details of music rights easier to understand for independent musicians. Make sense of important issues like copyright law and music royalties.
Why YouTube’s channel-monetization changes won’t affect you… MUCH
You may have heard that YouTube will soon be tightening its Partner Program guidelines for monetizing videos. This news might’ve scared or frustrated you. I’m going to try to put … Continue reading
The Music Modernization Act aims to boost songwriter revenues from interactive streaming
CD Baby supports efforts to improve the way mechanical and performance royalties are calculated. The music industry is a completely different beast than it was when the copyright laws currently … Continue reading
Indie musicians, you have access to legal support!
How to get free legal advice as a musician. As someone who’s seen a lot of legal disputes between people in the music industry, it’s always a bummer when musicians … Continue reading
How to Collect Your Live Performance Royalties
Do you make original music? Do you play that music live? If so, you can earn publishing royalties from your gigs — but most musicians never take the simple steps … Continue reading
A publishing split sheet for co-songwriters
Get it in writing and protect your publishing rights. You’ve just co-written a killer song. You’re psyched. But before you leave, before you celebrate, before you tweet about it, before … Continue reading
YouTube monetization and you: “Can we be exclusive?”
CD Baby wants to go steady. YouTube acts in accordance with international laws surrounding intellectual property and digital distribution, but enforcing digital rights on the platform comes with its own … Continue reading
Posting Cover Songs on YouTube: Music Video Licensing Explained
How to legally post a cover song video on YouTube. Cover song videos are hugely popular on YouTube, and making a cover song video is one of the most proven … Continue reading
CD Baby Pro Publishing now available in Australia and New Zealand (plus Brazil updates)
At the start of 2017, CD Baby Pro Publishing — our publishing administration service for songwriters — was only available in four countries. Over the last six months we’ve rapidly … Continue reading
YouTube for Musicians: “How is all the $$ made?”
So, what is YouTube monetization? Monetization on YouTube is the process by which original content makes, you guessed it, money. That original content can come in various forms, including: audio … Continue reading