Are you a musician collaborating on sessions with other musicians? Make sure you fill out a Split Sheet, so you establish who owns what pieces of the song when it comes time to collect royalties. Get my free split sheet template here: aristake.io/tgBxRA
Dude, this is the clearest and most concise video I've found on the hell-bound paper trail that is copyright. Thanks so much. I am gonna have to watch this several times for it all to sink in but it's all here. You're an absolute legend mate.
So enlightening. Thank you Just had a disagreement with my producer, he is demanding 50% but I'm the composer of the song and he was paid for studio time
@@dhjallumniexactly, producers are also considered are writers cause when inputting the pub data you’ll see producers as options also; that’s cause they composed the sound and all that
I wrote a song with a melody, took it to a producer who composed the music around it. I also sang and recorded it while he engineered in his studio… How is this properly split up? Do we both get publishing? He did charge me a minimal fee for his work.
Thanks bro. My contract states 50/50. The only place I believe I made a mistake on was BMI, but I've recently emailed them the producer's name and IPI# in hopes that they will correct this soon (I wish we as artists had the option of editing/updating our repertoire on BMI/ASCAP, etc); otherwise from that, the other 9 million (exaggeration) agencies and societies I've signed with are up to date on splits. Luckily for me, the song is just my first in 6 years (which this is my trial and error phase). So, future songs will definitely get splitted correctly everywhere. A tip for independent artists as well. Download a split sheet and email it to your producer (in my case, Hip-Hop) and have them print and fill it out, then scan it and email it back to you (if they aren't physically there to fill it out). Then, you do the reciprocated aspect as such, thus, both of you have what you need when applying splits. I can't tell you how long it took for me to hunt down the real name of my very first professional producer (being everything prior to 6 years was just a hobby done on downloaded beats). His BMI number registered slightly matched his dad's, which his dad and his name are the same (Sr. and Jr.). Take care.
I'm assuming that's 50/50 on the MASTER. Publishing (what BMI covers) is totally different. Whoever wrote the song gets publishing. You have to work that out separately. Artists and Producers sometimes do 50/50 on the master recording but songwriting credit (publishing) may be different. Maybe you had 3 songwriters that worked on it. They wouldn't get any of the master - but they would get publishing. Or maybe the producer doesn't get any publishing, and the artist wrote the entire song. You have to separate Master and Publishing. Master = Recording. Publishing = Composition (song)
Hey @@IAMEffelle, in many cases, producers are considered songwriters, being that they had played a part in constructing/composing the song's instrumental. Which in part, means for every piece of instrument constructed on a live recording, or a DAW. However, the works recorded on was pre-existing, and had already been unregistered publishing rights accordingly. Thus, you're correct, that is the biggest confusion pertaining splits. In my case, however (being that I wrote 100% of the lyrics), my publisher ended up owning 50% while I get the other 50%. On the backend, the producer gets 100% as a composer per BMI standards. But in the real world (somewhere 🤣), a producer is deemed a songwriter. In conclusion, I still end up getting 100% songwriter credits (being that my publisher pays me directly per collecting performance and mechanical royalties). Though, this can indeed negate the fact.
Anytime @@IAMEffelle, I'm always here, and yes, you're correct, there aren't any laws pertaining entitlement. Record companies would also label producers as songwriters via the crediting system to avoid legal tribulations ahead (a kerfuffle between artist, producer, and the likes). In regards to my situation, everything is split 50/50 for just the master recording. Going back to your statement on re-recording the same lyrics to another beat and the producer still getting paid will be the day I retire 🤣. I can't afford to give up my publishing, ever. As a sagittarius that's too philosophical at times; that'll be asenine to just let something that important slip through my fingers.
Thankful that these videos are out there. I was just thinking, "So what do I do if we both own the recording AND the composition..?" Answered my questions. How was I not subscribed before! 😅
We record on a 8 trak tascam produce mix master ourselves cutting out all that money and time and we are going to press custom pressings of vinyl ourselves!
What are “mechanical” royalties? Are they paid to whoever played on the recording? Are the hot session players, e.g., Brent Mason, able to get points, especially those whose style is crucial to the sound and success of the recording? I’ve seen songs that list eight people as writers. Is that just the artist giving everyone a little extra taste or did each of the eight really contribute something? Great video. I’ll definitely check out the rest.
hey! mechanical royalties are earned when a song is streamed, downloaded or purchased (like a CD or vinyl). i breakdown how all of this works here: aristake.com/producer-splits/
And also according to what music gateway Gateway said about song structure he said that Song structure is the form of the song and how it is arranged. Song structure is the form of the song and how it is arranged. As an important part of the songwriting process, it is typically sectional and uses repeating forms. Song structure is important because it organizes our songs. Song structure is the form of the song and how it is arranged. As an important part of the songwriting process, it is typically sectional and uses repeating forms.
hey Ari i have a question for the master side: in a non signed indie Hip Hop artist situation, if the masters belongs to whoever recorded the actual recording, and the rapper + producer (who also made the beat) is both in the studio tracking it at the same time, that means the rapper and the producer would split the master recording 50/50? In addition, what happens if the rapper took the beat home, and then recorded the song at his home studio, does this mean the producer would STILL get 50% of the master recording - even tho he wasn't in the room during the actual recording of the vocals - because he also had to "record the beat" on his own time when he made it? Just as how you said that in a Hip Hop case, the publishing is split 50/50 between the artist and the producer because the producer also made the beat which counts as composition of the whole song. Thank you!
