by Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan
September 30, 2009
Practical advice to earn you twice the royalties you think you’re owed
No musician can afford to miss out on a potential source of income. So if you’re a songwriter, and not a member of a Performance Rights Organizations (PRO) like ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or SOCAN (Canada), you could be leaving money on the table. It’s not difficult to join one of these organizations, and as an independent, there are ways to enroll that allow you to maximize your royalties and double what you might think you’re eligible for.
Unfortunately, to understand PROs and what they can do for you, it’s important to understand how copyright works for music. So even though “brief” and “copyright” should probably never go into the same sentence, an overview to explain why PROs exist, how they pay songwriters, and how they are different from other organizations that collect money for musicians (like Harry Fox) is necessary. Read more…
by Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan
July 22, 2009
A checklist to help you plan your next album and win fans worldwide.
If you’re sitting down to tackle making an album, there’s a lot to think about; from clearing the rights for your cover songs, to converting the cover art to the right format. These issues can trip you up, or cause the album to take a lot longer than you planned. Some musicians get so lost in handling the technical production of the album that they forget generating publicity and buzz about a new release. Read more…
While most bands would like to have a marketing plan and budget that would allow them to promote their latest album on TV, radio, and billboards, it’s more likely you have just enough to print up posters for your next gig. And yet, indie musicians can get the kind of attention that can build a real fan base and help make a career in music with the right songs and the right marketing strategies and promotional approach. Read more and download your FREE guide.
Although most bands would like to have the kind of budget to promote their latest album on TV, radio, and billboards, they are more likely to have just enough to print up posters for the next gig. 
