Songtrust is proud to attend and network with music business professionals and songwriters at events around the globe. This month our team headed to Singapore for Music Matters, a festival and conference with the vision of being a gateway for emerging, dynamic, local and international artists looking to break into Asia, and perform to new fans. Our mission was to learn more about the Pan-Asian music community, spread the word about Songtrust, and network with music industry professionals - as well as take a few face-to-face meetings and speaking on panels. 

CHRIS "KATO ON THE TRACK" JU is a Record Producer/Entrepreneur based out of Atlanta, GA. Kato was formerly signed to independent label, Funk Volume, and has Produced for Artists like Jarren Benton, B.o.B, Wu-Tang, Hopsin, Tory Lanez, Joyner Lucas, Dizzy Wright, Trouble, K Camp, Futuristic, Token and many more. He’s also the co-founder of an online music education and networking platform called Music Entrepreneur Club.

Since joining Songtrust in December of last year, I’ve been on a lot of planes. Visiting Austin, London, Tallinn, Toronto, Nashville, Los Angeles, Cannes, Sydney, Adelaide, Singapore – and our team has been in even more places than that. Going out into the world and sharing our collective vision on how we can help songwriters and other rights holders collect the money they’re earning from the global music landscape is something I truly believe in and am excited to work on every day. I’ve also learned a tremendous amount and would like to share my experiences with my fellow songwriters.

The way the US government views the the definition differs from the way the music industry has evolved to view and make deals in regard to the writing splits of songs.

Many genres of popular music boast to have “changed the landscape.” Some of them even make a strong case for the claim. But of all the musical styles to have arisen in the past few decades, it’s arguable that none has had as deep an impact as hip hop. And though it’s unquestionably an expression of the African-American experience, it’s found resonance in every corner of the globe and on every continent. (Yes, including Antarctica.)   

A FLORIDIAN AT HEART, Lisa Hauptman moved to New York City after graduating from Florida State University with one goal - to be in the music industry. After a brief stint at a magazine publishing company, she was offered an opportunity to be the first employee at an entertainment law firm founded by Fred Davis. Sixteen years later, that same law firm had three offices in the US and over 45 employees. That opportunity was what started her career in Human Resources. As the Global Head of People at Downtown and Songtrust, Lisa oversees the global expansion of Downtown’s brand and is responsible for attracting, developing and retaining the best talent. 
 

Determining how to split songwriting credit is already a tricky business. Do you distribute credit equally among all members of a band, even if the lead singer wrote the main musical riff and the rest of the band only added simple accompaniment? What percentage does a guest artist who contributes a rap to an otherwise completed pop song receive? Things get even more complex when it's time to figure out the split for another key player in the creative process – the producer (or producers, as the case may be).

All industries, whether it’s for marketing, business, or music, have meetups and conferences for those in the industry to meet, learn, exchange ideas and network amongst themselves. For many songwriters, writing, recording and playing music can sometimes be an isolating experience. Attending festivals and conferences can give you an opportunity to meet other musicians and music industry professionals to talk about your work and their work.

When you're on the road, it may not be so easy to grab a notepad and a pen to scribble down a song lyric, or find a piano to nail down the perfect chord. Maybe you have a service like Songtrust to send your playlists to PROs across the world, but you don't have an app to help with your daily budget. Never fear – here are just a few apps that can make life on the road (or just stuck driving between gigs) a little easier.