by Sue Basko, esq.
If you are a FEATURED ARTIST on a song, or the MASTER/ COPYRIGHT OWNER of the recorded work (such as a record label or an indie musician), you should register your songs with SOUND EXCHANGE to collect royalties for play on streaming services such as Sirius Radio.
It is FREE AND EASY to register with Sound Exchange! (Free is everyone's favorite price!)
WHAT IS SOUND EXCHANGE? I am cutting and pasting this directly from the SOUND EXCHANGE website:
SoundExchange is an independent, nonprofit performance rights organization.
SoundExchange is the non-profit performance rights organization that collects statutory royalties from satellite radio (such as SIRIUS XM), internet radio, cable TV music channels and similar platforms for streaming sound recordings. The Copyright Royalty Board, which is appointed by The U.S. Library of Congress, has entrusted SoundExchange as the sole entity in the United States to collect and distribute these digital performance royalties on behalf of featured recording artists, m
IS THIS FOR REAL? Yes! I have had several musicians tell me that they get good money from Sound Exchange. Of course, your music must be getting play time on the platforms covered by Sound Exchange. And you must be a featured artist on the music and/or the owner of the sound recordings/ copyright on the recordings themselves. And -- you must register! This does not happen automatically and no one else does it for you!
Sound Exchange is a major tool that every musician, performer and everyone in music business should know about. Get yourself in gear and go check it out.
STEPS ON HOW TO TO MAKE MONEY FROM SOUND EXCHANGE:
1. RECORD MUSIC. Be a "featured artist" on the music, as defined by Sound Exchange.
2. AND /OR: Be the owner of the masters/ copyright on the recordings of the music. This is different from owning the underlying intellectual property, which is the song composition and lyrics.
3. DO NOT SIGN YOUR OWNERSHIP OR RIGHTS OVER TO ANYONE ELSE. Before you sign ANY CONTRACT, have a music lawyer read it and advise you. Make sure this is a lawyer that actually has studied music law, practices it, and knows it. Music law has many terms and practices that are quite complex.
4. Try to get your songs played on the platforms that are covered by Sound Exchange. Once your songs are being played, you may qualify to make money.
5. Register the songs with Sound Exchange, as a featured artist and/or as the owner of the masters.
6. Keep your contact information up to date with Sound Exchange.
Success stories to share? Please email me: SueBaskoMusic AT gmail.com