We are the music makers

Topic

Artist-rights

  • Merch commission explained: who takes a cut, the 700-plus venues that take nothing, and how to negotiate

    Some venues take 25% or more of an artist's gross merch sales, sometimes with VAT on top. The Featured Artists Coalition says more than 700 UK venues charging nothing have joined its 100% Venues directory. Most grassroots rooms never charged, though, so the real fight is at bigger and corporate venues, and the best tool an artist has there is a rate agreed in writing before the show.

    Industryvia Featured Artists Coalition

  • Do you need a music lawyer? When to hire one, what it costs and how to keep the bill small

    Most independent artists do not need a lawyer for every release, but a few moments justify one every time: signing anything with a term of years, assigning copyright, and disputes you might take to court. This guide covers those triggers, the main ways lawyers charge, the rules that limit how they can charge in the US and India, and how to prepare so you pay for judgement rather than reading time. Laws and rules checked on 25 Oct 2026.

    Workflows

  • Registering a sound recording in India: what the Copyright Office asks for your master

    A recorded song is its own copyright in India, separate from the composition and the lyrics, and its author is the producer. This guide covers what the Copyright Office expects when you register a master: one application per track, Rs 2,000 per recording, consent from everyone who played or sang on it, and a 60-year term. Sources read on 24 Oct 2026.

    Workflows

  • What the EU AI Act means for musicians: labels, training summaries, opt-outs and dates

    The EU AI Act does three things a musician should know about: it makes general-purpose AI providers keep a copyright policy and publish a summary of their training content, it requires deepfake audio to be disclosed and AI output to carry machine-readable marks, and it points rightsholders to the EU text-and-data-mining opt-out. This guide sets out what each rule says, when it applies, and what it does not do, from the regulation text and European Commission pages read on 24 Oct 2026.

    Workflows

  • Registering music copyright in the US: SR vs PA, group options and fees

    A song and a recording of it are two separate works for US copyright purposes. This guide explains which application covers which, when one application can cover both, the group options for albums and unpublished batches, and what each costs now and under the fee schedule that can take effect from 11 November 2026. Sources: the US Copyright Office and 17 U.S.C., read on 24 Oct 2026.

    Workflows

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