If you are an artist affected by the decimated live scene, you’ve probably realized how important it is to monetize your music online. In-person performances will most likely revive, but by all accounts, ‘normal’ won’t be back any time soon.
Getting set up now would be a smart approach as it takes time for any online earnings to make their way into your bank account. And as any substantial earnings typically grow over time, getting your music connected to multiple revenue sources only improves your chances to earn.
There are now more than ever, a multitude of platforms and resources for artists available and you should take advantage of the ones that work for you. For our community, however, we wanted to provide one easy checklist to ensuring your music is in the best possible position for monetization on Songtradr.
Songtradr’s content management and monetization ecosystem have brought much of it into one streamlined journey. Check off the following steps to determine whether you are taking full advantage of growing your earning potential from Songtradr.
Let’s get started!
Step 1: Have you completed all ownership info?
Access the Ownership settings tab from the left navigation menu on your dashboard.
Need to know: Upload songs at any time however, it’s important that co-owners must give approvals before those songs are cleared and discoverable for licensing and other opportunities. If they aren’t a Songtradr user already, they can simply sign up and complete their part of the approval process.
Examples of co-owners are:
- Other songwriters
- Record labels - control the physical recording or “Master”
- Publishers - control the lyrics & melody or “Copyright”
If there are no other owners, you are the:
- Copyright Owner - which means you are self-published. You can choose to set up your own publishing entity or not.
- Master Owner - which means you own the recording. You can choose to set up your own Record Label or not.
Are you collecting Copyright, Master, or Performance royalties by yourself? Or have you signed up with a P.R.O. (Performing Rights Organization) to do it on your behalf?
Make sure you have selected ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to ensure your song is cleared for any licensing opportunities.
Step 2: Have you uploaded your music correctly?
Access the Upload Music window from the left navigation menu on your dashboard.
Apart from a hi-res full mix, additional files can be equally important in the world of sync licensing. And with all your Main Mixes, ensure all Ownership permissions are in place.
How about samples? It can be costly to repair a situation where your song has been flagged for copyright infringement. The rule of thumb here is, do not include material or samples you have not acquired permission to use or do not own!
Examples of additional files are:
- Instrumental - It’s no accident this is first in the list. Instrumentals are the #1 thing Music Supervisors request when considering a song for placement!
- Clean version - If your song contains explicit material, it could make it unsuitable for sync placements with restrictive audience classifications e.g., G or TV-PG.
- Stems - Bounced instrument groupings for easy editing when cutting picture to sound
- No Fx - Sound effects can make the song unsuitable for certain placements, so it’s good to provide an alternative.
Last but not least, have you included your lyrics with the song?
These are important for Music Supervisors to ensure the song’s lyrical content aligns with any specific briefs. Don’t forget to Include a written translation if the song is not in English!
Step 3: Have you completed your Metadata?
Access the Metadata window by clicking Edit Song Details for each song in your catalog.
Accurate tags are crucial to ensure your songs are discoverable by buyers searching for music.
Examples of metadata are:
- Vocal Type or Instrumental
- Explicit or Clean
- Tempo
- Genre
- Sub-genre
- Moods
- Themes
- Featured Instruments
- Key
- In the Style Of
- Keywords
Step 4: Have you completed your profile page?
Access your Profile page from the left-hand navigation bar on your dashboard.
Being in the best position for sync licensing and feature opportunities means having an up-to-date profile page. There are numerous instances where Songtradr is interested in featuring or recommending an artist to our buyer community but are not able to because of inaccurate or incomplete content.
What you should check:
- Current profile images and bio
- Songs you want to feature are visible on the page and in the order you wish to feature them in
- Social channel and website links are in place and working
- Current visual content on relevant social channels (high-resolution artist images are most useful for features!)
Step 5: Have you released your song for digital distribution?
Access the Distribution portal from the left-hand navigation bar on your dashboard.
Songtradr pays through 100% royalties to your account. (Applies to Pro and Lite users. Free “Starter” users get 100% through Dec 31, 2020, then 90% from Jan 1, 2021). You can choose from your uploaded catalog and release a Single or full Album/EP on Songtradr. You can also select the option to automatically distribute to any new stores added in the future.
Songtradr distributes your music to all major outlets including:
- Spotify
- iTunes & Apple Music
- Facebook & Instagram
- TikTok
- Deezer
- Amazon Music
How to release a song through Songtradr Distribution
If you are with another distributor and wish to switch to Songtradr so your releases and their associated data are in one centralized place, learn how.
Step 6: Have you opted in for YouTube Rights Administration?
Access YouTube Rights Administration through the Monetization board from the left-hand navigation bar on your dashboard.
By opting into Songtradr YouTube Rights Management, song owners can gain access to the YouTube Content ID system. They can opt-in all songs or opt-in song by song within the monetization page. By doing so, artists can generate income from anyone who uses their songs in videos uploaded to YouTube. Songtradr collects revenue from those songs being used on YouTube and deposits any earnings into your account.
Step 7: Have you opted in for Monetization Opportunities?
Beneath YouTube Rights Administration, you will find Opportunities for Monetization to which you can opt-in your music. Just be sure to check the terms and conditions for each one before doing so as this may affect usage of your music for other opportunities.
Step 8: Have you connected your PayPal account?
Transfer Songtradr earnings to your PayPal account through the Transactions & Licenses tab on the left-hand navigation bar on your dashboard.
For seamless withdrawals, ensure your PayPal account is set up and activated. Minimum withdrawal amount is USD $10.00. (If you cannot access Paypal in your country, contact support@songtradr.com for alternative methods of withdrawal.)
If you ever thought it tough to earn money from music, you’re not alone. Many artists have a pretty good idea of what they want to write and produce and that’s arguably the toughest part - for, without the song, there is no opportunity for monetization. We truly hope this checklist is helpful as every artist needs a leg up every now and then.
Happy monetizing!
Want to Monetize Your Music?
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Thanks for the advice, Victoria! We are glad to have been connected with Paul and the company via Marc at Sync Summit and appreciate any other marketing tips for our catalog.
You’re welcome Chris! Thanks for the feedback and for connecting with us.
Wonderful insight and informative for all songwriters
Great Matell! Glad you found it helpful. 👍
Great business to be with
Glad you’re here Keena! ☺️
Hello
Hi AlishGo!
hhhha
its nice guidance, i am very grateful.
Great to hear. Thanks James!
Really nice article great tips for using the Songtradr platform.
Thanks Max!
Hi Victoria
So the way i can monetize from songtrdr is should be buy the “PRO” first ?
Hey Alfa, you can check out this link for a full overview of the different plans Songtradr offers – all plans provide access to monetization opportunities! Benefits of Songtradr Pro offers unlimited distribution to all major platforms, with 100% distribution royalties and 80% of all sync licensing revenue.
Hi , i did all of the above and it says ’ delivery pending ’ right next to my song’s name and i don’t know what that means .
Hey John, when opting your music into the Monetization Portal, you have agreed to the buyer’s terms and conditions to deliver your selected music for their consideration. A “Delivery Pending” notification can either mean your music is still being considered by the buyer, or has not been selected for this particular opportunity. For more information, check out this support article.
Thank you so much Victoria
This will go a long way to facilitate my Music career
That’s great to hear! Thanks for reading.
Thank you for this great information, I pray it work out for me.
We’re glad to hear that! Thanks for checking it out.
A great thanks
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