{"id":6196,"date":"2022-10-03T16:25:43","date_gmt":"2022-10-03T16:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/10\/03\/5-crucial-things-to-know-before-you-release-music\/"},"modified":"2022-10-03T16:25:43","modified_gmt":"2022-10-03T16:25:43","slug":"5-crucial-things-to-know-before-you-release-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/10\/03\/5-crucial-things-to-know-before-you-release-music\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Crucial Things to Know Before You Release Music"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/10\/03\/5-crucial-things-to-know-before-you-release-music\/#What_many_new_artist_dont_know_about_releasing_music\" >What many new artist don\u2019t know about releasing music.<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/10\/03\/5-crucial-things-to-know-before-you-release-music\/#5_things_every_new_artist_should_understand\" >5 things every new artist should understand:<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/10\/03\/5-crucial-things-to-know-before-you-release-music\/#1_You_own_your_copyright_already\" >1. You own your copyright already<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/10\/03\/5-crucial-things-to-know-before-you-release-music\/#2_Dont_put_the_acronyms_before_the_horse\" >2. Don\u2019t put the acronyms before the horse<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/10\/03\/5-crucial-things-to-know-before-you-release-music\/#3_Your_distributor_makes_things_manageable\" >3. Your distributor makes things manageable<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/10\/03\/5-crucial-things-to-know-before-you-release-music\/#4_No_one_will_hear_your_music_simply_because_its_available\" >4. No one will hear your music simply because it\u2019s available<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/10\/03\/5-crucial-things-to-know-before-you-release-music\/#5_You_are_a_label\" >5. You are a label<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/10\/03\/5-crucial-things-to-know-before-you-release-music\/#The_most_important_thing_to_remember_about_releasing_music\" >The most important thing to remember about releasing music<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_many_new_artist_dont_know_about_releasing_music\"><\/span>What many new artist don\u2019t know about releasing music.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>I have a neighbor who\u2019s a clever and hilarious songwriter. Though he plays local gigs, he has a career outside music and has never released his own songs.<\/p>\n<p>But he wants to. So last night we sat on the porch talking about how to release music.<\/p>\n<p>His questions reminded me that for people who\u2019ve never distributed music before, it\u2019s a whole new exciting or terrifying world.<\/p>\n<p>The conversation also reminded me of something else. That when you\u2019re just starting, it\u2019s easy to overcomplicate simple things, and to oversimplify difficult things.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, <strong>new recording artists tend to worry about the wrong things. <\/strong>So I thought it\u2019d be good to address those common points of confusion.<\/p>\n<p>And to be fair to my friend, he wasn\u2019t in-the-dark on all of the points below. His questions just stoked the idea for the article, and years of conversations with new artists filled in the rest!<\/p>\n<p><em>NOTE: None of this is legal or even life advice. Just my perspective.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_things_every_new_artist_should_understand\"><\/span>5 things every new artist should understand:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_You_own_your_copyright_already\"><\/span>1. You own your copyright already<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Lots of new recording artists are afraid of someone stealing their songs. They don\u2019t want to release the track until they\u2019ve received confirmation of copyright registration.<\/p>\n<p>But the truth is, when you consider that thousands of new tracks are released every day, copyright infringement is comparatively rare. <strong>Of course you should still register your copyright, but don\u2019t let that process slow you down from releasing music. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Modern <a href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-career\/how-to-record-and-produce-music-at-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">music production<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-rights\/copyright-for-musicians\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">copyright registration<\/a> move at very different speeds. Releasing music is the fast lane. Registering copyright is the slow lane. Are you going to travel in both lanes at once?<\/p>\n<p>Again, I\u2019m not saying you shouldn\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-rights\/protect-music\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">protect your music<\/a>. You absolutely should. But don\u2019t delay <a href=\"https:\/\/release.cdbaby.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">your release plans<\/a> for fear of copyright infringement. Why not? Well, <strong>if you\u2019ve written down your lyrics or recorded a demo (or even a voice memo), you own the copyright to your music already!