[?] Subscribe To This Site

The Lucrative Music Licensing Market

music licensing
It was once erroneously thought that a band or a musical artist made money by selling their albums or now, their CDs. Add to the mix the money they must be making from all their concert tour dates and you would figure that is what makes them multi-millionaires. That’s just not true! It is in the music licensing business that the money is being made. If you are an emerging artist, take heed and keep the rights of your music for yourself.

How to License Your Own Music

Music licensing is when one, two or even three parties have ownership of a piece of music. Each time the song or score is played, used or recorded by another artist, whoever owns the licensing rights to the music makes the money. If your song is played in concert by another artist, the right to do so must be compensated with a monetary fee.

Direct Licensing

Direct licensing is the simplest form. All it involves is the person that is the end user of a piece such as game developer, film or television producer who communicates directly with the composer or artist that owns the musical piece in question. The terms of the deal are decided by the end user and the artist or composer with no middlemen involved. The biggest benefit to licensing your music direct is that you keep all the money. You are also able to present your musical catalogue in the way want and you will be the sole controller of each and every detail of how your music is used.

The biggest setback of this method is that you are restricted by your visibility or lack thereof. If you are not a big name artist that is well known in the music industry, it doesn’t matter how good your product is, no one wants to buy unknown music from an unknown.

Another downside to this method is that all legal and financial issues will need to be carried out by you as well. If you are not business or commercially oriented, rather you are a true artist by nature, then all the legal mumbo jumbo can get to be more than a little confusing. If a client doesn’t pay you, your financial resources are what will be used in order to chase down your payment.

Technology has thought of everything and now artists that want to license their own music their way can do so easily with tools for music licensing. There are not only books but also plenty of software that helps the emerging artist know how to keep track of who and what is using selections from their catalogue and how to figure out the financial aspects of the business.

Another way to handle the business end of the music licensing industry is to ask for help from someone in the know. You can also hire a financial consultant or decide that a business savvy partner is the best way for you to proceed.

There are many other methods and we have touched upon just one here. Look into the alternatives if you feel that taking on all that responsibility yourself is just too much trouble.  

More Songwriting Tips?

For more tips and juicy articles about songwriting, subscribe to my monthly songwriting-guide.com newsletter. This unique inbox offering is packed with information and 100% free. just sign up!

Return from Music Licensing to Music Business