Would you like to get paid for your music? How about getting some nice perks, like music store, car rental and hotel discounts?

So you finally finished your album, you uploaded it to a distribution service, such as DistroKid so it shows up on iTunes and Spotify, and you’re done, right?

Well… yes but you might be missing out on some of the money your music earns you.

Your distribution service will collect money from iTunes sales and Spotify streams but there are additional revenue streams.

You might be missing royalty payments from the traditional radio (yes, still alive), college radio, TV, satellite radio, Pandora, webcasts, internet radios, and much, much more.

It can be surprising to find you have unclaimed royalties, so don’t assume your music will never get played in these situations. Instead, be prepared to get paid what you deserve for your hard work.

BMI, ASCAP, and SoundExchange are three top organizations that track your plays and collect the royalties for you.

BMI / ASCAP

Both organizations are pretty similar and you need to choose just one and stick with it. They collect royalties whenever your music is played publically – traditional radio, sports arena, club, a mall, etc.

Additionally, they can also pay for your live performances as long as you are the songwriter. For that, look up BMI live/ASCAP Plus.

The difference between them mostly comes down to fees and perks. At the time of writing this article, BMI offers discounted medical insurance, instrument insurance, discounts for Fedex and DiscMakers.

SOUNDEXCHANGE

For any non-public plays, SoundExchange is your best friend. This includes Satelite radio, Pandora, internet radio stations. Best of all, it’s free!

The most important step

Registering with these organizations is a great step in the right direction but you actually have to register your songs in order to collect royalties! It’s not the most exciting process and involves filling out some forms but that’s what makes this whole thing worth.

Keep in mind that each band member needs to register with BMI/ASCAP and SoundExchange but only one person needs to submit the songs.