Before I started at Songtrust, my knowledge of music publishing was very limited. In fact, the only real knowledge I had of the music industry was about music supervising and sync licensing, but the thought about “how do songwriters earn money off their songs?” had definitely crossed my mind more than a few times. I grew up, for the majority, in a small town north of Dallas, TX. Four out of five of all my friends were musicians or in a band, and I spent most of my high school evenings attending some obscure venue to watch my friends pour their heart and soul out on stage to a bunch of strangers.
I had this unique opportunity to be a part of the music community, even though my only talent was singing backup in the choir for ten years and one stint as a backup singer/dancer in a musical. The way songwriters and musicians support each other is really amazing, and something to be admired. In a business that can be so cutthroat, having those that are passionate about the same things as you are and willing to give feedback or collaborate was what drew me to that community in the first place.
Skip ahead ten years and I found myself in the role of Marketing Communications Manager at Songtrust, and the task of creating content and crafting a community for their clients and potential clients, along with learning the ins and outs of the music publishing world. It’s incredible the amount I’ve learned in my short seven months here, and I keep learning more each day. And let me tell you, music publishing isn’t the most natural thing to understand. But, my favorite part about Songtrust? The community we’re building.
With a facet of the music industry that can be so confusing, like music publishing, it only makes sense to create a safe place to voice your questions, to learn beyond the surface-level answers, and engage with other songwriters that have the same feelings, passions, and needs as you. Not many companies do that either - they’ll create a community around buying their products, but few engage in the afterthought of how you’ll continue to engage with this service you’re a part of as you yourself continue to grow.
That’s just one of our deeper missions here - to go beyond the “register” button and continue to provide valuable and actionable content for our clients to interact with. It’s something I’m so passionate about and am constantly finding myself iterating about with things I read, watch, or see on my commute to better our community. Whether it’s creating unique content around frequently asked questions or curating client-focused playlists, the entire team behind Songtrust is always pushing to have this amazing community with their clients, and songwriters, in general, can learn more about music publishing and help them make more informed decisions about their careers.
If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that this business can still be cutthroat, but the companies, like Songtrust, that look at every client as an important client, are the ones that will win out in the end. Without our clients, there would be no Songtrust, so why not give them the best - the best service, the best content, the best resources - and set ourselves apart from the rest.
Whether you’re already a client or thinking of becoming one, we want you to be a part of our community. You can do this by following us on all our social platforms (@songtrust) and by subscribing to our newsletter.
If you’re in need of publishing and want to make sure you’re not leaving any money on the table, register with Songtrust today!
