how to sell your music without a lawyer

One way is, for example, to create your own website and sell music through there, but there are other options like selling your songs through Soundcloud (with the extension DIY Music) or specialist sites like Bandcamp and Vibedeck.

Full Answer

How can I Sell my Music Online?

Another option to sell your music online is to use a self-managed platform. Self-managed platforms forgo the middle-person and let you upload music to sell directly to your fans. While they still take a commission, ultimately, you’ll have more control by being able to set your prices. Splice is a popular artist-to-artist platform.

Can I sell physical copies of my music?

For instance, you can sell physical copies of your music on CDs or vinyl at concerts, but you'll need digital versions if you want to sell your music online and through electronic stores. [1] Professional Musician Expert Interview. 17 September 2019.

How to sell your music without royalties?

Then royalty-free music and sound effects can be your spot. And in this case, although it is also possible to sell through our own website, the best strategy will always be to sell through the already-popular marketplaces. Although losing a percentage of our sales, they give us access to all our potential customers.

Can I get music lawyer advice?

Please note that specific case advice cannot be given, and if you have questions pertaining to an issue you are personally experiencing, you should seek a consultation with a music attorney. Erin M. Jacobson is a practicing music attorney, experienced deal negotiator, and seasoned advisor of intellectual property rights.

How do I sell my music legally?

How To Legally Sell Cover SongsYou need to obtain a license to sell an distribute the song. The license you need (in the US at least) is called a mechanical license.You need to pay the original song owner royalties on each song distributed in any way.

How do I sell my homemade music?

One way is, for example, to create your own website and sell music through there, but there are other options like selling your songs through Soundcloud (with the extension DIY Music) or specialist sites like Bandcamp and Vibedeck.

Do I need to copyright my music to sell it?

The law in 1978 granted each musician/artist the rights to their own music upon its creation. In other words, it's automatic. You don't have to file for copyright. As I wrote in this article, each artist has the rights to the music they've created.

How do independent artists sell their music?

4:0723:24How To Sell Music Online And Make Money As An Independent ArtistYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo your first goal is to get as many people as possible to know who you are now people that are atMoreSo your first goal is to get as many people as possible to know who you are now people that are at this stage. Once they know who you are that's fantastic.

How do I release my own music?

This should take less than an hour per album of music.Register each song at copyright.gov using the PA form. ... Register each sound recording at copyright.gov using the SR form. ... Register the song as a publisher at the composition PRO. ... Register the song as a songwriter at the composition PRO.More items...•

How do I get paid for my music?

Let's go over the most common revenue streams artists use to monetize their music.Earn streaming royalties through digital distribution. ... Make money playing gigs. ... Sell band merchandise online. ... Collaborate with brands and other musicians. ... Sell beats and samples. ... Teach music classes or sell lessons.

How do I protect my music?

Your song's music and lyrics are protected by copyright as soon as you record them, even if it's just a rough recording on your cell phone. But to get the full benefit of copyright protection, including the right to sue people for infringing your copyright, you must register it with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Is my music automatically copyrighted?

To gain the protections of Copyright Law, you need to copyright your music. Luckily, this is really easy to do! In fact, music is automatically copyrighted the moment you create it in a tangible medium; like on paper or on an audio recording. That's right!

Should I copyright my music before putting it on Spotify?

You do not need to copyright your music because any original work is automatically protected by copyright when it is created.

How much can you sell a song for?

Right now, the rate is 9.1 cents per song. This is the total mechanical royalty set by the Copyright Royalty Board, and is split among co-writers and publishers.

How can I publish my song for free?

1:325:13How To Publish Your Music On All Major Distribution Platforms (Spotify ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd this one is completely free to you nin vidcom is a website that allows you to publish. And sellMoreAnd this one is completely free to you nin vidcom is a website that allows you to publish. And sell or even give away your music.

How do unsigned artists make money?

How Unsigned Musicians Can Make Money from MusicLive Performance. If you are going to play live, be sure to join a royalty collection agency such as PRS or IMRO. ... Session Work. You could try contacting recording studios to try and secure work as a session musician. ... Teaching. ... Music Licensing.

How do you get paid for your music?

Well outside of playing shows or playing backup in a studio, you can send it to a streaming platform. They typically take a cut of whatever gets so...