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yes, there are significant benefits to officially <a href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-rights\/the-easiest-way-to-register-the-copyright-for-your-music\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">registering your copyright ownership<\/a> with the Library of Congress. But while that application process is quick, getting confirmation that your registration was accepted is NOT fast. You could be waiting nine months. Don\u2019t lose steam just because you\u2019re afraid someone will steal your music. Get your songs out there.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Dont_put_the_acronyms_before_the_horse\"><\/span>2. Don\u2019t put the acronyms before the horse<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>There\u2019s always some music industry veteran out there warning newbies that they need to affiliate themselves with some particular association before they\u2019re a REAL recording artist or songwriter. That you should NOT take any steps to <a href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/releasing-music\/how-to-release-an-album\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">release your music<\/a> until you\u2019re affiliated with <a href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-rights\/music-publishing-explained\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ASCAP, BMI, SESAC<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-rights\/what-is-the-mlc-and-do-i-still-need-a-publisher\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MLC<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-career\/the-grammy-process-for-independent-musicians\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Recording Academy<\/a>, the local union, the state songwriter society, SoundExchange,\u2026<\/p>\n<p>The list is long.<\/p>\n<p>That list is also full of extremely valuable services for artists and songwriters, and you SHOULD affiliate with some of them! But let\u2019s remember that <strong>many of those organizations are tasked with collecting royalties for music that is already available<\/strong> \u2014 the songs are out there in the world\u00a0 being heard, used, streamed, played, placed, and performed.<\/p>\n<p>So the problem isn\u2019t that the \u201chelpful\u201d industry veteran above is scamming you as a newbie, or leading you astray. It\u2019s that so much emphasis is put on these various organizations (who probably all sound the same to you because most of them are just acronyms), that you, the hopeful recording artist, get intimidated. You start worrying that you can\u2019t proceed until you have a full understanding of various realms of the music industry.<\/p>\n<p>Again, don\u2019t get me wrong: Understanding your rights, how they\u2019re monetized, and what services help you collect royalties is important. <strong>But the reason those services exist is to do the work for you. You don\u2019t need to know the finer details of mechanical royalty flow in order to get affiliated with an entity whose entire mission is to take care of all that stuff for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And similar to the copyright concern, it\u2019s EASY to associate yourself with some of these organizations. In fact, if you use <a href=\"https:\/\/cdbaby.com\/boost\/publishing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CD Baby Pro<\/a> for distribution, we\u2019ll affiliate you with a performing rights organization such as ASCAP or BMI, register your songs, and make sure you collect all your publishing royalties. We\u2019ll also collect your mechanical royalties for you, so you don\u2019t have to register with the MLC directly. And SoundExchange? Yes, they\u2019re great. Sign up with them, which is easy. Problem solved!<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t worry about acronyms. Get back to writing songs and releasing music.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Your_distributor_makes_things_manageable\"><\/span>3. Your distributor makes things manageable<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Speaking of <a href=\"https:\/\/cdbaby.com\/music-distribution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">music distribution,<\/a> you\u2019ll need it.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the process of getting your music onto multiple platforms around the world. Sound complicated and expensive?<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not. Basically, you sign up your music with one service (hopefully <a href=\"https:\/\/members.cdbaby.com\/sign-up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CD Baby<\/a>!), and <strong>we deliver your tracks all over the world \u2014 to 150+ music platforms, including Spotify, TikTok, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, Pandora, and so many more.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Well, I should restate what I said above: It IS complicated.<\/p>\n<p>Just not for you. CD Baby handles all the file formatting and deliveries, we collects your royalties, and we pay it all to you in one simple dashboard. For the same one-time fee, we also include <a href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-career\/sync-licensing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sync licensing<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-rights\/youtube-monetization-musicians\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">social video monetization<\/a>, and more.