# Music Revenue Streams Guide

*Greyscale Music Group — Artist Management Toolkit · Money Kit*

A complete map of how money flows to a modern recording + performing artist. For each stream you'll see **what it is**, **who pays it**, **who collects it / where it's registered**, and **realistic ranges** so you can sanity-check what's landing in the account.

The single most important idea: **most artists have two separate businesses living inside one career — the RECORDING (the master) and the SONG (the composition/publishing).** They pay out on different pipes, to different collectors, on different timelines. If you only think about Spotify, you are leaving real money on the table.

---

## Quick mental model

```
                         ┌─────────────────────────┐
   THE MASTER (recording)│   THE SONG (composition) │
   "the actual audio"    │   "the lyrics + melody"  │
   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
   Owned by: artist/label│   Owned by: songwriter(s)│
                         │   + publisher            │
   Collected via:        │   Collected via:         │
   • Distributor/label   │   • PRO (ASCAP/BMI/SESAC)│
   • SoundExchange       │   • MLC (mechanicals)    │
   • Sync license (master)│  • Publishing admin     │
                         │   • Sync license (sync)  │
   └─────────────────────┴─────────────────────────┘
```

Two copyrights, two revenue engines. Every stream below belongs to one or both.

---

## 1. Recorded music (the master)

### 1a. Streaming (the big one)
**What:** On-demand audio/video streams on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, TIDAL, Deezer, etc.

**Who pays:** The platform (DSP) pays the **rights-holder of the master** — for an independent artist that's the **distributor** (DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, Symphonic, UnitedMasters, Amuse, etc.), who passes it to you minus their cut/fee.

**Who collects / where registered:** Your distributor delivers the tracks and collects master royalties. **Separately**, the *songwriter's* share of streaming (mechanical + performance) flows through the MLC and your PRO — see the Royalties guide. A streaming play generates money on **both** the master pipe and the song pipe.

**Realistic ranges (per-stream, master side, USD):**
- Spotify: ~$0.003–$0.005
- Apple Music: ~$0.007–$0.01
- Amazon: ~$0.004
- YouTube (Content ID / Music): ~$0.0008–$0.003
- TIDAL: ~$0.01+ (low volume)
- **Rule of thumb:** ~$3–$5 per 1,000 streams to the master owner, blended across platforms. A track at 100k streams/month ≈ $300–$500/mo to the master before splits.

> **Spotify monetization threshold (2024+):** tracks need ~1,000 streams in the prior 12 months to start earning recording royalties. Plan releases so catalog tracks cross that line.

### 1b. Downloads (still real, mostly niche)
**What:** Paid à-la-carte downloads — iTunes/Apple, Amazon MP3, and crucially **Beatport / Bandcamp** for electronic/house artists.

**Who pays:** The store, via your distributor (iTunes/Amazon) or directly (Bandcamp pays you; Beatport pays through your distributor or label).

**Who collects:** Distributor for the mass stores; **Bandcamp pays the artist directly** (you keep ~80–85% after their fee + payment processing). Beatport is the lane that matters for house/tech-house — DJs still buy WAVs there.

**Ranges:** A $1.29 single download nets ~$0.70–$0.90 to the master owner after store cut. Bandcamp: artist sets the price and keeps the large majority. Beatport track ~$1.49–$2.49; you net roughly 30–70% depending on label/distributor terms.

### 1c. Physical (vinyl, CD, cassette)
**What:** Vinyl is a real revenue + brand item again, especially for dance music and superfans. CDs/cassettes are merch-table items.

**Who pays:** The buyer — sold via Bandcamp, your own store (Shopify), the merch table, or a distributor for retail.

**Who collects:** You (D2C) or your distributor/label (retail). **Note:** if you press physical that contains songs you didn't 100% write, you owe **mechanical royalties** on every unit pressed — see Royalties guide (statutory mechanical rate, ~12¢/song for a 5-min-or-under track as of the current rate period). Budget that into COGS.

**Ranges:** Vinyl 12" retails $25–$40; after pressing (~$8–$14/unit at small runs), sleeves, and fees you net $8–$20/unit D2C. Margins improve sharply at higher volume.

---

## 2. Publishing (the song)

This is the most-neglected money. Every time the *composition* is used, it generates publishing income, split into three buckets:

### 2a. Mechanical royalties
**What:** Owed whenever a **copy** of the song is made — physical pressings, downloads, and **interactive streams** (yes, streaming generates a mechanical too).

**Who pays:** Streaming services and anyone reproducing the song.

**Who collects:**
- **US streaming/download mechanicals → The MLC (Mechanical Licensing Collective), mlc.co.** You must register as a songwriter/publisher to claim these. Unmatched mechanicals pile up if you don't.
- **Physical/download mechanicals** are often handled via Harry Fox / direct or by your distributor's publishing add-on.

**Ranges:** Small per-unit, but adds up. The streaming mechanical is a fraction of a cent per stream on top of the master payout. **If you self-release and never registered with the MLC, this money is sitting unclaimed.**

### 2b. Performance royalties (public performance)
**What:** Owed when the song is **publicly performed** — radio, TV, streaming, live venues, bars, clubs, gyms, restaurants, retail.

**Who pays:** Broadcasters, venues, DSPs (the songwriter's performance share), businesses with music licenses.

**Who collects:** Your **PRO — ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC** (you pick one). They split it into the **writer's share** (paid to you, the writer) and the **publisher's share** (paid to your publishing entity — register one even if it's just you, or you forfeit ~50%).