What's the easiest way to get on every platform at once?

There are third-party companies that do this. SoundDrop is the big one, I think. They take a cut of whatever you make, but they'll bundle everythin...

How can I promote my music in 2020?

Social media is your best friend. Make an account for your band or stage name on every major platform and just start posting. The more you can get...

Who is the founder of Legis Music?

Pablo Olóndriz founded Legis Music in 2016 and, since then, has been working non-stop on the online Royalty-Free industry, managing to build a great source of information for people who need amazing background music for their projects and videos.

Is music created for advertising?

Who knows. The fact is that your music is not created for advertising projects or companies but for people from the street.

Tips

You may want to look at startup capital. It's likely that in the beginning, you'll need some way to fund your music business. Without a conventional contract from a record label, beginning musicians have to pay for all of their costs out of their own pockets. Think about getting access to business loans related to your music venture.

About This Article

This article was co-authored by Nicolas Adams. Nicolas Adams is a 5th generation musician of Serbian Gypsy descent and the lead guitarist of the band Gypsy Tribe. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Nicolas specializes in Rumba Flamenco and Gypsy jazz and playing the guitar, Bouzouki, Balalaika, and piano.

What does it mean to sell music online?

digital download), selling music online means you forgo the cost of keeping physical inventory on hand.

How to sell music on Splice?

To sell music on Splice, you need to submit a form request and get approval before selling your music. Image via Splice. Or you can use Bandcamp, another platform for artists to upload their music.

How much does SoundCloud Premier cost?

Monetize through SoundCloud’s monetization program (known as SoundCloud Premier) At the moment, SoundCloud Premier is only available for the Repost or the Pro Unlimited Account, which costs $2.50/month and $12/month, respectively. SoundCloud’s plans.

How to create a music product on Convertkit?

First, you will need to sign up for a free ConvertKit account. Once your account is up and running, log in and head into the Products tab and click Create a product: Click “Create a product”. Here’s where you’ll name your product (in this case, your music), set a price, and upload it. Fill out your product information.

How much money will digital music make in 2025?

Revenue from digital music in 2019 was $16,337 million and is forecasted to grow to $22,768 million by 2025. With digital music sales growing, it’s clear that fans want to buy music online from their favorite artists. And if you don’t offer your fans a way to access your music digitally, they might turn to other artists and you’ll miss out on sales.

Is SoundCloud a free music sharing service?

SoundCloud is both a distribution and music sharing platform. With a free plan, you can upload your music and share it with your fans from your SoundCloud account . Beyond that, the free plan is fairly limited for artists who want to earn an income through their music.

Do you need a full band to sell music?

All styles of music are up for sale there, and many of the tracks are created using a combination of electronic equipment and traditional instruments, so you don't necessarily need a full band to succeed. LuckStock decides how much you get paid for each track based on length, complexity, and a few other factors.

Is the professional landscape changing for musicians?

The professional landscape is really changing for musicians. Thanks to the open online marketplace, churning out tunes is rapidly becoming a much more viable way to make a great living.

How to sell your music?

Use every performance as an opportunity to sell songs - either by reminding your audience that you have physical CDs for sale or by directing them to a personal webpage, etc. Don't shrink from selling your music.

What should music make you feel?

Your songs should make you, as a performer, feel strong emotions - if you find yourself bored by your music, don't be afraid to start from scratch. Music is just as much a craft as it is an art - it's something to be honed and perfected with plenty of practice.

Can you write a song that doesn't rhyme?

However, if you don't want to write a song that rhymes, don't worry! There's no rule that says a song that doesn't rhyme can't also be catchy.

Do songs have rhymes?

In general, most popular songs have lyrics that rhyme. However, your song doesn' t require a rhyme scheme to be catchy. If you choose to write a song that doesn't rhyme, you can still make it catchy in other ways! Read on for another quiz question.

Can you write a song with instrumentals?

Again, there's no right way to write a song, but you may find it easiest to figure out your instrumental parts before tackling your vocal melody - this way, you'll be able to fit your vocals to a solid instrumental backing, rather than custom-composing instrumental parts to fit your vocal melody.

Is there a right way to write lyrics?

Though popular music can sometimes seem cookie-cutter (especially lyrically) in fact, there is no single "right" way to write song lyrics. Great song lyrics have been penned from an incredibly wide variety of personal viewpoints that run the entire gamut of human experience. Some songs are cheerful, others are furious.

