Songwriting

Songwriters Declare War On Their Own Publishers…

March 27, 2015

To the American Music Publishing Community, We are an international alliance of songwriter and composer organizations representing tens of thousands of music creators throughout the world, many of whom h... Read More...

Why Direct Licensing Deals Won’t Benefit Songwriters…

Steve Gordon

March 11, 2015

Steve Gordon is a top music industry attorney. In this open letter to Congress, he tries to explain why direct licensing with services like Pandora is actually detrimental to songwriters. Dear Senat... Read More...

A Famous Producer Asks Pandora, “Why Are You Paying Me So Little?”

Paul Resnikoff

March 9, 2015

...at the Code/Media conference last week, during a Q&A with Pandora co-founder Tim Westergren. Rodney Jerkins: Hey Tim, Rodney Jerkins here. I asked a similar question to Robert from YouTube this ... Read More...

Dear Spotify, Please Pay Us Fairly. Signed, 133 Swedish Songwriters…

Paul Resnikoff

February 17, 2015

An open letter from a newly-formed collective of 133 Swedish songwriters, first published (in Swedish) in Stockholm-based magazine, Aftonbladet. Over the past few months, the debate over streaming ... Read More...

Neon Indian: “Sampling Music Is Like Making Collage Art”

Nina Ulloa

September 30, 2014

From electronic musician Neon Indian's (aka Alan Palomo) recent TEDx Talk: "Auteurs in the Ether": ...There's a long line of appropriators like me: Negativland, De La Soul, J Dilla, Emergency Broadcast N... Read More...

Label Tells Band: “Stop Making Music. We Will Never Release You From Your Contract”

Ari Herstand

July 31, 2014

Lead singer and guitarist, Jari Mäenpää, of the Finnish, prog-metal band Wintersun took to his band's Facebook Page, with over 300,000 Likes, to explain why they can't create their next album, why crowd fun... Read More...

Songwriters Are One Step Closer To Higher Royalties

Ari Herstand

May 15, 2014

This past Tuesday at the intimate 90 seated Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Bob Corker (R-TN) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) announced the upcoming introduction of the Senate version of... Read More...

Dear Congress, Please Make Pandora Stop Screwing Us. Signed, Songwriters…

Paul Resnikoff

February 25, 2014

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Songwriters have a serious problem with Pandora. And that problem looks something like this: (photos: Digital Music News, from handout at a recent songwriter protest in Washington, DC) Songwriters un... Read More...

Hans Zimmer Wants You! …to Enter a Remix Competition On SoundCloud

Nina Ulloa

January 22, 2014

Remix competitions on SoundCloud are typically for young rising EDM producers. But this is a new twist... Hans Zimmer is holding a remix competition. The prize? A full-time job at Zimmer's Bleeding Fingers... Read More...

Dear New CEO of Pandora: Will You Please Stop Screwing Our Songwriters? Signed, NMPA…

Paul Resnikoff

September 12, 2013

Fresh start? Doubtful, but, the National Music Publishers' Association is being hopeful. Here's a letter they just mailed to Brian McAndrews, the newly-hired CEO of Pandora. (Somehow it landed in our inbox.)... Read More...

We’re the Cultural Commons Collecting Society, an Alternative to GEMA, PRS, and SACEM…

Paul Resnikoff

July 17, 2013

European collection societies are often notorious bulldogs, but they also seem to bite everyone. Groups like PRS for Music in the UK and GEMA in Germany often impose strict exclusivity clauses over artists, whi... Read More...

We’re CD Baby. And We Want to Fix the Songwriter Royalty Mess, Once and for All…

Paul Resnikoff

April 14, 2013

Please file under: 'Solutions'. The following comes from CD Baby president Brian Felsen, who has an ambitious plan to help independent songwriters get paid on all their global activity. Whenever music is u... Read More...

Burt Bacharach Dazzles at the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards in LA — Here’s Who Took Home Trophies

“My Whole Source of Income Just Disappeared” — How Two Musicians Are Dealing With Cancelled Concerts

What Does It Take to Succeed In Songwriting? Surprising Lessons from Two Successful Sync Writers

How a Movie Score Is Really Made — According to a Top Hollywood Director

Want to Get Your Music Heard? It Starts With the Winning Pitch

Want Your Music In a Major Gaming Series? Meet the Guys Who Create Their Soundtracks

Artist Branding Isn’t Selling Out Anymore — But What’s the New Balance?

'Bone Conduction' Headphones Don't Go Over Your Ears — But Still Transmit Sound to Your Inner Cochlea

Meet Lady A, the Black Blues Singer Whose Name Got Taken by Lady Antebellum — Our Latest Podcast

Spotify Probably Owes You More Money — Here’s How to Get It (Our Latest Podcast)

Meet the Artist Who Is Literally Saving His Fans’ Lives — Our Latest Podcast

How to Game the Billboard Charts (And Why You Shouldn’t) — Our Latest Podcast

Meet the Single Mom Cellist Who Makes a Living Off Her Music — Our Podcast Interview

How to Protect Yourself From the Copyright Trolls — Our Latest Podcast

Just Got My Spotify Mechanical Royalty Check In the Mail — $11.06 for 32,222 Plays

A Comprehensive Comparison of Performance Rights Organizations (PROs) In the US

In LA? Strike a Licensing Deal at Songtradr’s Synch Showcase

I’ll Pay You $5,000 to Write a Song — But It Has to Use These 7 Notes

The Easiest Way to Fix the Streaming Mechanical is to Get Rid of It

Songwriters Declare War On Their Own Publishers…

Why Direct Licensing Deals Won’t Benefit Songwriters…

A Famous Producer Asks Pandora, “Why Are You Paying Me So Little?”

Dear Spotify, Please Pay Us Fairly. Signed, 133 Swedish Songwriters…

Neon Indian: “Sampling Music Is Like Making Collage Art”

Label Tells Band: “Stop Making Music. We Will Never Release You From Your Contract”

Songwriters Are One Step Closer To Higher Royalties

Dear Congress, Please Make Pandora Stop Screwing Us. Signed, Songwriters…

Hans Zimmer Wants You! …to Enter a Remix Competition On SoundCloud

Dear New CEO of Pandora: Will You Please Stop Screwing Our Songwriters? Signed, NMPA…

We’re the Cultural Commons Collecting Society, an Alternative to GEMA, PRS, and SACEM…

We’re CD Baby. And We Want to Fix the Songwriter Royalty Mess, Once and for All…