https://wearethemusicmakers.co/latest Music tech and AI in music: the news that matters, what we think about it, and a directory of the tools. en-us Sun, 25 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/co-writing-sessions-and-splits https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/co-writing-sessions-and-splits Most split disputes start in the session, not in the royalty statement. This guide covers the co-writing day itself: what to settle before you start, how to keep a running record while you write, and how to agree and sign song splits before anyone goes home. Laws checked against official texts on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers songwritingroyaltiesworkflowsrights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/spotify-wrapped-2026-artist-prep-6-november-deadline https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/spotify-wrapped-2026-artist-prep-6-november-deadline Every artist can send Spotify a thank-you video of 30 seconds or less for Wrapped until 6 November. Artists in the video upload beta can also add performance videos, which Spotify says earn royalties, count toward charts and stay on the profile. Here is what to submit, the fine print, and a checklist. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers spotifywrappedworkflowsvideoroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/collecting-royalty-splits https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/collecting-royalty-splits A split sheet says who owns what. It pays nobody. Money only reaches each collaborator when every royalty stream, master and song, has its own split set up at the place that actually pays it. Here is how to map the streams, where each split gets entered, and how to catch the gaps before they eat a year of royalties. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers royaltiespublishingsplitsworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/gst-and-tax-for-indian-musicians https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/gst-and-tax-for-indian-musicians Gigs, session fees, streaming payouts and brand work are all taxable income in India, and past a certain turnover your music services also fall under GST. This guide explains the GST registration threshold for services, how presumptive taxation can simplify income tax for some music professionals, which return form usually applies, and the records that make all of it easy. It is a starting point to take to a chartered accountant, not tax advice. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers businessindiaroyaltiesworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/iprs-and-pprl-india-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/iprs-and-pprl-india-explained India splits music licensing between the song and the recording. IPRS speaks for composers, lyricists and publishers; PPL India licenses sound recordings assigned to it by labels. A 2025 Delhi High Court ruling questioned how PPL may license without being a registered copyright society. This guide explains the two sides and what an independent artist should do, using the Copyright Act text and court records read on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers royaltiesindiacopyrightindustry https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/neighbouring-rights-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/neighbouring-rights-explained Neighbouring rights pay the people behind a recording, not the song: the master owner and the performers on it. This guide sets out the two roles, how PPL in the UK and SoundExchange in the US split the money, where the US differs, and what a self-releasing artist should register, using PPL, SoundExchange, WIPO and US statute pages read on 24 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers royaltiesneighbouring-rightsperformersindustry https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/production-music-libraries-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/production-music-libraries-explained Production music is written to be licensed: background cues, beds, stings and themes that video makers pick from a catalogue instead of commissioning a score. This guide explains how libraries make money, what an exclusive or non-exclusive deal actually changes for you, why Content ID and retitling collide, and how to write and deliver music a library can use. Sources read on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers synclicensingroyaltiesindustry https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/publishing-admin-vs-publishing-deal https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/publishing-admin-vs-publishing-deal An admin deal charges a percentage and leaves your copyright with you. A co-pub or full publishing deal can pay an advance, but you give up part of the copyright, often for years after the contract ends. Here is how to compare the two on cost, control and time. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers publishingroyaltiessongwriterscopyright https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/session-musician-agreements https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/session-musician-agreements A one-page session agreement saves artists and players from the most common disputes: who owns the recording, whether the player is paid once or shares in royalties, how they are credited and what the fee covers. This guide walks through each clause in plain language, and explains why "work made for hire" wording does less for a sound recording than many people assume under US law. Not legal advice; sources read on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers contractsroyaltiescopyrightcollaboration https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/soundcloud-for-artists-2026 https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/soundcloud-for-artists-2026 SoundCloud now sells two paid tiers for artists, Artist and Artist Pro, and both bundle distribution to other platforms. This guide sets out what each plan includes, how fan-powered royalties work, and who should pay for which tier, based on SoundCloud pages read on 24 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers streamingdistributionroyaltiesmonetisation