Throughout November and December, we held a webinar series revolving around The World of Music Publishing Royalties. Over the course of five sessions, hosted by Songtrust's own Noelle Gambuti and Elizabeth McBride, Publishing Specialists, and various special guests, we dove into the major themes of music publishing royalties. We covered topics from the types of royalties your song can earn you to specialized royalties like YouTube and streaming royalties. The turnout was tremendous and those that attended asked a lot of excellent questions.

Soundcloud has become a critical tool for any songwriter or musician who wants to reach an audience of potential fans – but it isn’t as easy to do as simply pushing a button. As the largest online music community, Soundcloud affords an independent music maker a significant platform, but one that’s crowded with thousands and thousands of other artists, too. Here are some important steps to keep in mind when using Soundcloud to make sure your work stands out and finds the receptive audience you want.

As a songwriter, retirement isn’t exactly at the forefront of your mind - finishing your song, setting up that next gig, and getting new equipment is more likely. However, retirement is ultimately still a top financial goal that you should be working toward.

While it may be the furthest goal out, any good financial plan starts with calculating how much money you’ll need to live on during your retirement years (aka your golden years), putting a strategy in place to get there, and then addressing your shorter-term needs, like upgrading your equipment or booking studio space. Many financial professionals believe you’ll need approximately 80 percent of your peak pre-retirement income to maintain your current lifestyle in retirement - seems like a lot right?

Professional songwriters can generate many different sources of income from their songs in the same way an author creates additional income turning a novel into a movie, TV series or graphic novel. It doesn’t matter whether your song has gathered a million plays or just a handful of listens, you can still put your compositions to work for you to generate more revenue. All it takes is a little creativity and a sense of adventure. Here are a few ways your song can also make you money:

For many songwriters and musicians, the idea of signing a publishing deal is so exciting the only question they think to ask is, "Where do I sign?" However, it's worth it to take a deep breath and ask some questions that can ultimately have an impact on royalties, sync deals, and your entire career. Here are just a few questions you should consider asking your potential publisher before signing a deal:

Most songwriters know that having great songs and a great sound is only the first step to making music a full-time career. The next step is to assemble a team of professionals to distribute your music and make sure you collect all your royalties. Even songwriters with a distribution deal in place should understand what a publisher does and how they can help you succeed. Working with both is the best way to make sure you effectively manage the business side of your career and collect all the money you earn. Below are the major differences between what a publisher will do for you and what a distributor will do - make sure to know the difference.

The act of creating music is a reward unto itself – but even the most evolved songwriters need to eat. While it can be a thrill to hear your music on Spotify or YouTube, it can be even more exciting to be compensated for your work every time someone listens to it. But reaping those rewards can seem like a daunting task to a songwriter – especially one who doesn't know the complex path to compensation. Here are the reasons every songwriter should have publishing.

Though they may not grab the same headlines that SCOTUS, the 2018 midterms and #MeToo so rightly do, there have been massive and historic changes in the music business this year. Three separate but related pieces of legislation—the Music Modernization Act here in the United States plus significant copyright reforms both in the US and the EU—are poised to alter the financial landscape for the better for artists, songwriters and publishers. After many long, lean and frustrating years for many in the music business, a sensible and up-to-date framework for managing the complicated business of music rights is finally coming into view.

FOUNDED IN 2004, HeadCount is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to voter registration and voter engagement. Working with a small core staff and a national network of volunteers, they hold voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives at music festivals, concerts, and cultural events nationwide.

Their work focuses on advancing participation in the democratic process by going directly to new and young voters to educate them on upcoming deadlines and elections, as well as registering them if they are not currently on the voter rolls in their states. HeadCount has registered more than 500,000 individuals to vote through their work at live music events and cultural gatherings. Additionally, HeadCount is partnered with March For Our Lives, having served as the lead voter registration organizer for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students’ nationwide bus tour. This summer, HeadCount also organized voter registration efforts on summer concert tours including Jay-Z and Beyonce; Macklemore and Kesha; Dave Matthews Band; the Vans Warped Tour; and many other musical artists.

They are now focused on get-out-the-vote initiatives, as many states have already begun their early voting periods for the 2018 midterm elections.