One thing that always confuses me when I’m talking to or listening to non-hiphop guys talk about music is your use of the word “producer.” Because 99.999% of the time in my experience over the last 20 years in hiphop when we say producer we’re talking about who made the beat. When rock guys say producer, to me it sounds more like you’re describing the role of maybe an executive producer or even a recording engineer sometimes. Does anybody else notice this or can someone give some insight on that? Thanks 🙏🏽
Ari What if someone releases an album… and there’s different producers on different songs. How would the Masters split if one producer only work on 1 song?
So as an artist who is not signed, I would get a lot of points/royalties bcuz there’s no label to pay/to recoup? 🤔 I would only have to pay the producer of my songs their royalties, correct? Also, what if i co-produced my song? Is it fair to credit myself as a co-producer in the credits? Would the producer mind? Does that take away from them in anyway?
Ari, I'm super confused. I thought a producer/composer is also considered a writer and therefore gets access to the writer's share. When I register a new work with ASCAP, do I register the producer's IPI on the writer and publisher side? If I'm independent, I'm my own publisher, but does a portion of the publishing go to the producer if they're also their own publisher? Please help.
You can contact an entertainment attorney and / or ASCAP with your specific questions. Writing / Publishing is 50/50 equaling a 100% for some reason per song. So if my song below splitting 3 ways, 16.66% to the 3 of us on writers side and 16.66% publishing side unless I’m mistaken. I own 100%, writer 50/50 pub on my first CD so…. Example: I just collaborated with my producing guy and vocalist on a fully baked song. I didn’t have to but I split it with them, 3 ways across the board. I felt the song needed their impact and no one got paid upfront. And it worked out. I will retain admin rights and we will all get a portion of composition AND sound recording even though someone else sang on it. More of an ‘indie Nashville split.’ My other song, I did 90-95% of it, production, arranging, so I’m giving a small sound recording % to producer but I wouldn’t have to, he’s also getting paid for his time, isn’t pushing the song for me (if he did I’d include a pass thru fee or finders fee sort of thing) and I retain composition rights. Hope this isn’t too confusing 🙏🏼
Yes, if the producer is a writer on the song then they split the writers share. When registering with your PRO (ASCAP in your case), you register them as a writer with their respective cut and their corresponding publishing company. Every writer should have their own publishing company. Even if it’s a “vanity publishing company” in name only. Publishing = Songwriting. There’s no difference. It’s confusing because ASCAP splits it up, but if you and your producer co-wrote the song 50/50 then you have 50% of everything and your producer has 50% of everything. In ASCAP this would be 25% writer’s share to you, 25% publisher’s share to you, 25% writers to producer, 25% publishers to producer.
Lyrics question- if a poem was used to inspire lyrics - some lines in the poem are used. What is a fair %. The recording, arrangement, music, and lyrics are written by one person.
Say I am an Executive Producer and I paid for the whole project, I am keeping 100% of the masters and I am sharing the publishing 25% each for two separate artists, the composer of the beat and myself. How is the registered in the distribution vs the PRO vs Publishing Admin vs Sound Exchange????
Yes as the boss man says, unless you agree to a deal because you are getting recording for free and peoples time. I felt I needed to get things moving on a song. And I decided on one song to split everything with a singer and producer / engineer. I could have just done on the master not writing and publishing but I will get a cut of that bc I also produced it and everything is 33.33% between us. I am just making sure to have my attorney create an admin release saying that I own the right to do with the song what I want bc I will be the biggest advocate for the song and placing.
Hello! Quick question: if you use an indie distributer like Symphonic, don't you register the producer's percentage on that in addition as sound exchange ?
Great video...What if a songwriter and an artist are writing a song together without any money involved upfront....Isn’t the songwriter entitled to a percentage of the master since the artist isn’t paying them? If not, then how does the songwriter get paid if the song gets a sync placement? ..... And , Doesn’t whoever pays for the master entitled to ownership unless otherwise negotiated?
Typically, up front sync fees are split 50/50 publishing/master. So if the song gets a $100,000 sync placement, then $50K is split amongst the songwriters/publishers and $50K is paid to the master rights holder (artist/label). Mechanical royalties are the earnings that songwriters get from the master. It's 9.1 cents per download/sale and a complicated formula for streams. Songwriters also earn Performance royalties when the song is "publicly performed" (whether that "performance" is just the recording in a coffee shop, or on TV or on the radio. Yes, whoever pays for the master, typically owns the master. But this should all be worked out/discussed before it's released. In the indie world there aren't hard set rules. So, 3 people come together to create a song without any money exchanged and you want to split everything down the middle - master and publishing, go for it.
@@ArisTake If we are talking about a song that the singer-songwriter himself recorded and produced. As far as we know, many exclusive libraries take 50% of the advance for themselves, while registering themselves as publishers. And to whom does the share for the master go into the pocket - only the author-performer (and he will receive a total of 150% of the advance) or is she also somehow divided?
Aight so if John Jack and James all co-write a song and John provides the vocals then how should the split go? Also consider that a ghost producer made the beat, and John had to go to Henry to get track recorded. In addition John wrote the hook and one of the verses.
My drummer had a fucking meltdown over me proposing a 60/40 split on publishing considering I write literally 80% of everything. He writes drum parts and has input abd I think 40 is Hella fair but now he's acting like I'm being greedy. Mind you everything else that we do is 50/50. I'm talking about publishing only.
So if I buy a beat in the hip hop industry, it’s okay to give the publishing? I usually want 100% but I can understand because they made the beat. I did write the whole song though, thank you in advance!
