Finally got a payment from CDbaby

It took about 4 months, but I was finally able to get a return on music I distributed through CDbaby. This music biz has always been a bit of an experiment for me. That's how I got into licensing beats and now I wanted to see what it takes to get paid from streaming.
Last September I used CDBaby to put out a 10 song album of just my beats. I've done this in the past primarily as a way to get music on Spotify and other digital platforms. The one thing I did differently this time around was proactively push my music to other people's playlists via Facebook groups and I made it a point to stream my own music as well. I set up one of my spare laptops and played a playlist that had nothing but songs from my recent releases. I did this 24/7 starting in late September. As you know the music industry can move pretty slowly. It usually takes about 6 to 9 months to see the results of a license sale. Today I woke up to a $37 deposit from CDbaby for music that streamed back in October. I'm pretty excited to see what November and December's results look like. I was pushing really hard in those months. Unfortunately I won't see those results until March and then June's BMI royalty statement. There is a BMI royalty statement coming out on Friday but that is just for 2nd quarter of 2018. I didn't really start working until 3rd quarter.
I'm also working on increasing my SoundCloud streams just to see what the payout is like. Hopefully one day I'll get a SoundExchange payment. When I do I'll be sure to let you all know!
 
Yes, it is very difficult at the current rates. When it's too low for Taylor Swift, you know something's going on (or, not going on, as it were).

I haven't had a check from CDBaby in many years. And I've had some decent plays. It's just not a business model to rely on regarding personal expenses, eating regularly, that sort of thing.

GJ
 
thats cool man, congrats! Ive registred to an aggregator not long ago myslef gonna start putting stuff out there pretty soon myself.

Quick question though, I know this is something that is worth doing as its spare cash and is obviously not a reliable income, but apart from selling beats and producing for artists, what other forms of work would you consider as somthing that is reliable enough to generate enough income to at least get by month to month?
 
It took about 4 months, but I was finally able to get a return on music I distributed through CDbaby. This music biz has always been a bit of an experiment for me. That's how I got into licensing beats and now I wanted to see what it takes to get paid from streaming.
Last September I used CDBaby to put out a 10 song album of just my beats. I've done this in the past primarily as a way to get music on Spotify and other digital platforms. The one thing I did differently this time around was proactively push my music to other people's playlists via Facebook groups and I made it a point to stream my own music as well. I set up one of my spare laptops and played a playlist that had nothing but songs from my recent releases. I did this 24/7 starting in late September. As you know the music industry can move pretty slowly. It usually takes about 6 to 9 months to see the results of a license sale. Today I woke up to a $37 deposit from CDbaby for music that streamed back in October. I'm pretty excited to see what November and December's results look like. I was pushing really hard in those months. Unfortunately I won't see those results until March and then June's BMI royalty statement. There is a BMI royalty statement coming out on Friday but that is just for 2nd quarter of 2018. I didn't really start working until 3rd quarter.
I'm also working on increasing my SoundCloud streams just to see what the payout is like. Hopefully one day I'll get a SoundExchange payment. When I do I'll be sure to let you all know!

I'm defenately interested in learning more about licensing these days. Now that I've decided to start an internet company for musicians and music professionals, I'm looking for addon services and offers that will benefit my clients in a way they value. Recognizing how little I know about getting placements for people, I would like to know your recommendations regarding getting placements for artist.

Should I provide the service myself or look to partner with other companies to accomplish this? What sources should I be reading to learn more about this subject?
 
thats cool man, congrats! Ive registred to an aggregator not long ago myslef gonna start putting stuff out there pretty soon myself.

Quick question though, I know this is something that is worth doing as its spare cash and is obviously not a reliable income, but apart from selling beats and producing for artists, what other forms of work would you consider as somthing that is reliable enough to generate enough income to at least get by month to month?

The only other thing I do musically to make money is DJ. I've been DJing much longer than I've been producing. At one time I was able to just DJ and make beats but times change and I had to adjust.
 
I'm defenately interested in learning more about licensing these days. Now that I've decided to start an internet company for musicians and music professionals, I'm looking for addon services and offers that will benefit my clients in a way they value. Recognizing how little I know about getting placements for people, I would like to know your recommendations regarding getting placements for artist.

Should I provide the service myself or look to partner with other companies to accomplish this? What sources should I be reading to learn more about this subject?

Since you have little experience with licensing I would recommend you partner with a company. All of the knowledge I found was by going online and searching "music licensing" or "sync licensing". You will need to do ALOT of reading. Also read up on ASCAP, BMI and SESAC's websites. They have tons of info on how the business works. I highly suggest that you go through the process on your own as an artist first before you start trying to work with other artists. Your artists will have questions and you will need to be able to answer them based on experience and facts.
 
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