Can a visionary musician go unnoticed?

Even the most visionary musicians may go unnoticed if they're not able to "get their music out there". Adding to songwriters' difficulties is the fact that today’s songwriting environment is a highly creative, competitive, and over-saturated one.

How much does it cost to copyright music?

government’s copyright website (or via whichever country you’re in) and register with a $35 fee (for U.S.). In truth, copyrighting your music is more of an insurance measure than anything.

What is a PRO in music?

In the U.S. the two PRO mainstays (often referred to as the Coke and Pepsi of PROs), are B MI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) and ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers).

Do I need to publish my own music?

This way you don’t need to publish your own music and you’ll still be compensated fairly for any sale or performance of your copyrighted property. Companies like TuneCore and CD Baby are considered publishing administrators. CD Baby Pro, for instance, collects 15% of any royalties they claim for you.

Do I get royalties for my song?

As a writer, you’ll receive half the royalties for your song, while the publisher will receive the other half. In other words, if you are your own publisher, you’ll get all the royalties. Fees vary depending on the PRO and the status (writer or publisher).

Do independent artists have more opportunities than ever before?

Independent artists have more opportunities than ever before to launch their own career without the backing of the majors or a big budget. While we are seeing more and more unsigned artists breaking through off their own backs, many promising new artists out their simply don’t know where to start or how to maintain a successful promotional campaign.

Do it yourself PR?

Do-it-your self PR is an option for artists without a big enough budget. But it's important to approach blogger and journalist in the right way. Firstly, you’ll need to create an electronic press release. This should contain all the essential info about you & your music.

What to do if your music is not removed?

If the music is not removed, or if it shows back up on the same website, you should contact an intellectual property lawyer.

What happens when you write down your music?

As soon as you write down or record your music, you gain a “copyright” in the music. Copyright gives you many rights, including the right to reproduce the work, to distribute the work to the public, and to perform the music publicly. If anyone else wants to perform your music, they must get your permission. However, to fully protect your music, you ...

What is a musical composition?

A “musical composition” consists of music and any accompanying words. Usually, composers and lyricists register a copyright in musical compositions. A “sound recording” consists of a series of musical, spoken, or other sounds. Performers typically copyright sound recordings. You can register both.

What happens if someone posts your music on a website?

If you see that someone has posted your music on a website, then you will need to send the website owner a “takedown” notice. If the owner promptly removes the music, then they can’t be sued. Nevertheless, you must send a notice informing the owner that your music appears on their website.

Do you get copyright for playing a song over and over again?

Accordingly, you gain a copyright as soon as you write down the music or record it. You do not gain copyright protection by simply playing a song over and over again. It must be affixed in a tangible medium. ...

Can you use your music to take down a copyright?

In other words, the use of your music can’t be “fair use.”. You need to decide whether the use of your music is “fair use” before sending a takedown notice.

Is sampling fair use?

However, in some situations, the use might be fair use. For example, someone who samples a few seconds of a song to use in a non-profit, educational video, might actually have a fair use defense. If you are unsure whether the sampling is fair use, contact an attorney for advice.

What happens if you feel someone has infringed your music?

However, if you do feel someone has actually infringed your music, you will have to prove that you have a valid copyright and your work was sufficiently original to warrant the validity of that copyright. Next, you will have to show that the alleged infringer copied your work.

What is infringement in music?

Infringement is infringement. If you have looked at the facts and can truly show that someone has either directly copied your song or has had access to your song, and their song is very similar to yours, then you will need to contact an entertainment/copyright litigator to discuss the potential merits of your case.

Can two independent musicians create copyrightable music?

For example, two independent musicians on opposite sides of the country could create original and copyrightable songs that sound very similar to each other, without knowing each other or ever hearing each other’s music. After all, there are only so many notes and chords that can be played. However, if you do feel someone has actually infringed your ...

Can you prove direct copying?

When direct copying cannot be proven, courts will often infer that copying occurred if it is shown that the accused infringer had access to the allegedly infringed composition. This can be proven by showing that someone had direct access to your work, such as if you gave a copy of the song directly to the alleged infringer, or gave it to someone who had access to that person, like a producer or label executive.