5:11 by “producer” are you talking about beat makers? im in hiphop & record/write in a home studio so im wondering does my beatmaker go get 50% overall or around 20-30%
This was great. What occurrences cause any of us to get paid? I am the writer and we are working on a project right now and we are trying to structure the deal so anything that you can offer will definitely help
Forgive my ignorance, but I'm confused on producers getting royalties. Do they always? It makes sense to me if an artist doesn't have enough to pay upfront for the producers services, but if they do and pay the Producer in full at time of recording then haven't they been paid? And the artist now owns the work?
Question: I'm a hip-hop and RnB artist, I typically have leased my beats through BeatStars. These beats will more than likely be used by other artist. Can I register the compositions I've written to these instrumentals even though the "music" may be used elsewhere?
Question @aristake , can song splits be credited between two different distributors … if I’m on Distro kid and the artist I wrote for is on Tunecore, will you get your percentage that’s agreed upon from streaming or would I need to go to tunecore in order to get my percentage?
So are we talking like on ASCAP 50% of a song is the publishing/songwriting and the other 50% is the master? So if the producer gets 15%, is it actually 15% of the 50% of the song which is on the master side? Need this clarity. I just heard ascap does a 100% system & bmi does a 200% system.
But how does the master split change if the artist signs a deal? How does actually " owning " part of the master copyright differ from getting a " backend royalty split" ?
Upfront payments 1. Sound Recording Copywriter or Master Whoever recorded the song, owns that copyright. 2. Composition Copywrite (Song) - Publishing companies Producer deals: - points = percentage points - percentage: 15-25% for producer Publishing who gets it? Whoever wrote the song gets publishing
Online it says that if you have songtrust you should only register the song on there and not on BMI. Is that true or should I still register on both websites?
I still get confused with the difference in ownership of copyright percentages vs royalty percentage agreements. If I'm an artist working with a producer and we are working on recording and finishing my songs together in production but I've already written all the core melodies and lyrics but they help solidify the structure and even contributed some chord changes for example on top of producing, I have the inclination to want to keep majority of my copyrights that I can but when it comes to royalty splits, I am happy to split those with more of a percentage of course. Is this the right way to think about this or should I be thinking of royalty splits and copyright ownership in this case as one in the same? The producer also has connections and publishing opportunities he wants to push the songs for me, which is an extra step and has said they want publishing and sound recording in order to do this and again I'm not sure if this means it should be complete copyright ownership or just royalty splits? I just wonder what is common practice for how much of my song I should be owning the copyright at the end of the day once I've worked with a producer who's also worked on the song with me in a way (it's a hairy line how much a producer is also a songwriter) but also will need to give some up to a publishing company eventually to? Any insights appreciated!
Hi Ari. I have a couple of questions on this 1. Just so I know that I've understood this, if I write the whole song but feel like a part of it should be sang in a female's voice, she would get part of the master but I would still maintain full control of the publishing? 2. Related to the first case, what if I've contacted the same female to work with me, but this time to provide harmonies/background vocals to what I've already sang? What is she entitled to in this case? Thanks
Ok so just to be clear I paid to use the beat right,but I wrote,recorded,sung it myself .I already paid a fee for the song I still have to pay out 25% for streams?
And is breakdown and break and also interlude same or different because in my honest opinion they are totally 💯 100 💯 percent different from each other?
I have a general question. If we have a writer that helped to write a song but they did not play on the sound recording, would it make sense/be in the wise to give them just writers credit (publishing)?
This is great information! I did a music degree, and learned about much of this but was still real confused. This clears it up a lot - especially in regards to the indie scene. One question: Do 'Record One Royalties' usually apply to indie producers? Or do indie producers usually only get paid royalties after all the recording costs have been recouped? It seems that in the pop world producers get paid for every sale, where as it might be different in indie?
It goes both ways. This is part of the contract negotiations. In my experience in the indie world, because the artist is usually funding everything, they first recoup their costs THEN pay out royalties.
@@matthewarroyo3118 Usually back up musicians/vocalists are only entitled to digital radio ("non interactive streaming") royalties - like what's earned from Sirius/XM, Pandora, iHeart, etc. It's not a lot - about 5% of total earned (which isn't a lot). You can get this by checking with The Fund: www.afmsagaftrafund.org/
Awesome video bro, very informative. I'm a bass player and if I record bass on a song, what kind of royalties do I get and how many percentage do you think I should get?
So what is the difference between producer points on the backend, and the publishing percentage via BMI/ASCAP? What royalties is the publishing tracking. I was under the impression it was streaming royalty? But from the video streaming royalty is coming out of the backend master recording from points
This episode may help. th-cam.com/video/zp21VL-R-W8/w-d-xo.html Googling also helps. And pay an entertainment attorney for an hour and write down everything they say. It really comes down to what you work out with your people. For the first time I’m co-writing, but we really just did the recording together and I brought in another singer. We are splitting that 33.33% bc we all made it happen. Across Writing/ Publishing and the Master/Sound Recording.
if I compose only melodies, is there an easy way (online) to hook up with an existing team (which compose and produce the other parts) and split the royalties?
Great video. This is why I state the facts before I lease a track out to a rapper. I let them know that when it comes to composition. I automatically own 50% of the music. I composed the melody and harmonic/rhythmic structure of the song. I do this only because the average rapper thinks that writing lyrics grants them 100% of the songs composition. And they’ll say they wrote the song. Lol. Not knowing that the song has been written and produced and leased to them to write words and record vocals too.
@@lavalord363yt9 yeah. Because In hip hop music. The beat comes first 95% of the time. Rappers need something to write lyrics too. And the beat always has a melody or riff that is considered compositional ownership. Some have two melodies and lyrics as the songs composition. Example: lyrics, vocal melody, bass riff/ bass line.
