What Are Music Royalties? A Clear Guide for Artists
Music royalties are how artists get paid. This guide breaks down the main types of royalties, who pays them, and how producers and DJs earn from their music.
The Foundation of a Music Career
Royalties are the payments artists receive when their music is used, whether streamed, downloaded, played on the radio, or used in film and advertising. Understanding them is essential, because royalties are how a passion becomes a sustainable career.
The system can seem complex, but it breaks down into a few clear categories.
The Main Types
Streaming royalties are paid each time your track is played on platforms like Spotify. Mechanical royalties are generated by reproductions of a composition. Performance royalties are earned when your music is played publicly, including in clubs and on radio, and are collected by performing rights organisations.
For producers, there are typically two sides to royalties: the recording itself and the underlying composition. Both earn money, and both need to be registered correctly to get paid.
Making Sure You Get Paid
Many artists leave money on the table simply because they have not registered their work properly. Joining a performing rights organisation and using a distributor that handles royalty collection ensures that every play translates into income.
A catalogue with hundreds of millions of streams, like Maxim Schunk's, only generates sustainable income when royalties are managed correctly. Explore that catalogue on Spotify. Follow @maximschunk on Instagram.