<\/p>\n<p>Those are additional opportunities for your music that we provide as part of our standard service. But as with all the other advice I\u2019ve given, you\u2019ll learn as you go. Just like any other new pursuit. So <strong>don\u2019t assume you need to become an expert in things like sync licensing or YouTube Content ID before you release your music.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_No_one_will_hear_your_music_simply_because_its_available\"><\/span>4. No one will hear your music simply because it\u2019s available<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>One thing that is a bummer to hear, but absolutely crucial for you to understand upfront, is that <strong>no one will care about your new music until you make them care.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The arrival of a new song isn\u2019t special. I mean, of course it\u2019s special to YOU; but some reports say that 60k new songs are released every day. Imagine that! All the work and talent you put into your new music\u2026 60k other musicians did the same thing today?<\/p>\n<p>The availability of your music, while something worth celebrating, is not an indicator of success. You have to put in extra work, find <a href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-promotion\/music-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">your music marketing edge<\/a>, tell a compelling story, and make people care. Only then will they interrupt their day to press <em>play<\/em> and listen to the music.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THIS is the primary thing artists should be concerned about when releasing new songs: attracting listeners and gaining momentum.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And while we always have high hopes for our new music, we\u2019re never gonna dig into the hard work of actually BUILDING an audience if we hold onto the naive assumption that people will automatically notice and care.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_You_are_a_label\"><\/span>5. You are a label<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This is another way of stating what I\u2019ve said above, but YOU are ultimately responsible for your music\u2019s performance in the marketplace. And yes, it\u2019s a marketplace. With a rapidly-increasing supply of music to meet an increasingly limited amount of audience attention, this is no easy task.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A label\u2019s job is to fund, guide, and assist the artist. If you don\u2019t have a label, you are your OWN label.<\/strong> And a label is a business, with a budget, a network of connections, and a strategy. As an artist, you provide the spark, the voice, the story. As a label, you provide the plan, the effort, and maybe even monetary investment.<\/p>\n<p>To be successful, you\u2019re gonna have to either wear both hats (label owner and artist) or build a trusted team of experts around your music. Both approaches will have pros and cons, but remember: you\u2019re the label. You\u2019re the CEO of your music career. You\u2019re in charge. No one else is going to swoop in and make you a star until you\u2019ve already proven to be an artist (and business) worth their time, attention, and capital.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t wait around hoping to get anointed by kingmakers, tastemakers, big brands, cool blogs, or hot playlists. <strong>Get started today finding your own path to success.<\/strong> Once you do, all those power players will suddenly be in your corner.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_most_important_thing_to_remember_about_releasing_music\"><\/span>The most important thing to remember about releasing music<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Copyright, publishing rights, distribution,\u2026 these things can feel confusing and intimidating at the start.<\/p>\n<p>But remember, it\u2019s just infrastructure. It\u2019s the plumbing or electrical wiring of the music industry. It\u2019s not the MAGIC!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Everything truly special about music is driven by the artist and the listener<\/strong>. All these services, the acronyms, your distributor, they can help bridge that gap between you and your audience, but it\u2019s up to you to make the connection.<\/p>\n<p>So don\u2019t wait. Dive in. You\u2019ll learn as you go.<\/p>\n<p>And remember this early and often: You should always <strong>put the MOST emphasis on making great music<\/strong>, designing compelling cover artwork, and telling a good story about your songs.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-career\/new-artist-releasing-music\/\" target=\"_blank\">5 Crucial Things to Know Before You Release Music<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">DIY Musician<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What many new artist don\u2019t know about releasing music. I have a neighbor who\u2019s a clever and hilarious songwriter. Though he plays local gigs, he has a career outside music and has never released his own songs. But he wants to. So last night we sat on the porch talking about how to release music. His questions reminded me that for people who\u2019ve never distributed music before, it\u2019s a whole new exciting or terrifying world. The conversation also reminded me of something else. That when you\u2019re [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-seo-blogs"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6196\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}