Thanks for your time Ari, a quick question: I have a new song that’s is going to be available soon but I want to add a collaborator, they need to have a Tunecore account? they have to pay for that ? God bless you sr
No. In this case it sounds like a "work for hire." But this has to be clarified **in writing**. Sometimes producers do maintain publishing when selling beats.
No. In this case it sounds like a "work for hire." But this has to be clarified **in writing**. Sometimes producers do maintain publishing when selling beats.
Thanks so much for this, v helpful! I'm wondering, if I produced a 2 song EP for an artist/producer duo and ended up writing one of the songs and recording vocals on both (with extensive harmonies), am I entitled to ask for 50% of the master rights? The EP will be released to their self-owned record label High Soul Records. Cheers!
here is what confuses me the most, these day we use distrokid, almost all of upcoming artists or even bigger indie artists, so you said there is master royalties and publishing royalties, i noticed beatstars licenses says the artists and producers split 50/50 of the publishing, but how the hell do i know which amount of money is the publishing and which is the master, do i just take the total amount of money i made from the song, split it 50 50 and half of it is masters and the other half is publishing? and then i split that half into another half im confused even more just trying to ask this question
I think one word 1/3 is so fucking ridiculous. I would never ask for credit simply because I was in the room whilst the song was written. If I made significant changes to the lyrics, maybe. I just believe that credit should be given where credit is due. There are huge artists in the industry that will act like they wrote songs that they didn't actually write and I can't believe that nobody calls them out for it.
I didn't understand one thing sir? In pop . Say If i produced a beat or a main melody of the song for a major artist signed to some major label will i get publishing right ? I'm not involved in the song writing process.
when you have a feature artist that did not write the song just sang on the track. Are they added under the publishing/composition as a song writer? and what's the norm percentage they get if they are?
great takes, ari! hehe love your info more and more. glad youre on tiktok now! I have a few questions for ya, maybe you could help. I'm working with a producer in a different country (colombia). I'm paying him $500+ to help me produce the song (mix and master), I recorded most things in my studio and he some in his. The structure, Chord melody and lyrics were all done by the time i presented it to him, he has added strings, some harmonies some percussion, and gave it a unique color with production. Would the producer receive master recording rights since i paid him to produce it? Also since the meat and bones of the song was good to go by the time i presented it to him, how much should he get from songwriting credit? Also how does publishing and royalties work if someone has a PRO in a diff country?
Does segue aka continue without stopping counts on a album 💿 what happens when I skip ⏭ a track on a album 💿 why do I hear 👂 the last note from the very first track like example when segue happens on king of fools album 💿 I hear sanctify ending when deeper begins but my cousin Stephanie’s boyfriend Danny Crooke said don’t skip ⏭ a track when segue happens or else 😅 you won’t know when segue happens so what am I supposed to do when segue happens am I supposed to listen 👂 to the whole entire track from start to finish aka beginning to end?
![ง้อ (ALRIGHT) - FOURTH Prod. by URBOYTJ [ OFFICIAL MV ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Qs8ZeV6Dqj8/mqdefault.jpg)
![fellow fellow - PROUD feat. INK WARUNTORN [STRING QUARTET]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/BQrVkMPTdHE/mqdefault.jpg)
Are you a musician collaborating on sessions with other musicians? Make sure you fill out a Split Sheet, so you establish who owns what pieces of the song when it comes time to collect royalties. Get my free split sheet template here: aristake.io/tgBxRA
this deserves 100 million views
nah fr. his whole book is fire
fr
Dude, this is the clearest and most concise video I've found on the hell-bound paper trail that is copyright. Thanks so much. I am gonna have to watch this several times for it all to sink in but it's all here. You're an absolute legend mate.
Thank you for keeping it simple without over complicating it, i finally get it 🙏🏼
This is an awesome explanation of how this works. Other videos were confusing. Thank you for doing this video.
Thank you so much for breaking this down man. Articulate, entertaining, knowledgeable... you got a new sub! Keep up the amazing work 🤘
thank you!
@@ArisTake this is good, but producing is part of writing as well
So enlightening. Thank you
Just had a disagreement with my producer, he is demanding 50% but I'm the composer of the song and he was paid for studio time
50% of the sound recording aka the master or the publishing?
Who ever produced the music and thought of the music, melody, riff etc owns the "intellectual property" of the music/production
@@dhjallumniexactly, producers are also considered are writers cause when inputting the pub data you’ll see producers as options also; that’s cause they composed the sound and all that
I wrote a song with a melody, took it to a producer who composed the music around it. I also sang and recorded it while he engineered in his studio… How is this properly split up? Do we both get publishing? He did charge me a minimal fee for his work.
Thanks bro. My contract states 50/50. The only place I believe I made a mistake on was BMI, but I've recently emailed them the producer's name and IPI# in hopes that they will correct this soon (I wish we as artists had the option of editing/updating our repertoire on BMI/ASCAP, etc); otherwise from that, the other 9 million (exaggeration) agencies and societies I've signed with are up to date on splits. Luckily for me, the song is just my first in 6 years (which this is my trial and error phase). So, future songs will definitely get splitted correctly everywhere.
A tip for independent artists as well. Download a split sheet and email it to your producer (in my case, Hip-Hop) and have them print and fill it out, then scan it and email it back to you (if they aren't physically there to fill it out). Then, you do the reciprocated aspect as such, thus, both of you have what you need when applying splits. I can't tell you how long it took for me to hunt down the real name of my very first professional producer (being everything prior to 6 years was just a hobby done on downloaded beats). His BMI number registered slightly matched his dad's, which his dad and his name are the same (Sr. and Jr.).
