It's a great feeling to hear your music on the radio. Whether internet radio or local radio people are listening and they are hearing your music. But to add to that great feeling, did you know that you are eligible for Royalty Payments when your music is played on the radio? Yes! Another way to make money with your music. But, before you go shaking down radio stations for money you're owed let me share much needed information with you and hopefully get you on the right path to receiving those payments if you aren't already. In previous blogs we already went over what it takes to receive a royalty check. If this is your first time learning about any of this please refer to You Own it So Claim it!!! and Can I Get Royalties? Radio airplay is considered a public performance. Public performances generate performance royalties for songwriters, which are collected by the PROs (ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC). In the US, terrestrial broadcasters (AM or FM stations) do not pay performers or sound recording copyright owners; they only pay the songwriters. (Songtrust) So in your case let's say you do write your own songs and you are the copyright holder. In that case you are eligible to receive royalties. Internet Radio Royalties: In today's time there are many streaming service. Spotify, Tidal, Pandora, Deezer, Jango Music and even Independent Radio Stations that play music all have different rules and guidelines about royalties. The bigger ones I named do pay out Royalties but they aren't all the same. How it Works: When you distribute your music to companies like Spotify, Tidal, Deezer or Pandora you music be registered with a PRO and you must have your publishing in order. These things will remain important before demanding any payment for your music. Also please take note that all companies do not pay out the same. You can be getting millions of streams and only be paid a small amount of money. Let's think about Pharrell. His song "Happy" was streamed over 47 million times on Pandora and he only received $2,700! It is also documented that on Pandora even if you get 1 million streams you will only receive $60 (Business Insider) You may have seen this graphic on Instagram floating around. Now I'm not endorsing either company or saying who you should distribute your music to. But here are the numbers for each company. If your audience is big enough I say go for it and sign up everywhere. If you're just getting started pick 1 it's easier to manage and promote 1 than all of the above. Back to what I was saying. The Radio Station pays performance fees to PRO's and if you wish to receive those royalties you must sign up. If you're signed up with BMI or ASCAP you will receive writer royalties only so you may also want to sign up for Soundexchange to get those Internet Royalties as well. There is also Songtrust that will cover all payments. Once you're signed up and you have received enough plays or streams you will get paid. Independent Radio: These days anyone can get an Independent Radio Station and there is nothing wrong with that however all Independent stations do not pay out royalties so it is up to you to decide if you still want to submit your music to those radio stations. I recommend you still do because it's great exposure. But always do your research by reading terms and conditions before submitting. Here are a few stations to submit to that do pay their Pro fees.
There you Go! Radio Play is another way to collect money for your music. As long as you promote your music and build a loyal fan base you should have no problem adding this as a source of income. I hope I was able to help today! It's what I'm here for #CymphaniSpeaks