What you'll learn

Making a living as a musician through royalties, streaming, placements, selling beats, and more.

Music business concepts including copyright, royalties, licensing, producer agreements, distribution, and more

How to get started as an independent music artist

Getting paid all of the royalties you are owed, and how to collect them

How music streaming works, and how to get paid for people streaming your music

Getting signed with a music publisher

What to look for in a record contract, how to find one, and how not to get taken advantage of!

Requirements

No music background is required.

A desire to learn the music business inside and out

Description

When I started making music as a young guitarist, the world was a very different place. In order to stay on top of trends, business principals, and legal issues, I had to become an expert in the music business. Now I teach music business at a university - in fact I run the whole music business degree program - and I walk students through this stuff every day.In this course, you'll gain insider knowledge and strategies that go beyond what can be found in a simple Google search. Jason Allen, the creator of over 100 top-selling and highest rated classes, brings his expertise and real-world experience to guide you through the intricacies of the music business.This class has a ton of material. I've put my whole university semester into this class, so buckle up!Designed for those who want to make a living with music, this course covers essential topics such as copyright, trademark, performance royalties, licensing, merchandise, sync opportunities, and more. By the end of the course, you'll have a clear understanding of the necessary steps to ensure you're properly compensated for your work.This class contains:Copyright: The rules, the rights, and how to monetize your copyrights (that you already have)Collaboration: Who owns what when you are writing with bandmates, producers, collaborators, and other music makers.Publishing: The secret world of publishing, and why you need to care about it (Its easy!)Sync Licensing: Getting your music placed into films, TV, video games, and moreRecord Contracts: How they work, how to find them, and what to be cautious ofProducer Agreements & Selling Beats: This is a complicated copyright issue - I'll walk you through it here.Digital Distribution: Getting your music out to the world, and opening doors for the next phase of your career.And so much more!Make a name for yourself in the music business and transform your passion into a profitable venture. This immersive curriculum covers the fundamentals of music business, empowering you to build a sustainable career as an independent music artist or industry professional. Don't miss this opportunity to monetize your music, expand your network, and propel your music career to new heights.Jason Allen, renowned instructor and mentor to over 1 million students, is committed to your success. As an active participant in the course, he personally answers 100% of the questions posted, ensuring you receive the guidance and support you need.Don't miss out on this opportunity to start your music career now. Click the enroll button and join the party on the inside!

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Introduction

Lecture 2 Who am I?

Lecture 3 Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.

Lecture 4 Disclaimer: Regionality

Lecture 5 Copyright, licensing, and record deals

Lecture 6

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Giant PDF of notes

Section 2: What is Copyright?

Lecture 7 Copyright in the Constitution

Lecture 8 Rights We Get

Lecture 9 Intellectual Property

Lecture 10 Copyright Does not Protect

Lecture 11 Educational Use

Section 3: Copyright Basics

Lecture 12 Term

Lecture 13 Public Domain

Lecture 14 History of Copyright

Lecture 15 Additional Materials

Lecture 16 How to get a copyright

Lecture 17 Fair Use is... tricky.

Lecture 18 Trademarks

Section 4: Work for Hire

Lecture 19 What is work For hire?

Lecture 20 Work for hire copyright term

Section 5: Collaboration

Lecture 21 Collaboration and copyright

Lecture 22 Presumption of equal ownership (Including song lyrics)

Lecture 23 How a band divides copyright

Section 6: Why you need to master "Publishing"

Lecture 24 Publishing: Not just for books anymore!

Lecture 25 Musicians as publishers

Lecture 26 Co-Publishers

Lecture 27 Working with a publisher

Section 7: Performing Rights Organizations

Lecture 28 The history of the PRO

Lecture 29 What the PROs do

Lecture 30 How the PRO gets paid

Lecture 31 How to join a PRO, and which one to join

Lecture 32 How you get paid by the PRO

Lecture 33 The "publisher cut"

Section 8: Mechanical Licenses

Lecture 34 The player piano

Lecture 35 Writers and publishers

Lecture 36 Two methods for getting a mechanical license

Lecture 37 The Harry Fox Agency

Lecture 38 Ok, what does it cost?

Section 9: Synchronization & Dramatic Rights

Lecture 39 Back to silent movies

Lecture 40 Sync deals

Lecture 41 Dramatic rights

Lecture 42 All the rights!

Section 10: A Few Odd Copyright Examples

Lecture 43 The Love Song Medley

Lecture 44 Hairball and Tribute Bands

Lecture 45 The Frank Zappa Tribute Band

Lecture 46 A case for all the rights

Section 11: How a Recording Company Works (Traditionally)

Lecture 47 What is a "master recording"?

Lecture 48 The 5 roles of a traditional record company

Lecture 49 Record Labels: Discovery

Lecture 50 Record Labels: Capital

Lecture 51 Record Labels: Produce

Lecture 52 Record Labels: Distribute

Lecture 53 Record Labels: Promotion

Lecture 54 Do artists still need a record label?

Section 12: How many albums do you want to make for the record company?

Lecture 55 What is a Term?

Lecture 56 Additional Songs

Lecture 57 Contract options

Lecture 58 Making 10 albums doesn't mean releasing 10 albums

Section 13: Advances: The big payday from the record company

Lecture 59 The "million dollar record deal"

Lecture 60 Recoupment

Lecture 61 Payback

Section 14: Royalties: A million little paydays

Lecture 62 What kind of royalties?

Lecture 63 The royalty basis

Lecture 64 The royalty rate you will get from the record label

Section 15: Merchandise: An secondary income for the touring musician

Lecture 65 Merchandising rights: Making t-shirts, stickers, patches, and more

Lecture 66 Merch companies

Lecture 67 On-site sales

Section 16: 360 Deals: A recent addition for the record labels

Lecture 68 Why "360"?

Lecture 69 Taylor Swift

Section 17: Producer Agreements: Working with producers, and working as a producer

Lecture 70 The Producer

Lecture 71 The legendary George Martin

Lecture 72 Selling Beats: How to sell beats, and where to sell beats

Lecture 73 "Development deals" with a producer

Section 18: What is Distribution?

Lecture 74 The last stronghold of "the majors"

Lecture 75 Independent label distribution partnerships

Lecture 76 Distribution alone deals

Lecture 77 DIY distribution: going it alone

Lecture 78 The effect of file sharing

Lecture 79 Additional resources

Section 19: Digital Distribution & The Laws

Lecture 80 The labels fight back - music industry digital revolution

Lecture 81 Additional resources

Lecture 82 1992: Audio Home Recording Act

Lecture 83 1995: Digital Performance Right in Sound Recording Act

Lecture 84 1998: Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Lecture 85 2000: RIAA creates SoundExchange

Lecture 86 2003: SoundExchange spun off into own company

Section 20: Digital Distribution Today: Getting your music on Spotify, Apple Music, and more

Lecture 87 The GateKeepers

Lecture 88 Popular Companies: Distrokid, Symphonic Distribution

Lecture 89 Inside my personal account

Lecture 90 A look at my royalty statements

Lecture 91 What you need to get started

Section 21: Hidden Royalties: A few more opportunities

Lecture 92 The ways we get paid

Lecture 93 The secret of SoundExchange

Lecture 94 Setting up Sound Exchange

Section 22: Wrap Up

Lecture 95 What comes next?

Lecture 96 Some additional resources

Lecture 97 Thanks for watching!

Lecture 98 Bonus Lecture

Anyone at any level who is ready to start making a living with their music.