Take care.
I'm assuming that's 50/50 on the MASTER. Publishing (what BMI covers) is totally different. Whoever wrote the song gets publishing. You have to work that out separately. Artists and Producers sometimes do 50/50 on the master recording but songwriting credit (publishing) may be different. Maybe you had 3 songwriters that worked on it. They wouldn't get any of the master - but they would get publishing. Or maybe the producer doesn't get any publishing, and the artist wrote the entire song. You have to separate Master and Publishing. Master = Recording. Publishing = Composition (song)
@@ArisTake He composed the instrumental, and I've composed the lyrics to it.
Hey @@IAMEffelle, in many cases, producers are considered songwriters, being that they had played a part in constructing/composing the song's instrumental. Which in part, means for every piece of instrument constructed on a live recording, or a DAW.
However, the works recorded on was pre-existing, and had already been unregistered publishing rights accordingly. Thus, you're correct, that is the biggest confusion pertaining splits.
In my case, however (being that I wrote 100% of the lyrics), my publisher ended up owning 50% while I get the other 50%. On the backend, the producer gets 100% as a composer per BMI standards. But in the real world (somewhere 🤣), a producer is deemed a songwriter.
In conclusion, I still end up getting 100% songwriter credits (being that my publisher pays me directly per collecting performance and mechanical royalties). Though, this can indeed negate the fact.
@@ArisTake Also, yes, it's for the Master.
Anytime @@IAMEffelle,
I'm always here, and yes, you're correct, there aren't any laws pertaining entitlement. Record companies would also label producers as songwriters via the crediting system to avoid legal tribulations ahead (a kerfuffle between artist, producer, and the likes). In regards to my situation, everything is split 50/50 for just the master recording.
Going back to your statement on re-recording the same lyrics to another beat and the producer still getting paid will be the day I retire 🤣. I can't afford to give up my publishing, ever. As a sagittarius that's too philosophical at times; that'll be asenine to just let something that important slip through my fingers.
Thankful that these videos are out there. I was just thinking, "So what do I do if we both own the recording AND the composition..?" Answered my questions. How was I not subscribed before! 😅
The question is, what counts as "writing the song" would that make arrangement and writing of the instrumentation worthy of publishing?
Here is a helpful article aristake.com/what-is-soundexchange-ascap-bmi-pros-hfa-mechanicals-and-how-to-get-all-your-royalties
We record on a 8 trak tascam produce mix master ourselves cutting out all that money and time and we are going to press custom pressings of vinyl ourselves!
This is a very informative video, thank you for sharing! I like the way you talk with your hands ☺
Oh dude, you just broke my mind with all of this things 🤯😄 But thank you!
What are “mechanical” royalties? Are they paid to whoever played on the recording? Are the hot session players, e.g., Brent Mason, able to get points, especially those whose style is crucial to the sound and success of the recording?
I’ve seen songs that list eight people as writers. Is that just the artist giving everyone a little extra taste or did each of the eight really contribute something?
Great video. I’ll definitely check out the rest.
hey! mechanical royalties are earned when a song is streamed, downloaded or purchased (like a CD or vinyl). i breakdown how all of this works here: aristake.com/producer-splits/
And also according to what music gateway Gateway said about song structure he said that Song structure is the form of the song and how it is arranged. Song structure is the form of the song and how it is arranged. As an important part of the songwriting process, it is typically sectional and uses repeating forms. Song structure is important because it organizes our songs. Song structure is the form of the song and how it is arranged. As an important part of the songwriting process, it is typically sectional and uses repeating forms.
hey Ari i have a question for the master side: in a non signed indie Hip Hop artist situation, if the masters belongs to whoever recorded the actual recording, and the rapper + producer (who also made the beat) is both in the studio tracking it at the same time, that means the rapper and the producer would split the master recording 50/50? In addition, what happens if the rapper took the beat home, and then recorded the song at his home studio, does this mean the producer would STILL get 50% of the master recording - even tho he wasn't in the room during the actual recording of the vocals - because he also had to "record the beat" on his own time when he made it? Just as how you said that in a Hip Hop case, the publishing is split 50/50 between the artist and the producer because the producer also made the beat which counts as composition of the whole song. Thank you!
Did you ever get an answer to this elsewhere?
You splitting hairs on this one Bohan
One thing that always confuses me when I’m talking to or listening to non-hiphop guys talk about music is your use of the word “producer.” Because 99.999% of the time in my experience over the last 20 years in hiphop when we say producer we’re talking about who made the beat. When rock guys say producer, to me it sounds more like you’re describing the role of maybe an executive producer or even a recording engineer sometimes. Does anybody else notice this or can someone give some insight on that? Thanks 🙏🏽
wow this is incredibly helpful
What does “writing the song” entail? What if you take a song that you’ve written on an instrument to a producer?
You still own 100% publishing. Do not split it
This is gold bro 🔑 can’t thank you enough 🙏🏼🙏🏼
thanks for this video. you are the real MVP
Thank you!
Ari What if someone releases an album… and there’s different producers on different songs. How would the Masters split if one producer only work on 1 song?
you split by song. each song has different splits. it's not done by album.
insightful as always team
As always, super good! Thank you Ari!
Glad you like it! -Alexis
So as an artist who is not signed, I would get a lot of points/royalties bcuz there’s no label to pay/to recoup? 🤔 I would only have to pay the producer of my songs their royalties, correct?
