08/26/2026
I think one of the biggest reasons independent artists miss money is because nobody ever told them there was anything else to do after uploading the song.
You uploaded it to DistroKid, UnitedMasters, TuneCore, CD Baby, Too Lost, etc.
It went to Spotify and Apple Music.
You saw streams.
Maybe you even got paid by your distributor.
So naturally you thought:
“My song is registered.”
😬 No baby. Your song is distributed.
And THAT misunderstanding has had artists leaving money in places they didn't even know existed.
You didn't know your songwriter side and your recording artist/master owner side were two different things.
You didn't know your PRO doesn't collect everything.
You didn't know your distributor doesn't collect everything.
You didn't know SoundExchange has a Performer side AND a Rights Owner side.
You didn't know having BMI or ASCAP doesn't automatically mean every song is registered correctly.
You didn't know being listed in the credits doesn't necessarily mean your ownership is properly documented.
You didn't know your producer's name being on the song doesn't tell anybody what percentage they own.
You didn't know an ISRC identifies the recording, while an ISWC identifies the composition.
You didn't know one song can have money traveling through MULTIPLE places at the same time.
You didn't know changing distributors could create duplicate recordings, codes, mismatched information and a whole new mess if you didn't know what you were looking at.
You didn't know your music could be streaming beautifully while your registrations behind it are ugly as hell.🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾
And the craziest part?
You weren't necessarily doing anything “wrong.”
You were doing what most independent artists were taught:
Make song.
Upload song.
Promote song.
Check streams.
Repeat.
Nobody told you there was another whole side to this.
THAT'S why I keep teaching this.
Because some of y'all don't need another marketing strategy right now.
You need to find out where your music is registered, who owns what, what is missing, what doesn't match, and WHO is supposed to be paying you.
And I know somebody just read this whole post thinking:
“Damn...that's me.” 😮💨
Good.
Now you know what you didn't know.
And THAT'S where we start.
— ™ |
