Creator Guide
How to Plan a Music Release: A Week-by-Week Timeline for Independent Artists
Great songs still need a plan. This step-by-step timeline takes you from finished master to release week and beyond, with a checklist you can reuse.
Creator Guides
Plain-English guides to royalties, splits, tempo, keys, distribution and promotion — each linked to a free tool so you can put it into practice.
Royalties, splits & getting paid
Creator Guide
How Independent Artists Make Money: 10 Income Streams Explained
Streaming alone rarely pays the bills. Independent artists build income from several sources at once. This guide explains the main streams and how to put them together.
Creator Guide
How Master Royalties Work: Earning From Your Sound Recordings
The master is the recording itself, and it usually earns the biggest share of streaming money. Here is how master royalties flow, how deals change your share and why ownership matters.
Creator Guide
How Publishing Royalties Work: A Songwriter's Guide to Getting Paid
Publishing royalties are what songwriters earn from the composition itself. This guide explains the income types, who collects them and how different publishing deals change what you keep.
Creator Guide
How Songwriting Splits Work: Dividing a Song Fairly Between Co-Writers
Co-writing is how most songs are made now, and splits decide who gets paid. Learn the common ways to divide a song, what a split sheet should include and how to avoid disputes.
Creator Guide
How Music Producers Get Paid: Fees, Points, Publishing and Beat Leases
Producers can earn from upfront fees, a royalty on the master, a share of the songwriting and beat licensing. This guide explains each model and how they combine in real deals.
Creator Guide
How to Split Song Ownership: A Step-by-Step Guide for Collaborators
When several people make a song, you need two sets of splits: one for the composition and one for the recording. This step-by-step guide shows how to agree, document and register both.
Creator Guide
How Spotify Royalties Work (and Why There Is No Fixed Per-Stream Rate)
Spotify does not pay a set amount per stream. It shares a pool of revenue according to each track's share of listening. Here is how that works and what it means for your income.
Creator Guide
How Music Royalties Work: A Complete Guide for Artists, Songwriters and Producers
Every song earns money through two separate copyrights and several different royalty streams. This guide maps them all, shows who collects each one and explains how to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.
Tempo, keys & music theory
Creator Guide
How Song Keys Work: A Practical Guide for Songwriters and Producers
Keys explain why some chords belong together and others clash. This guide covers scales, chords, relative keys, finding a song’s key and changing it.
Creator Guide
How to Find the BPM of a Song: Five Reliable Methods
From tapping along on your phone to lining a track up in your DAW, here are five dependable ways to measure tempo and check the answer is right.
Creator Guide
What Is BPM? Tempo Explained for Musicians, Producers and DJs
Beats per minute is the most useful number in music production. Here is what it actually measures, how it shapes a song and how to work with it.
Releasing & promoting music
Creator Guide
How to Plan a Music Release: A Week-by-Week Timeline for Independent Artists
Great songs still need a plan. This step-by-step timeline takes you from finished master to release week and beyond, with a checklist you can reuse.
Creator Guide
How to Promote an Afrobeats Song: A Practical Playbook for Independent Artists
Afrobeats spreads through dance floors, DJ sets, short videos and diaspora communities. This playbook shows independent artists how to work each channel honestly.
Creator Guide
How to Distribute Your Music to Spotify, Apple Music and Beyond
A distributor is how independent music reaches streaming services. Here is what they do, how to choose one and how to deliver a release without problems.
Creator Guide
Album vs EP vs Single: What’s the Difference and Which Should You Release?
Singles, EPs and albums do different jobs. Learn how platforms usually classify them and how to pick the right format for where your career is now.