The music industry is full of acronyms - ASCAP, BMI, IP and DSP are just a few. As a songwriter, you probably know about PROs (performance rights organizations) like ASCAP and BMI, but you may not know the terms ISRC or ISWC, or even what they mean – and that these two acronyms can have a major impact on collecting your royalties.  

Like any new entrepreneur, songwriters may experience cash flow problems and look for additional financing to keep the lights on. However, unlike businesses that have inventory to put up as collateral, songwriters have only their intellectual property and the royalties that property can earn. This limits the options from traditional banking sources and requires songwriters to seek out alternative funding that’s available as an advance against royalties or from selling some rights in exchange for quick cash.

 Last month we held our first-ever webinar - Songwriters: Setting Yourself Up For Success - for new songwriters and those songwriters looking to refine their process. Hosted by Songtrust's own Elizabeth McBride, Publishing Specialist, and Adam Schwartz, Client Success Manager, we covered topics from the creative process and how to get yourself organized, to understanding publishing, PROs, and royalties. The turnout was tremendous and we were asked a lot of excellent questions from the community that tuned in.

Hitting the road in support of your latest songs can be an exciting experience. Even so, it's important to remember that touring isn't just a chance to travel and meet your fans, but also a chance to bring in income. Taking care of business before you leave home can be the difference between making money and returning with little or nothing to show for all your hard work. Every experience is different, we get that, so here are just a few things to keep in mind when you’re preparing to go on tour:  

 We're excited to announce we now enable over 150,000 songwriters collect their publishing royalties worldwide!

Thanks to the internet, streaming has become one of the primary ways people listen to music, whether on their smartphones, at home, on their computers, or elsewhere – but that doesn't mean it's been easy for songwriters to sort out the process of getting paid for all that exposure. Royalty rates are set at a variety of different percentages, usually based on the digital service’s gross revenue for a period of time, and even industry pros and publishing execs who have been in the industry for decades can find themselves confused.

BASED IN Dallas, TX, Brigitte Mena is a singer-songwriter, that, over the years, has been involved in several music projects including folk pop duo, TBA, and former Dallas indie rock band, Oakheart. She’s known for her powerhouse voice and writing lyrics with a raw and pure nature. Most recently, she released her debut solo album, “Maslow” and has plans to tour locally. In addition to songwriting and performing, Brigitte enjoys learning about the business side of music and collaborating with other artists.                        

A Nashville music publisher says she hears the words “I want a publishing deal” more often than “Let’s grab some coffee.” A traditional music publishing deal might seem glamorous to new songwriters, but when do you really need one and do you need one to manage the business side of your career? The answer might actually be no, or at least not straight away. In fact, many top music publishers say they’d rather work with writers who already understand how the business works, and their favorite clients bring them industry knowledge and experience along with great songs.

Songtrust works globally to collect songwriter's composition royalties from performing rights organizations and mechanical rights societies.

Performing Rights Organizations (aka PROs) are an important part of any songwriter's career – even when a songwriter doesn't realize it. While PROs collect royalties for songwriters when their works are performed publicly, such as played on television and AM/FM airwaves, through internet radio services like Pandora, at a club, inside a restaurant, or at a concert, most organizations don't stop there. Many tackle other issues impacting their members, such as fighting music piracy and keeping up with changes to the industry that have resulted from the advent of digital music. They advocate for artists and writers in their countries or origin, too. We strongly believe that it’s important for songwriters to learn about the PROs in their territory and around the world. Here's a quick overview of just some of the biggest players in the industry: