liftedCREATION
liftedCREATION
Dear Future Producers,
I write this post for NEW independent musicians like myself. I have worked so hard to get to this point, and sadly. It's only the starting line. What? The "starting line". It's true, last year I was a non-PRO affiliated composer (stop laughing) and I spent MANY hours working, very hard just like my fellow hobbyists and amateur musicians. Thinking, this is the way to success. It isn't. Listen if you are making music, and you want to sell it. There is a way. And I believe I have found where to START. Read on.
So here goes, I want to share my experience with becoming affiliated with a PRO. In my case the ASCAP. In the following posts I will present you with thoughts and ideas that are, I know, IMPORTANT to UNDERSTAND. If your NEW to the music business. You need this NOWledge. <- That's on purpose.
The very first thing you should do. Before you even think about selling music, is become affiliated with a PRO. The reason behind this is, PROs pay royalties to you. If you haven't done this. Then they don't know who to pay. It's not hard to register, but it does cost money. But before you run over there and register, they expect you to be a selling artist. They don't accept EVERYONE. You have to have sold something, or prove you have a "work for hire" that needs royalties tracked. Otherwise, why sign up right?
So, you've sold a few non-PRO tracks, GREAT! There you go. Now it's time to rush over to the PROs and register! Don't believe me? Read on.
I am going to split this post up. It's long. It's the most I ever gave back. It's my way of saying, "Here is the rope, now climb." If you don't feel like climbing. Fine by me, I'll be at the top. And by "climbing" I mean, hard work, dedication, education and self perseverance. NOT making music.
More to come.
If anyone out there has more information to add please do. If you know more than I am putting in these posts, please say something. I am new to this myself and would love help climbing that rope as well. Otherwise, here goes. Oh and one more thing "THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE", meaning, you should find out for yourself, consult with lawyers and READ. Ok. Onward!
STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING and READ THIS NOW!
Here is "the deal". I noticed some of you guys are not signed up to any PROs. Even if you make music "as a hobby" you should be still registering your music with these guys and and copyrighting your music (copyright topic for later).
YOU NEED To become a "writer and publisher", there are two, at the ASCAP, or at the BMI or some other PRO (performing rights organization) place...the membership is expensive...a whopping...hold your breath, you might not be able to afford this...$70 for a LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP!!!...(that's $35 for writer and $35 for publisher) I know..It's like they are robbing us?!? No they are not, this is the most important part of this ENTIRE process...read on.
Ok, my amateur and hobbyists friends why do you need this?...(this includes me, because I just signed up myself by the way, the registration process takes about 15 days) Do it TODAY!
So now when you edit your song on your favorite stock media marketplace. You will see two white boxes that say COMPOSER and PUBLISHER. Most of you have Composer down, that's you (but this makes no difference if you do not REGISTER). Who published your song?? Don't know do you? That's because the answer is YOU! You published it! (this is why you register, you get 50% for writing your tune and 50% publishing it) And then a text window that says....PRO. Anyone following me? That's where you put ASCAP or BMI Here is how this works to my understanding. Please know this is a complicated mess since the invention of, the record.
Ok, here we go, say you sold a copy of your royalty free music at your favorite stock media marketplace for an incredible 5 dollars...The marketplace takes their cut of OH MY GOD $2.50!! AHHHhh All my money!!!! Please read on...
So now your tune is out there being used, WITHOUT being registered....THIS is your MISTAKE and mine...don't get me wrong...there is a reason I am telling you this and it's not because I am trying to sell you something. I am trying to help you so we ALL can make a nice living off of our hobby, soon to be careers.
Listen, what if I told you that once your tune is broadcast on a national TV commercial or radio ad or something other form of HIGH-END broadcast, These companies already set aside money, HUGH SUMS OF MONEY....right...go on Nathan...Ok...so what happens when Producer Joe that bought your royalty-free music broadcasts on TV? Well...those companies MUST pay...you heard me MUST pay to use ANY and ALL content. So..You sold your "royalty-free tune" but alas! Once it is broadcast there is no such thing as "royalty-free", it hits tv and radio and guess what...CBS pays one of the PROs royalties even IF you are not registered....WHAT??? I know, I know...Where was this information yesterday?
Is anyone listening to me? If you are then your whole world just took the "EXIT to SUCCESS"...You can thank me later.
Why am I telling you this? Wouldn't it make sense to watch you all fail and keep this to myself..NO! Listen you need to start making some money. Lots of it. We the little guys are hurting our own market. Please, let us all start informing ourselves. There is a way to do this and it is not as hard as I once thought.