Also, what if i co-produced my song? Is it fair to credit myself as a co-producer in the credits? Would the producer mind? Does that take away from them in anyway?
Yes and yes. You are correct.
This was super useful ! Thank you
Great info!!
Ari, I'm super confused. I thought a producer/composer is also considered a writer and therefore gets access to the writer's share. When I register a new work with ASCAP, do I register the producer's IPI on the writer and publisher side? If I'm independent, I'm my own publisher, but does a portion of the publishing go to the producer if they're also their own publisher? Please help.
this
You can contact an entertainment attorney and / or ASCAP with your specific questions. Writing / Publishing is 50/50 equaling a 100% for some reason per song. So if my song below splitting 3 ways, 16.66% to the 3 of us on writers side and 16.66% publishing side unless I’m mistaken. I own 100%, writer 50/50 pub on my first CD so….
Example: I just collaborated with my producing guy and vocalist on a fully baked song. I didn’t have to but I split it with them, 3 ways across the board. I felt the song needed their impact and no one got paid upfront. And it worked out.
I will retain admin rights and we will all get a portion of composition AND sound recording even though someone else sang on it. More of an ‘indie Nashville split.’ My other song, I did 90-95% of it, production, arranging, so I’m giving a small sound recording % to producer but I wouldn’t have to, he’s also getting paid for his time, isn’t pushing the song for me (if he did I’d include a pass thru fee or finders fee sort of thing) and I retain composition rights. Hope this isn’t too confusing 🙏🏼
Yes, if the producer is a writer on the song then they split the writers share. When registering with your PRO (ASCAP in your case), you register them as a writer with their respective cut and their corresponding publishing company. Every writer should have their own publishing company. Even if it’s a “vanity publishing company” in name only. Publishing = Songwriting. There’s no difference. It’s confusing because ASCAP splits it up, but if you and your producer co-wrote the song 50/50 then you have 50% of everything and your producer has 50% of everything. In ASCAP this would be 25% writer’s share to you, 25% publisher’s share to you, 25% writers to producer, 25% publishers to producer.
Great video!
Helpful
Lyrics question- if a poem was used to inspire lyrics - some lines in the poem are used. What is a fair %. The recording, arrangement, music, and lyrics are written by one person.
Say I am an Executive Producer and I paid for the whole project, I am keeping 100% of the masters and I am sharing the publishing 25% each for two separate artists, the composer of the beat and myself. How is the registered in the distribution vs the PRO vs Publishing Admin vs Sound Exchange????
Thanks a lot I learnt a ton from this video. I just sold an instrumental and d artist asked how much royalty I want and I was confused 😖
Thanks for telling me how to split my 0.17 $
Str8 to the point. Just got a sub 🎉
I love this explanation ❤❤
Music producers actually do count as song writers , they “wrote the composition to the beat” even tho most is produced on FL studio 💯
Hopefully the Session Studio app will streamline the process.
awesome info as usual, thank you again man!
Thanks for this video!
So as an artist who wrote the whole song, I own all of my publishing and it doesn’t have to be split with the producers?
Yes!
@@EmpoweredIndieArtists thank you for answering
correct!
Yes as the boss man says, unless you agree to a deal because you are getting recording for free and peoples time. I felt I needed to get things moving on a song. And I decided on one song to split everything with a singer and producer / engineer. I could have just done on the master not writing and publishing but I will get a cut of that bc I also produced it and everything is 33.33% between us. I am just making sure to have my attorney create an admin release saying that I own the right to do with the song what I want bc I will be the biggest advocate for the song and placing.
@@EmpoweredIndieArtistsEven if the producer created the instrumental? What does the producer get then?
Hello! Quick question: if you use an indie distributer like Symphonic, don't you register the producer's percentage on that in addition as sound exchange ?
Great video...What if a songwriter and an artist are writing a song together without any money involved upfront....Isn’t the songwriter entitled to a percentage of the master since the artist isn’t paying them? If not, then how does the songwriter get paid if the song gets a sync placement? .....
And , Doesn’t whoever pays for the master entitled to ownership unless otherwise negotiated?
Typically, up front sync fees are split 50/50 publishing/master. So if the song gets a $100,000 sync placement, then $50K is split amongst the songwriters/publishers and $50K is paid to the master rights holder (artist/label).
Mechanical royalties are the earnings that songwriters get from the master. It's 9.1 cents per download/sale and a complicated formula for streams. Songwriters also earn Performance royalties when the song is "publicly performed" (whether that "performance" is just the recording in a coffee shop, or on TV or on the radio.
Yes, whoever pays for the master, typically owns the master. But this should all be worked out/discussed before it's released.
In the indie world there aren't hard set rules. So, 3 people come together to create a song without any money exchanged and you want to split everything down the middle - master and publishing, go for it.
@@ArisTake Awesome, great answer, that makes sense now.....Thanks, you Rock!
@@ArisTake If we are talking about a song that the singer-songwriter himself recorded and produced. As far as we know, many exclusive libraries take 50% of the advance for themselves, while registering themselves as publishers. And to whom does the share for the master go into the pocket - only the author-performer (and he will receive a total of 150% of the advance) or is she also somehow divided?
What is the difference between master points and net receipts?
Aight so if John Jack and James all co-write a song and John provides the vocals then how should the split go?
Also consider that a ghost producer made the beat, and John had to go to Henry to get track recorded. In addition John wrote the hook and one of the verses.
My drummer had a fucking meltdown over me proposing a 60/40 split on publishing considering I write literally 80% of everything. He writes drum parts and has input abd I think 40 is Hella fair but now he's acting like I'm being greedy. Mind you everything else that we do is 50/50. I'm talking about publishing only.
Thanks! That was super helpful!
What’s up Ari? Question : If I song write for another artist, what are the splits between us if he doesn’t write anything?
Thank you for sharing bro
So if I buy a beat in the hip hop industry, it’s okay to give the publishing? I usually want 100% but I can understand because they made the beat. I did write the whole song though, thank you in advance!
5:11 by “producer” are you talking about beat makers? im in hiphop & record/write in a home studio so im wondering does my beatmaker go get 50% overall or around 20-30%
beautiful video btw
So how would I go if you use a sample from a song to record into yours? They’ll either make you take it down or pay them pretty much?
Concise and helpful as always! 🥰
Glad you think so! -Alexis
This was great. What occurrences cause any of us to get paid? I am the writer and we are working on a project right now and we are trying to structure the deal so anything that you can offer will definitely help
Forgive my ignorance, but I'm confused on producers getting royalties. Do they always?
It makes sense to me if an artist doesn't have enough to pay upfront for the producers services, but if they do and pay the Producer in full at time of recording then haven't they been paid? And the artist now owns the work?
Yes it’s common now but it’s not always the case. Usually more up front = less backend. Less up front = more backend.
So on Distrokid splits does the artist keep 95 and the producer 5?
Brilliant info 👌🏾.
You didn’t mention how revenue is generated on the publishing side
Question: I'm a hip-hop and RnB artist, I typically have leased my beats through BeatStars. These beats will more than likely be used by other artist. Can I register the compositions I've written to these instrumentals even though the "music" may be used elsewhere?
Question @aristake , can song splits be credited between two different distributors … if I’m on Distro kid and the artist I wrote for is on Tunecore, will you get your percentage that’s agreed upon from streaming or would I need to go to tunecore in order to get my percentage?
So are we talking like on ASCAP 50% of a song is the publishing/songwriting and the other 50% is the master? So if the producer gets 15%, is it actually 15% of the 50% of the song which is on the master side? Need this clarity. I just heard ascap does a 100% system & bmi does a 200% system.
But how does the master split change if the artist signs a deal?
How does actually " owning " part of the master copyright differ from getting a " backend royalty split" ?
Upfront payments
1. Sound Recording Copywriter or Master
Whoever recorded the song, owns that copyright.
2. Composition Copywrite (Song)
- Publishing companies
Producer deals:
- points = percentage points
- percentage: 15-25% for producer
Publishing who gets it?
Whoever wrote the song gets publishing
Producers get 50%. Publishing is 1 part lyrics 1 part music comp
Online it says that if you have songtrust you should only register the song on there and not on BMI. Is that true or should I still register on both websites?
I still get confused with the difference in ownership of copyright percentages vs royalty percentage agreements. If I'm an artist working with a producer and we are working on recording and finishing my songs together in production but I've already written all the core melodies and lyrics but they help solidify the structure and even contributed some chord changes for example on top of producing, I have the inclination to want to keep majority of my copyrights that I can but when it comes to royalty splits, I am happy to split those with more of a percentage of course. Is this the right way to think about this or should I be thinking of royalty splits and copyright ownership in this case as one in the same?
The producer also has connections and publishing opportunities he wants to push the songs for me, which is an extra step and has said they want publishing and sound recording in order to do this and again I'm not sure if this means it should be complete copyright ownership or just royalty splits? I just wonder what is common practice for how much of my song I should be owning the copyright at the end of the day once I've worked with a producer who's also worked on the song with me in a way (it's a hairy line how much a producer is also a songwriter) but also will need to give some up to a publishing company eventually to?
Any insights appreciated!
Hi Ari. I have a couple of questions on this
1. Just so I know that I've understood this, if I write the whole song but feel like a part of it should be sang in a female's voice, she would get part of the master but I would still maintain full control of the publishing?
2. Related to the first case, what if I've contacted the same female to work with me, but this time to provide harmonies/background vocals to what I've already sang? What is she entitled to in this case?
Thanks
Ok so just to be clear I paid to use the beat right,but I wrote,recorded,sung it myself .I already paid a fee for the song I still have to pay out 25% for streams?
good video
Your channel is very helpful... thanks
Thanks for watching! -Alexis
Great, informative content man. Keep it up!
Appreciate it! -Alexis
Very informative. Thanks!
And is breakdown and break and also interlude same or different because in my honest opinion they are totally 💯 100 💯 percent different from each other?
Supper talk
I have a general question. If we have a writer that helped to write a song but they did not play on the sound recording, would it make sense/be in the wise to give them just writers credit (publishing)?
So to be clear. If you are with Distrokid on the splits on streams etc. Artist gets 80% and the producer gets 20%?
This is great information! I did a music degree, and learned about much of this but was still real confused. This clears it up a lot - especially in regards to the indie scene.
One question: Do 'Record One Royalties' usually apply to indie producers?
Or do indie producers usually only get paid royalties after all the recording costs have been recouped? It seems that in the pop world producers get paid for every sale, where as it might be different in indie?
It goes both ways. This is part of the contract negotiations. In my experience in the indie world, because the artist is usually funding everything, they first recoup their costs THEN pay out royalties.
@@ArisTake Excellent, thanks for your insight into this! Apreciate it!
What if your voice is on the song do you get sound masters or no?
If you’re the lead singer/Artist and if there’s no label then yes. If you’re a backup musician then not usually.
