Musicians
As the music industry has undergone a massive upheaval over the last few decades, it's become increasingly promising to make a living as an independent musician. There is more music available to listeners than ever, but also more way for artists to become empowered and heard than ever before. Music licensing is one of the most viable sources of income for musicians today. What is just a portion of the budget for filmmakers can make a significant difference in the lives of musicians. We believe that artists must maintain their rights and freedoms, and make music without the fear of losing ownership. To "exploit" a music catalog means to put to work profitably, rather than to oppress. Stay Golden believes in getting the worldâs best music out there, without an agenda.
The benefit to an artist can be great. Music licensing allows the artist to retain the integrity of their work and the autonomy of their business, while providing an independent revenue stream. License fees, streaming platforms, public performance income (collected through your PRO), and exposure gained by synchronization licensing can all contribute to a musician's independence. We encourage all musicians to educate themselves before choosing a licensing, pitching or placement agent, publisher, sub-publisher, publishing administrator, label, etc. Don't give your music away! We live in a rapidly-changing world, and that means there are more opportunities for artists to create their own work independently and license it, rather than signing with a label or selling off masters. Get involved! There are many music conferences held worldwide. They can be a great source of information and provide valuable networking opportunities. Educate yourselves! We recommend reading All You Need To Know About The Music Business, by Donald S. Passman, as well as Music Publishing: The Complete Guide by Steve Winogradsky. Staying informed is the best way to protect your work. Explore The Worldwide Independent Music Industry Network's website and learn more about the Fair Digital Deals Declaration. You are your own advocate! Read how Alison Wenham, of The Association of Independent Music (AIM), explains why 'Independent Music is a Growing Force in the Global Music Market'. There are also dozens of worldwide annual music conferences, which is a wonderful way to educate yourself and connect with other musicians, and with the very people to whom you will ultimately be pitching your music.
The range of music licensing fees is wide. Private videos containing audio material posted to web portals (e.g. YouTube) may be licensed for $1-5. Corporate communications videos as well as online and radio commercials can require licensing fees of $100 to over $1,000. Music licensed for TV commercials and film can cost more than $10,000. High-end TV spots and custom songs for film can easily surpass $100,000. The objective of Stay Golden is to work closely with Music Supervisors to place our artistsâ music in the most exciting broadcasts, films, commercials, campaigns and new media. Some productions might have smaller budgets with a valuable following and/or artistic value. Some might be willing to pay high fees for highly commercial projects. We work with the artist to determine when exceptions may be made on both sides.
Sync licensing is quickly becoming once of the most important revenue streams in the global music market today. An increase in digital, performance rights and sync revenues, combined with the rise of rapidly growing emerging markets, contributed to a 0.2% rise in global trade revenue generated by the recorded music industry back in 2012, totaling $16.5 billion in global recorded music sales. More importantly, 2012 was the first year of industry growth since 1999. Synchronization grew 2.1% and totaled $337 million, up from $330 million. Cut to 2021, and sync continues to grow. Sync licensing now makes up over 2.5% of the global music industry, approximately $1.2 billion US dollars. And donât forget to focus on your streaming presence. By 2019, revenue from digital album downloads amounted to $394.5 million U.S. dollars, less than half the figure recorded in 2016. Meanwhile, subscription and streaming revenues have been increasing annually and reached $8.83 billion in 2019, making up the vast majority of revenues for the entire music industry. Performance rights revenue continues to hold strong, making up 12.6% of all global music revenue in 2019. Global revenues from physical were continue to fall, from almost 90% of all global revenue in 2001 to about 20% in 2019. The global market has seen steady growth as a whole thanks to streaming and sync since about 2014, from total revenue of $14 billion to $20 billion USD.
As you can see, all revenue streams tracked within the music industry grew in in the last 5 years - globally and domestically - with the exception of physical. Therefore, this is the most important time for artists to properly market their music for licensing and manage expectations of consistent profits on physical sales, which are trending down rapidly. The message is: mechanical music sales are still alive and contributing to industry revenues. It is, however, a dying medium, and streaming now rules. But licensing is still competing with global sales of all mediums.