https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/spotify-discovery-mode-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/spotify-discovery-mode-explained Discovery Mode lets an artist team flag songs for some of Spotify's algorithmic listening, in return for a 30% commission on recording royalties from those streams. This guide sets out the mechanics as Spotify's own help pages describe them, a simple way to judge the trade-off for one song, and the criticism, as we read those pages on 24 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers spotifystreamingroyaltiesrelease-planning https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/band-agreement-basics https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/band-agreement-basics A band that earns money together is often a business partnership in law, whether or not anyone signed anything, and the default rules may not be the ones you would choose. Here is what a band agreement should cover, using the UK Partnership Act 1890 as a worked example of what happens when you write nothing down. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers contractsbusinessbandsroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/bandcamp-for-artists-guide https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/bandcamp-for-artists-guide What Bandcamp actually takes from a sale, what changes on a Bandcamp Friday, how artist subscriptions are billed and paid, and what the January 2026 AI policy does and does not say, all checked against Bandcamp's own help centre and blog. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers bandcampdirect-to-fanroyaltiesai-policy https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/cover-song-licensing https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/cover-song-licensing Recording someone else's song is one of the few things in music with a ready-made legal route. Here is what the US mechanical licence actually covers, what a distributor's cover service does for you, why a YouTube cover is a different deal, and why a translated lyric falls outside the easy path. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers copyrightroyaltiesdistributionyoutube https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/license-your-voice-for-ai https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/license-your-voice-for-ai Some AI platforms will pay you to let other people use a model of your voice. Their own terms decide who consents to each use, how you get paid and what survives if you pull out. Here is what ElevenLabs and Kits.ai actually say, as read on 24 Oct 2026, and what to check before you sign up. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musicvoice-cloninglicensingroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/music-income-record-keeping https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/music-income-record-keeping Music money arrives in small pieces from many places, months after the play that earned it. Here is a simple system for saving royalty statements, split agreements, invoices and receipts, what two tax authorities say about how long to keep records, and why your own ledger matters more than any dashboard. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers royaltiesbusinessworkflowssplits https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/performing-rights-organisations-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/performing-rights-organisations-explained A performing rights organisation (PRO) licenses the public performance of songs and pays the writers and publishers. Here is what that covers, how joining works at the big societies in the US, UK, Germany and India, and the income streams a PRO will never collect for you. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers royaltiespublishingcopyrightindia https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/playlist-scams-and-fake-streams https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/playlist-scams-and-fake-streams Paying a promoter for guaranteed streams or playlist spots is against Spotify's terms, and the penalties land on the artist: lost royalties, removed tracks and a per-track fee your distributor passes on. Here is how Spotify defines artificial streaming, what TuneCore, CD Baby and DistroKid do when a track is flagged, how to spot a scam, and what to do if you get a notice. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers streaming-fraudspotifydistributorsroyaltiesmarketing https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/producer-agreements-points-and-splits https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/producer-agreements-points-and-splits A producer deal is usually two things at once: who owns what the producer made, and how the producer gets paid. Here is how fees and points fit together, what "work made for hire" really means under US law, and how a SoundExchange letter of direction routes a share of radio royalties to the producer. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers royaltiescontractscopyrightproducers https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/tiktok-and-reels-music-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/tiktok-and-reels-music-rights When someone puts your track under a TikTok or an Instagram Reel, money only reaches you if a licence and a distributor sit in between. Here is how the licensing works on both platforms, what the pay is based on, what the platforms forbid, and which distributor routes get your music into the libraries. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers royaltiesdistributionlicensingsocial https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/two-copyrights-in-every-song https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/two-copyrights-in-every-song Every recorded song carries two copyrights: one in the composition (music and lyrics) and one in the sound recording (the master). Here is who owns each by default under US law, how work-made-for-hire and transfers change that, and the registration basics that decide what you can do if someone copies you. