Making Music Make Money - 2nd Edition: An Insider's Guide to Becoming Your Own Music Publisher by Eric Beall

by Eric Beall

Overview

(Berklee Press). Top songwriters know that to make it in today's music business, you need to understand music publishing. Whether you are an independent songwriter or a music business entrepreneur, this book will help you set up a publishing company so that you can generate income from your songs. You will understand how the current music industry works: who is buying, what they are looking for, how to find your audience, and how to create the mechanisms necessary for you to get paid. Essential sample agreements and language are presented and discussed. "I recommend this book to both novices and professionals that want to expand the way they market their music. Eric presents so many resources that the reader sees that with talent and determination, there is always a way." Steve Diamond, Emmy award winner and six-time GRAMMY award-nominated songwriter, whose hits have been recorded by Faith Hill, Eric Clapton, and John Michael Montgomery

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780876392102
Publisher:	Hal Leonard Corporation
Publication date:	01/01/2022
Edition description:	2nd Revised ed.
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.72(d)

About the Author

Eric Beall is a music industry veteran, having held senior A&R jobs at some of the world's biggest music publishers, and has brought in a long list of hits by top-tier artists and songwriters. He is himself a Billboard-charting songwriter and record producer. Eric teaches at Berklee Online, the continuing education division of Berklee College of Music.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Part I Start Me Up: Getting Into the Game 1

1 What Is Music Publishing, Anyway? 2

The Creation 6

Exploitation 7

Administration 8

Collection 9

Protection 11

Acquisition 11

Pennies from Heaven 13

2 Wait! This Doesn't Sound Like My Music Business…. 15

Independents' Day 16

The Beat Market 19

Music Production Libraries 20

All the Music in the World at the Touch of a Button. Who's Paying? 21

The Music Modernization Act: Reimagining the Music Business 24

3 Start With the Song 27

Do You Own the Songs? 27

Are These Songs Any Good? 31

Can You Find the Songs? 34

4 The "F" Word: Focus 37

Three Things That Focus Will Do 39

What to Do If You Won't or Can't Focus 43

5 The Business Plan: Do You Know Where You're Going To? 47

Goals: Before You Start Shooting, Aim 48

Strategy; Can't Get There from Here 51

Connecting the Dots: From Your Music to the Market 54

What to Do If Your Plan Doesn't Work 54

6 Setting Up Shop 59

Structure: What Am I? 59

Location: Where Do I Belong? 62

Information: Where Is the Loop, and How Do I Get in It? 63

Humble Beginnings: Start Small, Grow Big 68

7 Setting Up Systems: It's All About the Paper 71

Managing the Administration 74

Managing the Music 78

Managing the Metadata 79

8 Financial Accounting: Show Me the Money! 82

The Income Distribution Game 83

Managing the Money 89

9 Finding Your People: The A Team 93

The Lawyer 93

The Trade Association 97

The Performing Rights Organization 98

Interns 100

Part II Exploitation: The Real Work of Publishing 103

10 Mapping the Musical Landscape: Where Opportunity Lies 104

Make Stuff Happen 104

Live Performance 108

11 Understanding the Musk Marketplace 113

Pop 113

Hip-Hop/R&B 116

Country 117

Rock 120

Other Genres 122

12 The Creative Director: "Say My Name" 126

Getting the Music Right 127

13 The Art of Collaboration: We'd Be So Good Together 136

Finding Collaborators 137

Matchmaker, Matchmaker … 141

The Rules of Collaboration 147

14 Understanding the Ancient Art of Song Plugging 148

The Facts of Life as a Creative Director 148

Who's Looking? 149

Word of Mouth 152

Who Is the Song Right For? 153

Who's Listening? 155

15 Making the Sales Call: "And Here Comes the Pitch …" 159

Step 1: The Approach 160

Step 2: The Pitch 163

Step 3: The Follow-Through 166

16 The Song Plugging Master Class: Smooth Operator 168

Relationship Selling 168

Concern for Others 170

Be Aggressive 171

Minding Your Office Etiquette 173

17 The Song Plugger's Glossary 175

The Song Plugger's Glossary 175

18 Moving the Writer Up: The Climb 184

Everybody Make Some Noise! 185

Planning the Attack: Timing Is Everything 191

Part III Taking Care of Business 195

19 Fun with Administration and Licensing 196

Knowing What You Have 197

Knowing Your Limits 198

20 Licensing Your Music: You Get When You Give 201

Mechanical Licenses 201

Performing Rights 204

Synchronization Rights 205

Foreign Rights 208

Commercial Advertising 209

Other Uses 210

21 The Collection Crew: What Friends Are For 212

ASCAP/BMI/SESAC and GMR 212

Harry Fox Agency and Music Reports: The Mechanical Breakdown 216

A Thoroughly Modern Solution 218

22 Partnering with Your Publishing Pals: The Tag Team 221

Foreign Sub-Publishers: My Money Lies over the Ocean … 222

By Territory vs. Ex-U.S.: One for All and All for One 224

One Size Fits All 225

The New Breed of Administrators 225

The Rules of Collaboration Part II 227

23 Protecting Your Copyrights: Can't Touch This 229

Understanding the Threat 229

Split Disputes: Beware the Frenemies 230

Split Adjustments: "Change a Word, Get a Third" 231

Unauthorized Use: The Silent Killer 233

Copyright Infringement: There Goes My Baby 238

Registering Your Claim for Copyright 239

24 Acquisition: The Final Frontier 242

The Single-Song Deal: Betting on the Sure Thing 244

The Not-So-Sure Thing: The Writer Deal 246

The Details: Where the Devil Lives 250

The Character Test 254

Conclusion: The End of the Road 256

Appendices 261

A Split Sheet 261

B Song Submittal Form 262

C Sync License 263

D Mechanical License Agreement 267

E Work for Hire Agreement 270

Index 272

About the Author 284