Royalty-free is perfect for your "amateur producers" (these guys don't know any of this either, by the way, well maybe some but then they wouldn't be amateurs.) looking to make money from a very LOW budget company. But once they "AIR" that production, the BROADCAST COMPANIES, pay with their HUGE SUMS OF MONEY...not Joe....They pay the PROs. And the PROs pay....YOU. What? You didn't register...oh...well, then guess what...the PROs KEEP YOUR MONEY!!!
Got this? Read this twice...Dream about this...let this sink in. This is going to change the way you view making music from now on.
If not...go ahead, make your non-PRO music, I know I have been making non-PRO music all along, but guess what. AS soon as I get my membership. BOOM all my songs are being registered and copyrighted and I am changing EVERY track on all those marketplaces that I have been so hard at work adding all my non-PRO music too. Who is with me?
Sincerely your friend and colleague,
Nathan Luis Steinke
Owner/Composer/Publisher
www.liftedCREATION.com
P.S. Just to get you thinking in case you skipped my post,
Most commercials on TV: the background music. For say a one year license, might go for...75k to 250k (for INCREDIBLE artists of course) A YEAR! I am only talking for national markets in the US. The BROADCAST COMPANIES pay PROS this, not our good buddy JOE. UNDERSTAND? JOE doesn't make any of this money. Joe makes money by finding the right music, the right video and the right idea and the RIGHT CLIENT, and says I'll do that for X amount of dollars....Even if Joe used your music FOR FREE...all you need him to do is fill out a CUE SHEET (your favorite stockmedia marketplace and many others do this AUTOMATICALLY, for producers just like Joe) with you as the COMPOSER and PUBLISHER and, BAM! YOU CLAIM YOUR MONEY once it is on TV, radio, film..the list goes on.
A Film Intro, say 3.5 mins of music, might go for .... 350k to 500k. and the credits, well maybe 150k.
Last year I sold about 8 tunes. I am pretty happy. It made me invest a bunch of money into new studio equipment so I can make even better music this year. But this year I am going PRO, I am going to have my tunes on TV anyway, why not claim it! It's SO easy! Put some damn food on the table Go PRO! Let's do this already!
Hope your all having a good weekend.
I write this post for NEW independent musicians like myself. I have worked so hard to get to this point, and sadly. It's only the starting line. What? The "starting line". It's true, last year I was a non-PRO affiliated composer (stop laughing) and I spent MANY hours working, very hard just like my fellow hobbyists and amateur musicians. Thinking, this is the way to success. It isn't. Listen if you are making music, and you want to sell it. There is a way. And I believe I have found where to START. Read on.
So here goes, I want to share my experience with becoming affiliated with a PRO. In my case the ASCAP. In the following posts I will present you with thoughts and ideas that are, I know, IMPORTANT to UNDERSTAND. If your NEW to the music business. You need this NOWledge. <- That's on purpose.
The very first thing you should do. Before you even think about selling music, is become affiliated with a PRO. The reason behind this is, PROs pay royalties to you. If you haven't done this. Then they don't know who to pay. It's not hard to register, but it does cost money. But before you run over there and register, they expect you to be a selling artist. They don't accept EVERYONE. You have to have sold something, or prove you have a "work for hire" that needs royalties tracked. Otherwise, why sign up right?
So, you've sold a few non-PRO tracks, GREAT! There you go. Now it's time to rush over to the PROs and register! Don't believe me? Read on.
I am going to split this post up. It's long. It's the most I ever gave back. It's my way of saying, "Here is the rope, now climb." If you don't feel like climbing. Fine by me, I'll be at the top. And by "climbing" I mean, hard work, dedication, education and self perseverance. NOT making music.
More to come.
If anyone out there has more information to add please do. If you know more than I am putting in these posts, please say something. I am new to this myself and would love help climbing that rope as well. Otherwise, here goes. Oh and one more thing "THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE", meaning, you should find out for yourself, consult with lawyers and READ. Ok. Onward!
STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING and READ THIS NOW!
Here is "the deal". I noticed some of you guys are not signed up to any PROs. Even if you make music "as a hobby" you should be still registering your music with these guys and and copyrighting your music (copyright topic for later).
YOU NEED To become a "writer and publisher", there are two, at the ASCAP, or at the BMI or some other PRO (performing rights organization) place...the membership is expensive...a whopping...hold your breath, you might not be able to afford this...$70 for a LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP!!!...(that's $35 for writer and $35 for publisher) I know..It's like they are robbing us?!? No they are not, this is the most important part of this ENTIRE process...read on.