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers copyrightpublishingroyaltiesworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/choose-a-distributor-2026 https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/choose-a-distributor-2026 Four of the best-known DIY distributors charge in three different ways: a yearly subscription, a one-off fee plus a commission, or a subscription with a cut on the side income. They also set three different AI rules. Here is what DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby and Ditto say on their own pricing and help pages as we read them on 24 Oct 2026, and how to work out which model costs you least. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers distributionroyaltiesai-musicworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/how-streaming-royalties-are-calculated https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/how-streaming-royalties-are-calculated There is no per-stream rate. Streaming services pool their net revenue each month and split it by share of streams, and two newer rules change who gets into that split: Spotify ignores tracks under 1,000 streams a year, and Deezer weights streams from established artists and active fans. Here is the whole chain, step by step, as the services describe it on 24 Oct 2026. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers royaltiesstreamingdistributionspotifydeezer https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/mechanical-royalties-and-the-mlc https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/mechanical-royalties-and-the-mlc Every stream of your song in the US earns a mechanical royalty, and your distributor and your PRO do not collect it. Here is what a mechanical is, how a self-administered writer joins the MLC and registers or claims works in its portal, what MCPS and CMRRA do outside the US, and the order we would do it in. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers royaltiespublishingmlcworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/metadata-isrc-iswc-split-sheets https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/metadata-isrc-iswc-split-sheets Two codes and one document hold your royalties together. An ISRC names the recording and comes from the recording owner, a national agency or a manager such as your distributor. An ISWC names the song and only a registration agency, usually your collecting society, can assign it. A split sheet has no issuer at all: you and your co-writers make it. Here is who issues what, what it costs where we could check, and why the split sheet has to come first. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers royaltiesmetadatapublishingdistributionworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/sample-clearance-basics https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/sample-clearance-basics A sample usually touches two copyrights, the recording and the song, and each has its own owner and its own yes or no. Here is who those owners are, the order to approach them in, how fees tend to be structured, and why the "a few seconds is fine" rule you heard in a forum is not the law. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers samplingcopyrightroyaltiesworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/sync-licensing-basics-for-indies https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/sync-licensing-basics-for-indies A sync placement pays for two separate rights, and a music supervisor has to clear both before your track goes anywhere near a picture. Here is what those rights are, why owning both of them makes you easier to license, how library deals differ, why nobody can quote you a standard fee, and the paperwork that gets you paid after the cheque. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers synclicensingroyaltiescopyrightindustry https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/who-owns-ai-assisted-song-india https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/who-owns-ai-assisted-song-india Indian law has a clause for computer-generated works, but the first court to look at a Suno-made song was not convinced it is protected at all. Here is how ownership splits between lyrics, composition, recording and voice, what the Delhi High Court actually ordered on 25 Mar 2026, and what to do before you release. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musiccopyrightindiaroyaltiesworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/ai-training-data-licensing-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/ai-training-data-licensing-explained So far, every deal that pays for training AI on music runs through an intermediary (a label, publisher, distributor, collecting society or sample marketplace), and almost none publishes a rate. Here is how the four deal structures work, what the law says in the EU, UK, US and India as of 23 Oct 2026, and what an independent artist can actually claim. Fri, 23 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musicai-traininglicensingcopyrightroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/register-ai-assisted-song-2026 https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/register-ai-assisted-song-2026 Three gatekeepers now ask about AI, and each asks a different question. The US Copyright Office wants to know which parts a human made, PROs want a human writer, and distributors increasingly care which tool you used and how it was trained. Here is what each rule says as of 23 Oct 2026, a checklist that covers all three, and the mistakes that cost artists money. Fri, 23 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musiccopyrightdistributionroyaltiesworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/spotify-1000-stream-rule-ai-shield https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/spotify-1000-stream-rule-ai-shield Spotify now calls its 1,000-stream royalty threshold a "first line of defense" against AI-generated tracks, which it says are 10 times more likely to fall below it. The same rule decides whether a new human artist earns anything, and Spotify still keeps one of its two tests secret. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 07:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryspotifyroyaltiesai-musicstreaming-fraud https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/musixmatch-acquires-music-reports-songdex https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/musixmatch-acquires-music-reports-songdex The lyrics company has made its first acquisition in 16 years, buying the owner of the Songdex copyright registry, the Blokur matching platform and Cuetrak. Better matching could pay writers money they are owed today. It also puts a large share of the industry's rights data inside one private-equity-backed company. Mon, 19 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryroyaltiesmetadatamusixmatch https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/living-wage-for-musicians-act-hr-5664-stuck-in-committee https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/living-wage-for-musicians-act-hr-5664-stuck-in-committee H.R. 5664 would add a fee of half the subscription price, between $4 and $10, to every music streaming subscription and take 10% of streamers' other music revenue, then pay the money straight to human recording artists, capped at a million streams per track a month. It was referred to the House Judiciary Committee on 30 September 2025, and Congress.gov shows no action since. Sat, 17 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsstreamingroyaltiespolicy https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/american-music-fairness-act-stalled-am-fm-radio-royalty https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/american-music-fairness-act-stalled-am-fm-radio-royalty The American Music Fairness Act would make AM and FM stations pay performers and labels for the recordings they play, as satellite and internet radio already must. As of 23 Oct 2026 neither the Senate nor the House bill has gone beyond committee referral, despite a Senate hearing in December 2025. A resolution opposing any new radio fee has more than 230 House cosponsors. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsradioroyaltiessoundexchangeus-congress https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/indian-labels-dsps-no-royalties-ai-slop https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/indian-labels-dsps-no-royalties-ai-slop Saregama's managing director Vikram Mehra says labels in India and globally are working with the three leading streaming services so that purely AI-generated music gets no share of the royalty pool. The principle protects human artists, but it leaves open who draws the line, how AI-assisted work is treated, and who keeps the money that slop no longer earns. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musicindustryroyaltiesstreamingindiasaregama https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/phonorecords-v-streaming-rate-proposals-2028-2032 https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/phonorecords-v-streaming-rate-proposals-2028-2032 Publishers want a 20% headline streaming mechanical rate for 2028 to 2032. Spotify, Apple, Google and Pandora want to keep 15.35%, and Amazon wants it cut to 13.4%. Meanwhile, a deal on CD, vinyl and download rates, struck mostly by labels and their sister publishers, is being challenged by the independent songwriters it left out. Thu, 15 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrysongwritersroyaltiescrbstreamingmechanicals https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/michael-smith-sentence-copyright-office-fraud-inquiry https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/michael-smith-sentence-copyright-office-fraud-inquiry Michael Smith, who used AI-generated songs and bot accounts to drain streaming royalty pools, was sentenced to 18 months and ordered to forfeit about 8.09 million dollars. The next day the US Copyright Office published a public inquiry into streaming fraud, with comments due 23 Nov 2026. For artists it is the first official place to put on record what fraud costs them. Tue, 06 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrystreaming-fraudai-musiccopyright-officeroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/music-modernization-act-explained-what-it-fixed-and-left-broken https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/music-modernization-act-explained-what-it-fixed-and-left-broken The 2018 Music Modernization Act rebuilt US streaming mechanicals, brought pre-1972 recordings into federal law and wrote producer royalties into the statute. It left AM/FM radio untouched, and unclaimed song money still goes out by market share. Here is what each part does for you, with worked examples and a checklist. Wed, 30 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsmusic-modernization-actroyaltiespublishingexplainer https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/africa-streaming-growth-outpaces-royalty-collection https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/africa-streaming-growth-outpaces-royalty-collection Sub-Saharan Africa's recorded music revenues grew 15.2% in 2025 to $120 million, and digital income grew faster still. But South Africa takes 78.1% of that, collecting societies across the continent took in only €90 million in 2024, and nobody publishes fraud rates for African markets. For African artists the growth is real; the plumbing that turns plays into payments is not keeping up. Sat, 26 Sep 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryroyaltiesstreamingstreaming-fraudafricanigeriasouth-africaifpicisacartist-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/publishing-deals-admin-co-pub-full-publishing https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/publishing-deals-admin-co-pub-full-publishing A publishing deal decides who owns part of your song, who registers it, and for how long. Admin deals leave ownership with you for a fee. Co-pub and full publishing deals trade a share of the copyright for an advance and a team. Here is how the money splits, how long the rights stay away, and why the catalogue sales of 2026 make ownership the part to guard. Fri, 25 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrypublishingsongwritersroyaltiesexplainer https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/india-radio-royalties-section-31d-iprs-ppl-india https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/india-radio-royalties-section-31d-iprs-ppl-india Indian radio stations do not need your permission to play a published song. Section 31D of the Copyright Act lets them broadcast it under a statutory licence, as long as they give notice and pay royalties at a rate fixed by law. IPRS collects for the song and PPL India for the recording. Here is what IPRS charges a radio channel, who actually sets the rate, and how to register so the money can reach you. Wed, 23 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsroyaltiesindiaradiocopyright https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/360-deals-vs-distribution-vs-label-services https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/360-deals-vs-distribution-vs-label-services A distributor licenses your music for a fee and takes nothing else. A label-services company licenses your masters for a few years and keeps a larger cut. A traditional label usually owns the masters and pays you a royalty, and a 360 deal adds a share of touring, merch and other income on top. Here is what each one takes, in one table, and when each makes sense for an independent artist. Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryrecord-dealsartist-rightsroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/soundexchange-letter-of-direction-producers https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/soundexchange-letter-of-direction-producers Producers, mixers and engineers only get US digital radio royalties from SoundExchange if the featured artist signs a Letter of Direction, or, for recordings made before November 1995, through a narrow 2% fallback in the statute. Here is how both routes work, with the numbers, and what to put in your producer agreement so you never have to chase it. Sat, 19 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowssoundexchangeroyaltiesproducers https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/neighbouring-rights-explained-ppl-indie-artists https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/neighbouring-rights-explained-ppl-indie-artists When a recording is played on radio, on TV or in a shop, collecting societies like PPL in the UK pay the master owner and the performers on it. Self-releasing artists can be owed both halves, but only once they register. Here is how it works, why US performers mostly miss out abroad, and a checklist. Fri, 18 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryroyaltiesneighbouring-rightsperformers https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/isrc-iswc-ipi-upc-metadata-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/isrc-iswc-ipi-upc-metadata-explained Four codes identify your recording, your song, you as a writer and your release. Royalties go missing when they don't line up with each other, usually because the splits disagree or nobody linked the recording to the song. Here is what each code does, who issues it, and a release-day checklist. Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowsmetadataroyaltiespublishingexplainer https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/recoupment-explained-why-a-hit-can-leave-you-unrecouped https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/recoupment-explained-why-a-hit-can-leave-you-unrecouped A record advance is paid back out of your royalty share, not your bank account, so at a 20% royalty a $50,000 advance needs about $250,000 of revenue before you see another cent. Here is the arithmetic, what cross-collateralization and recoupable costs do to it, and what to negotiate before you sign. Mon, 14 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryroyaltiesrecord-dealsartist-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/release-cover-song-legally-mechanical-licence https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/release-cover-song-legally-mechanical-licence In the US, anyone can record and release a cover of a song that has already been released, without asking, as long as they get a mechanical licence and pay the writers the legal rate. Here is what that licence covers, what you must leave alone, why streaming and downloads are treated differently, and a pre-release checklist. Sun, 13 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowscoversmechanical-licensingroyaltiescopyright https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/afm-sag-aftra-fund-session-musicians-royalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/afm-sag-aftra-fund-session-musicians-royalties US law sets aside 5% of SoundExchange digital radio royalties for backing musicians and singers, and the AFM & SAG-AFTRA Fund pays it out whether or not you are in a union. Here is who qualifies, how the money is split, and how to check the unclaimed list. Sat, 12 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsroyaltiessession-musicianssoundexchange https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/spotify-bundle-mlc-ruling https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/spotify-bundle-mlc-ruling A New York federal judge has refused to let the Mechanical Licensing Collective appeal early against the ruling that Spotify Premium is a "bundle" with audiobooks, which lets Spotify pay US songwriters a lower mechanical rate. The judge also threw out Spotify's "unclean hands" defence. Songwriters now wait for the whole case to finish, even though subscription prices rose again in February. Mon, 07 Sep 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryspotifysongwritersroyaltiesmlc https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/spotify-streamshare-explained-no-per-stream-rate https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/spotify-streamshare-explained-no-per-stream-rate Spotify pays rights holders a share of each country's monthly royalty pool, in proportion to their share of streams there. The "per-stream rate" is a number worked out afterwards, which is why it moves by country and month, and why your deal matters more than the rate. Sat, 05 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrystreamingspotifyroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/youtube-shorts-music-revenue-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/youtube-shorts-music-revenue-explained Shorts don't pay per play. YouTube pools Shorts Feed ad money each month, takes out a music share for every Short that uses a licensed track, and the music share reaches artists only through a label or distributor. Here is the maths, with YouTube's own worked example, and what to check in your statements. Fri, 04 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryyoutubeshortsroyaltiesexplainer https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/spotify-discovery-mode-explained-commission-payola https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/spotify-discovery-mode-explained-commission-payola Discovery Mode lets you flag songs for Spotify Radio, Autoplay and some Mixes, and Spotify keeps 30% of the recording royalties from streams there. Here is the maths on when that pays, and why a listener lawsuit calling it payola went to private arbitration instead. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrystreamingspotifyroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/spotify-india-loud-and-clear-2026-regional-royalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/spotify-india-loud-and-clear-2026-regional-royalties Spotify's India Loud & Clear report says royalties generated by Indian artists rose 29% in 2025, led by Telugu (up more than 120%), with over 40% of that money coming from listeners abroad. At home, only about 14.4 million of India's 178 million audio streamers pay, so how much of the growth reaches regional independents depends on their deals and their publishing paperwork. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryindiaspotifyroyaltiesstreamingregional-music https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/kenya-mcsk-barred-collecting-royalties-kecobo-kamp https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/kenya-mcsk-barred-collecting-royalties-kecobo-kamp Kenya's High Court has barred the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) from collecting royalties while it appeals the regulator's refusal to license it, weeks after another society, KAMP, had its licence suspended, and days before the regulator dissolved KAMP's board. Collection now runs through one licensed society, and some of the money is frozen. A draft copyright bill would change how a suspension like this works. Thu, 27 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsindustryroyaltiescollective-managementkenyamcskkecobo https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/2027-release-checklist-guides-in-one-page https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/2027-release-checklist-guides-in-one-page We spent a month writing practical guides on releasing music, from registering a song to reading the statement that pays for it. This is the short version, in the order you will need it, with each step pointing back to the guide and the official page behind it. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowsrelease-planningmetadatamasteringspotifyapple-musicroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/reading-royalty-statement-line-by-line https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/reading-royalty-statement-line-by-line One stream can show up on three statements, from your distributor, your PRO and the MLC, because it earns money for the recording and twice over for the song. Here is how to read each statement line by line, using a clearly labelled mock statement, and how to spot the errors that cost independent artists money. Mon, 24 Aug 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowsroyaltiesdistributionpublishingmlcartist-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/royalty-map-pros-mlc-soundexchange-distributor https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/royalty-map-pros-mlc-soundexchange-distributor One stream on Spotify or one play on digital radio can owe money to four different bodies, and none of them pays you unless you have registered with it. Here is which organisation collects which royalty, plus a registration checklist for artists in India, the UK and the US. Thu, 20 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryroyaltiesartist-rightssongwriterscollecting-societies https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/tiktok-royalties-soundon-viral-sound-earn-little https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/tiktok-royalties-soundon-viral-sound-earn-little TikTok pays labels and distributors a share of a pool based on views, never a fixed rate per view, and the money passes through at least one middleman before it reaches you. Here is how the chain works, what SoundOn's current plans really keep, and the steps to make sure a trend is credited to you. Sat, 08 Aug 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowstiktoksoundonroyaltiesdistributionartist-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/indian-musicians-us-platforms-w8ben-15-percent-treaty https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/indian-musicians-us-platforms-w8ben-15-percent-treaty Without a W-8BEN, US payers can hold back 30% of your US royalties, and YouTube can take 24% of everything you earn worldwide. Here is how Indian artists claim the 15% treaty rate with a PAN, get that tax back as a credit in India, and when GST treats the income as an export. Wed, 05 Aug 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowstaxindiaroyaltiesyoutubegst https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/soundexchange-explained-digital-radio-royalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/soundexchange-explained-digital-radio-royalties SoundExchange collects US royalties when recordings play on non-interactive digital services such as SiriusXM, Pandora and iHeartRadio. Registration is free and open to artists outside the US, but unclaimed money expires after three years, and self-releasing artists who register only as performers leave the larger share behind. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrysoundexchangeroyaltiesartist-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/mlc-unclaimed-mechanicals-market-share-2027 https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/mlc-unclaimed-mechanicals-market-share-2027 The Mechanical Licensing Collective plans to start paying out unmatched and unclaimed US streaming mechanicals by market share in 2027, beginning with January 2021 usage. Money that nobody has claimed by then goes to whoever already earns the most. Here is how to register, match and claim before it does. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsmlcsongwritersroyaltiesmechanicals https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/apple-music-dolby-atmos-spatial-bonus-worth-it https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/apple-music-dolby-atmos-spatial-bonus-worth-it Apple Music weights plays of tracks available in Spatial Audio at 1.1 against 1 for everything else, whether or not anyone listens in spatial. The catch is that you can't fake the mix, and the maths only works for tracks with a lot of Apple plays. Sun, 02 Aug 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowsapple-musicdolby-atmosspatial-audioroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/05/tencent-music-qq-music-ai-songs-royalty-model https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/05/tencent-music-qq-music-ai-songs-royalty-model Tencent Music says more than 10 million people use its AI music production platform, and its tools can publish a generated song to QQ Music in one click. On its Q4 call it said songs made wholly by AI get a different royalty-sharing model, while AI-assisted songs sung by humans stay on the traditional one. We haven't seen a big Western streaming service draw that line in public. Tue, 12 May 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers aitencent-musicqq-musicroyaltieschinastreaming https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/05/brazil-mexico-spotify-royalties-2025-loud-and-clear https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/05/brazil-mexico-spotify-royalties-2025-loud-and-clear Spotify says Brazilian artists generated about R$2bn on the service in 2025 and Mexican artists about MX$8.2bn. Both numbers are real growth, but they measure money paid to rights holders, not to artists, and Mexico's headline "more than half from abroad" is close to Spotify's own global average. Mon, 11 May 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryspotifyroyaltiesartist-rightsstreamingbrazilmexicolatin-america https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/04/indonesia-lmkn-royalty-distribution-2026-live-streams https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/04/indonesia-lmkn-royalty-distribution-2026-live-streams Indonesia's national royalty body, LMKN, has issued 2026 distribution rules that pay first on reported usage data and give a capped fallback allocation to members whose songs never show up in the logs. The same body says music in TikTok and YouTube live streams can owe royalties. For songwriters, getting your songs into the data now decides more of what you're paid. Tue, 21 Apr 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryartist-rightsroyaltieslive-streamingcollective-managementindonesialmknasean https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/04/splice-variations-pay-per-source https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/04/splice-variations-pay-per-source Splice launched Variations and Craft, with Magic Fit to follow, and says the original sample creator is paid each time their sound is used as a source and each time a variation is downloaded. It is one of the clearer consent-and-pay designs in music AI, but Splice hasn't said what a use is worth, and producers carry the release risk. Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers aisplicesamplesroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/03/deezer-artist-centric-model-fy25-who-gains https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/03/deezer-artist-centric-model-fy25-who-gains Deezer reported €8.5 million of net income for 2025, which it calls its first positive net income, and credits its artist-centric payment model among its strengths. The model weights streams by who the artist is and how the fan found the track. We explain the rules, who gains and who loses, and why the profit says little about whether artists are better off. Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrydeezerroyaltiesstreamingartist-centric https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/03/ifpi-2026-global-music-map-regional-growth https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/03/ifpi-2026-global-music-map-regional-growth IFPI says recorded music revenue grew 6.4% to US$31.7bn in 2025, with growth in every region and Latin America fastest at 17.1%. The percentages point to the Global South, but the dollars still mostly come from the US, Canada and Europe, and the fast-growing regions grew more slowly than a year earlier. Here is how an independent artist should read the map. Wed, 18 Mar 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryifpistreamingindependent-artistslatin-americaafricamenaroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/03/nigeria-spotify-60-billion-naira-per-stream-gap https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/03/nigeria-spotify-60-billion-naira-per-stream-gap Spotify says Nigerian artists generated more than ₦60bn on its service in 2025 from 30.3 billion streams. The total is real, but roughly ₦2 a stream and a Premium price near $1 a month suggest much of that money comes from listeners abroad. Spotify's plan is to sign up more payers, not raise prices. Mon, 16 Mar 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrystreamingnigeriaroyaltiesspotify https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/03/tiktok-apple-music-play-full-song https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/03/tiktok-apple-music-play-full-song TikTok and Apple Music launched Play Full Song on 11 Mar 2026, letting Apple Music subscribers hear a whole track inside TikTok through Apple's MusicKit, so the play is paid as an Apple Music stream. The 15-second clip in the feed still isn't a stream, the feature is exclusive to Apple, and Spotify listeners still only get a save button. Wed, 11 Mar 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrystreamingtiktokapple-musicroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/01/musical-ai-4-5m-attribution-trace-songs-ai-output https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/01/musical-ai-4-5m-attribution-trace-songs-ai-output Musical AI, formerly Somms.ai, raised $4.5 million in a round led by Heavybit to scale software that estimates how much each licensed source contributed to a generated track. It is the plumbing per-output royalties depend on, and the research says it estimates influence rather than proves it. Tue, 13 Jan 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musicfundingattributionlicensingroyalties