YOUR MUSIC YOUR BUSINESS
There comes a point in the career of every independent musical artist when it becomes clear that making music and running a business are two different things.
Writing, recording, performing, and connecting with an audience are the creative side of the music business. Copyrights, contracts, registrations, distribution, royalty collection, accounting, taxes, and promotion are the business side. Both are essential. One creates the music; the other protects it, manages the rights associated with it, and helps turn it into an income-producing asset.
Whether you realize it or not, if you are creating and releasing music, you are operating a business built around intellectual property.
What follows is a playbook, not a textbook. It's written for the independent artist—the songwriter, and performer who doesn't have a record label, manager, or legal department working behind the scenes. You don't need a business degree or years of industry experience to benefit from this book. You do need a willingness to learn and a commitment to taking control of the business surrounding your music.
Each chapter moves from understanding to action. You'll learn what the two copyrights associated with a song are and why they matter. You'll learn how to establish an appropriate business structure, open the right accounts, and keep your music income and expenses organized and separate. You'll learn who collects royalties on your behalf and how to make sure the organizations responsible for collecting them have the information they need. You'll learn what to do when things go wrong, because things do go wrong. And you'll learn how to build a system that works year after year without requiring you to become a full-time administrator.
There are no guarantees of success. No business structure, registration, or administrative system can create a music career by itself. What this book can do is help you avoid costly mistakes that can cause you to lose money, miss opportunities, and surrender control of valuable assets.
Think of this playbook as both a roadmap and a reference guide. Read it from beginning to end to understand how the pieces fit together. Then return to individual chapters whenever you need guidance. Most importantly, put what you learn into practice.
When you understand the business of music, you gain something every independent artist needs: control. You know what you own, where your money comes from, and who is responsible for collecting it.
Talent creates the opportunity. Knowledge protects it. Business structure helps turn that opportunity into a sustainable career.
That’s what this book is designed to help you build.