Ok, my amateur and hobbyists friends why do you need this?...(this includes me, because I just signed up myself by the way, the registration process takes about 15 days) Do it TODAY!
So now when you edit your song on your favorite stock media marketplace. You will see two white boxes that say COMPOSER and PUBLISHER. Most of you have Composer down, that's you (but this makes no difference if you do not REGISTER). Who published your song?? Don't know do you? That's because the answer is YOU! You published it! (this is why you register, you get 50% for writing your tune and 50% publishing it) And then a text window that says....PRO. Anyone following me? That's where you put ASCAP or BMI Here is how this works to my understanding. Please know this is a complicated mess since the invention of, the record.
Ok, here we go, say you sold a copy of your royalty free music at your favorite stock media marketplace for an incredible 5 dollars...The marketplace takes their cut of OH MY GOD $2.50!! AHHHhh All my money!!!! Please read on...
So now your tune is out there being used, WITHOUT being registered....THIS is your MISTAKE and mine...don't get me wrong...there is a reason I am telling you this and it's not because I am trying to sell you something. I am trying to help you so we ALL can make a nice living off of our hobby, soon to be careers.
Listen, what if I told you that once your tune is broadcast on a national TV commercial or radio ad or something other form of HIGH-END broadcast, These companies already set aside money, HUGH SUMS OF MONEY....right...go on Nathan...Ok...so what happens when Producer Joe that bought your royalty-free music broadcasts on TV? Well...those companies MUST pay...you heard me MUST pay to use ANY and ALL content. So..You sold your "royalty-free tune" but alas! Once it is broadcast there is no such thing as "royalty-free", it hits tv and radio and guess what...CBS pays one of the PROs royalties even IF you are not registered....WHAT??? I know, I know...Where was this information yesterday?
Is anyone listening to me? If you are then your whole world just took the "EXIT to SUCCESS"...You can thank me later.
Why am I telling you this? Wouldn't it make sense to watch you all fail and keep this to myself..NO! Listen you need to start making some money. Lots of it. We the little guys are hurting our own market. Please, let us all start informing ourselves. There is a way to do this and it is not as hard as I once thought.
Royalty-free is perfect for your "amateur producers" (these guys don't know any of this either, by the way, well maybe some but then they wouldn't be amateurs.) looking to make money from a very LOW budget company. But once they "AIR" that production, the BROADCAST COMPANIES, pay with their HUGE SUMS OF MONEY...not Joe....They pay the PROs. And the PROs pay....YOU. What? You didn't register...oh...well, then guess what...the PROs KEEP YOUR MONEY!!!
Got this? Read this twice...Dream about this...let this sink in. This is going to change the way you view making music from now on.
If not...go ahead, make your non-PRO music, I know I have been making non-PRO music all along, but guess what. AS soon as I get my membership. BOOM all my songs are being registered and copyrighted and I am changing EVERY track on all those marketplaces that I have been so hard at work adding all my non-PRO music too. Who is with me?
Sincerely your friend and colleague,
Nathan Luis Steinke
Owner/Composer/Publisher
www.liftedCREATION.com
P.S. Just to get you thinking in case you skipped my post,
Most commercials on TV: the background music. For say a one year license, might go for...75k to 250k (for INCREDIBLE artists of course) A YEAR! I am only talking for national markets in the US. The BROADCAST COMPANIES pay PROS this, not our good buddy JOE. UNDERSTAND? JOE doesn't make any of this money. Joe makes money by finding the right music, the right video and the right idea and the RIGHT CLIENT, and says I'll do that for X amount of dollars....Even if Joe used your music FOR FREE...all you need him to do is fill out a CUE SHEET (your favorite stockmedia marketplace and many others do this AUTOMATICALLY, for producers just like Joe) with you as the COMPOSER and PUBLISHER and, BAM! YOU CLAIM YOUR MONEY once it is on TV, radio, film..the list goes on.
A Film Intro, say 3.5 mins of music, might go for .... 350k to 500k. and the credits, well maybe 150k.
Last year I sold about 8 tunes. I am pretty happy. It made me invest a bunch of money into new studio equipment so I can make even better music this year. But this year I am going PRO, I am going to have my tunes on TV anyway, why not claim it! It's SO easy! Put some damn food on the table Go PRO! Let's do this already!
Hope your all having a good weekend.
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