Subnostr

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I need a little help understanding the differences between music that has royalty fees attached and music that is royalty-free and how it impacts the writers of the songs financially, either positively or negatively.

I know many artists write their own songs, but there are also many songwriters who aren't performers, either by choice or by circumstance, and they don't have merch to sell. The only thing of real value they offer is the songs they write.

How does their making their songs V4V/royalty-free help or hinder them?

Joe Martin 🎶🟠⚡ 2y ago

As far as I understand, a song is copyrighted as soon as it's written and as long as you can prove you wrote it, you should get paid whenever it gets played anywhere and companies like ASCAP and BMI in the States and PRS in the UK collect those payments on your behalf once you become a member. This is why every business that plays music in a public space needs a PRS license and any live gig you do over a certain size will ask you to fill in a PRS form (I don't know how that bit works in the states). Uploading your music to a value for value platform is almost like licensing your music for free so anyone can play it or listen for free, as long as any value that is sent is finding it's way back to you, then it's a voulantary choice and opt in. If a singer sang a song written by somebody else, they would just have to privately negotiate that value split on a V4V model. I can personally say I have made more from V4V this year than I have had from PRS all previous years combined (excluding royalties for live performance)

Hope this helps

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Discussion

Obi-₿it Koinobi 2y ago

Yeah, it helps. I'm just trying to understand how V4V will impact the industry moving forward. I expect there will be people who've had careers that may not have them in the new paradigm if they don't understand how to adapt to it. Same as in the financial industry. And it's not the people at the top who've gotten fat off others, the sleazy record label executives. It's the performers/musicians and songwriters I worry will get left behind.

Joe Martin 🎶🟠⚡ 2y ago

I think V4V is very intuitive when you explain it to people, it's just the bitcoin part people struggle with I find. I think once it gets easier, it will be a no brainer for artists going forward