Songtrust: What You Need To Know

Here Brian Hazard, better known by his musician alter egoColor Theory, breaks down his experience with the royalty collection service Songtrust, in and effort to help artists determine if the service is right for them.

Did you know that when a song you wrote is sold as a download, you’re due a mechanical royalty? In the US, that royalty is paid through your aggregator (CD Baby, TuneCore, etc). Internationally, you need a publishing administrator like Songtrust to collect it.

For a $100 setup fee and 15% commission, Songtrust will help you register with a PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN) if you’re not already. Next, they’ll register your songs with over 40 collection societies worldwide.

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CD Baby members are no doubt already familiar with CD Baby Pro, which is powered by Songtrust.

With CD Baby Pro, royalty collection is bundled with digitial distribution. You pay $5 more per single and $40 more per album. They take the same 15% commission.

TuneCore charges a one-time $75 fee and 10% commission for publishing administration. They’ll even pitch your songs for film, television, and video game opportunities!

On the surface, that sounds like a better deal, but there’s a catch. TuneCore requires that you work with them exclusively for licensing.

And don’t forget, you’re paying $10 per single and $50 per album every year just to keep them in distribution! Who knows if they’ll continue to pitch and collect royalties for songs they no longer distribute.

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