@@ArisTake oh ok got it but what about background vocalists
@@matthewarroyo3118 Usually back up musicians/vocalists are only entitled to digital radio ("non interactive streaming") royalties - like what's earned from Sirius/XM, Pandora, iHeart, etc. It's not a lot - about 5% of total earned (which isn't a lot). You can get this by checking with The Fund: www.afmsagaftrafund.org/
@@ArisTake oh ok thank you
Awesome video bro, very informative. I'm a bass player and if I record bass on a song, what kind of royalties do I get and how many percentage do you think I should get?
hey! here's how to get your music royalties: aristake.com/what-is-soundexchange-ascap-bmi-pros-hfa-mechanicals-and-how-to-get-all-your-royalties
So what is the difference between producer points on the backend, and the publishing percentage via BMI/ASCAP? What royalties is the publishing tracking. I was under the impression it was streaming royalty? But from the video streaming royalty is coming out of the backend master recording from points
This episode may help.
th-cam.com/video/zp21VL-R-W8/w-d-xo.html
Googling also helps. And pay an entertainment attorney for an hour and write down everything they say. It really comes down to what you work out with your people.
For the first time I’m co-writing, but we really just did the recording together and I brought in another singer. We are splitting that 33.33% bc we all made it happen. Across Writing/ Publishing and the Master/Sound Recording.
So if i work with 20 Artists and they are all using different distributors how do i take my split ? Do I sign up with all 20 distributors ?
Good question! I have that doubt too.
do producers need a distribution account to get their precentage?
if I compose only melodies, is there an easy way (online) to hook up with an existing team (which compose and produce the other parts) and split the royalties?
Great video. This is why I state the facts before I lease a track out to a rapper. I let them know that when it comes to composition. I automatically own 50% of the music. I composed the melody and harmonic/rhythmic structure of the song. I do this only because the average rapper thinks that writing lyrics grants them 100% of the songs composition. And they’ll say they wrote the song. Lol. Not knowing that the song has been written and produced and leased to them to write words and record vocals too.
Bro 50 percent though???
@@lavalord363yt9 yeah. Because In hip hop music. The beat comes first 95% of the time. Rappers need something to write lyrics too. And the beat always has a melody or riff that is considered compositional ownership. Some have two melodies and lyrics as the songs composition. Example: lyrics, vocal melody, bass riff/ bass line.
Thanks for your time Ari, a quick question: I have a new song that’s is going to be available soon but I want to add a collaborator, they need to have a Tunecore account? they have to pay for that ? God bless you sr
So if I purchase a beat and have full ownership is it normal that I spilt publishing with the producer
No. In this case it sounds like a "work for hire." But this has to be clarified **in writing**. Sometimes producers do maintain publishing when selling beats.
No. In this case it sounds like a "work for hire." But this has to be clarified **in writing**. Sometimes producers do maintain publishing when selling beats.
Thanks so much for this, v helpful! I'm wondering, if I produced a 2 song EP for an artist/producer duo and ended up writing one of the songs and recording vocals on both (with extensive harmonies), am I entitled to ask for 50% of the master rights? The EP will be released to their self-owned record label High Soul Records. Cheers!
here is what confuses me the most, these day we use distrokid, almost all of upcoming artists or even bigger indie artists, so you said there is master royalties and publishing royalties, i noticed beatstars licenses says the artists and producers split 50/50 of the publishing, but how the hell do i know which amount of money is the publishing and which is the master, do i just take the total amount of money i made from the song, split it 50 50 and half of it is masters and the other half is publishing? and then i split that half into another half
im confused even more just trying to ask this question
You’re an awesome 😎 TH-cam channel.
Show me the money!
“Whoever writes the song gets publishing”? So the publisher’s share and the writer’s share are the same?
Yes. Every songwriter has a respective publisher.
I think one word 1/3 is so fucking ridiculous. I would never ask for credit simply because I was in the room whilst the song was written. If I made significant changes to the lyrics, maybe. I just believe that credit should be given where credit is due. There are huge artists in the industry that will act like they wrote songs that they didn't actually write and I can't believe that nobody calls them out for it.
I didn't understand one thing sir?
In pop . Say If i produced a beat or a main melody of the song for a major artist signed to some major label will i get publishing right ? I'm not involved in the song writing process.
when you have a feature artist that did not write the song just sang on the track. Are they added under the publishing/composition as a song writer? and what's the norm percentage they get if they are?
In your honest opinion why is song structure is part of the song writing ✍️ process?
great takes, ari! hehe love your info more and more. glad youre on tiktok now!
I have a few questions for ya, maybe you could help.
I'm working with a producer in a different country (colombia). I'm paying him $500+ to help me produce the song (mix and master), I recorded most things in my studio and he some in his.
The structure, Chord melody and lyrics were all done by the time i presented it to him, he has added strings, some harmonies some percussion, and gave it a unique color with production.
Would the producer receive master recording rights since i paid him to produce it?
Also since the meat and bones of the song was good to go by the time i presented it to him, how much should he get from songwriting credit? Also how does publishing and royalties work if someone has a PRO in a diff country?
sounds like a 50/50 split
Does segue aka continue without stopping counts on a album 💿 what happens when I skip ⏭ a track on a album 💿 why do I hear 👂 the last note from the very first track like example when segue happens on king of fools album 💿 I hear sanctify ending when deeper begins but my cousin Stephanie’s boyfriend Danny Crooke said don’t skip ⏭ a track when segue happens or else 😅 you won’t know when segue happens so what am I supposed to do when segue happens am I supposed to listen 👂 to the whole entire track from start to finish aka beginning to end?
Does an album 💿 count having 6 or more songs aka that is above 6 tracks and also more than 30 minutes to count as a album 💿?