Demystify Your royalties.

Demystifying Royalties: Getting Paid for Your Music

As an artist, you pour so much into your work. And while the creative part is what you love, it's also important to make sure you're getting paid for it. The world of music royalties can seem confusing, so we're here to help you figure it all out.

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The two ways to earn

Every song has two parts, and you can make money from both:

• The Recording: This is the master track—the actual sound file of your song. When you use a distribution service like Access, we collect the revenue from places like Spotify and Apple Music.

• The Composition (Publishing): This is the song itself—the lyrics and melody. Even after you get paid for the recording, there are still publishing royalties to collect.

A Quick Look at Royalty Types

Here's a breakdown of the different types of royalties you can get from your composition:

• Performance Royalties: These come from your music being played in public. Think live shows, radio, TV, and plays on streaming services.

• Mechanical Royalties: These are generated when your music is copied. This includes physical stuff like CDs and vinyl, as well as downloads and streams.

• Synchronization Royalties: You get these when your music is used with video, like in movies, TV shows, and commercials.

For most artists, you don't need to stress about collecting these right away. But if your song starts getting played on major radio stations or you're gigging a lot, you should look into signing up with a Performing Rights Organization (PRO). A PRO registers your songs and collects all those royalties for you, making sure you get every penny you've earned.