**Ranges:** Highly variable. Terrestrial radio spins and TV placements pay well; a club DJ set playing your track pays little per play but PROs do sample/log venues. The publisher's share is real money most self-managed artists never collect.

### 2c. Sync (composition side)
Covered in section 6 — sync touches both the master and the song.

---

## 3. Live performance

Usually the **largest single income line** for a working artist, especially in electronic music.

### 3a. Guarantees (the booking fee)
**What:** The flat fee a promoter/venue/festival pays to book the artist, negotiated in the offer/advance.

**Who pays:** Promoter or talent buyer.

**Who collects:** The artist/management, usually via a **deposit (often 50% on signing) + balance on the night** (cash or wire), handled through the booking agent if there is one (agent takes ~10%).

**Ranges (electronic / club lane, USD, wildly market-dependent):**
- Emerging/local: $200–$1,500
- Regional buzz / strong socials: $1,500–$7,500
- Established touring act: $7,500–$25,000+
- Headline festival / brand name: $25,000–$100,000+

### 3b. Door deals & backend
**What:** A percentage of ticket revenue, often structured as **"$X guarantee vs. Y% of net box office, whichever is greater,"** or a straight door split for smaller shows.

**Who pays:** Promoter, settled at end of night against the **settlement sheet** (capacity, ticket counts, comps, expenses).

**Who collects:** Artist/management at settlement. **Always settle in person or get the manifest** — count the house.

**Ranges:** Backend points typically kick in after the promoter recoups costs; deals of "guarantee vs. 85–90% of net after costs" exist for bigger acts.

### 3c. VIP, meet-and-greets, table/bottle splits
**What:** Premium tickets, M&G packages, and (in club world) a cut of VIP table/bottle minimums tied to your night.

**Who pays:** Fans (VIP/M&G) or the venue (table splits).

**Who collects:** Management negotiates these into the deal; VIP/M&G often run through the ticketing platform or a dedicated upsell partner (Laylo, ticketing add-ons).

**Ranges:** M&G $25–$150/fan; VIP packages add 20–50% over GA price; table splits are deal-specific.

---

## 4. Merch

**What:** Apparel, accessories, vinyl/physical, and limited drops. Two channels: **on-the-road (merch table)** and **online (D2C store / fulfillment partner).**

**Who pays:** Fans.

**Who collects:** You — but watch two deductions:
- **Venue merch cut:** Many venues take **10–25% of gross merch sold at the show** (sometimes higher in major markets, sometimes 0% if you negotiate or it's a DIY room). Negotiate this in the advance.
- **Online fulfillment:** Print-on-demand / fulfillment partners take a per-unit or percentage cut.

**Ranges:** Tee COGS $8–$15, retail $30–$40 → $15–$25 gross margin/unit before the venue cut. A healthy show can do **$2–$5 of merch per head** ("per-head" is the key touring metric). Online margins are higher but volume is lower without a tour pushing it.

---

## 5. Brand partnerships & sponsorship

**What:** Paid content, ambassadorships, gear/label endorsements, event title sponsors (very relevant to **TechYes** events), and sponsored social posts.

**Who pays:** Brands directly, or via an agency/influencer platform.

**Who collects:** Artist/management against a **deliverables-based invoice** (e.g., "2 Reels + 3 stories + 1 event mention"). Get a short brand-deal agreement: usage rights, exclusivity window, territory, deadline, payment terms (Net 15/30).

**Ranges:** Heavily follower- and engagement-dependent. Rough creator benchmarks: ~$100–$500 per 10k engaged followers per sponsored post; ambassadorships and event sponsorships are negotiated as packages ($1k–$50k+). For TechYes-style events, sponsorship is sold as tiers (bar sponsor, stage sponsor, title sponsor).

---

## 6. Sync licensing

**What:** Placing music in **film, TV, ads, video games, trailers, social/branded content, and other artists' content.** Often the highest-value single check an indie artist can land.

**Who pays:** The production/brand/agency (the "sync"). A sync requires **two licenses:**
- **Master use license** → paid to the master owner (artist/label/distributor).
- **Sync license** → paid to the song owner (songwriter/publisher).

**Who collects:** Whoever controls each right. If you own both, you get **both checks**. Deals are sourced via **sync agents, music libraries, supervisors, or distributor sync programs** (they take 20–50%). Performance royalties from the placement airing later flow through your **PRO** on top of the upfront fee.

**Ranges (upfront, one feature, very broad):**
- Indie film / student / small podcast: $0–$1,000
- Streaming TV background cue: $1,000–$10,000
- National ad campaign: $15,000–$150,000+
- Trailer / AAA game / major brand: $25,000–$500,000+
- Plus **backend performance royalties** when it airs (TV especially).

---

## 7. Neighboring rights / digital performance (SoundExchange)

**What:** A **master-side** performance royalty paid when the **sound recording** is played on **non-interactive digital radio** — SiriusXM, Pandora (non-interactive tier), webcasters, and internet radio. This is distinct from your PRO (which pays the *song*). Many artists miss this entirely.

**Who pays:** The statutory licensee (SiriusXM, Pandora, etc.).

**Who collects:** **SoundExchange (soundexchange.com).** You register as the **featured artist** and as the **rights owner (label/master owner)**. SoundExchange splits the royalty: **45% featured artist, 5% non-featured musicians (via the AFM/SAG-AFTRA fund), 50% rights owner.** Register both hats to collect all of it.

**International neighboring rights:** Outside the US, neighboring-rights societies pay performers and master owners for broadcast/public performance of recordings. A **neighboring rights administrator** can register and collect these foreign royalties for you (they take a commission). US artists with overseas radio/TV play should look into this.

**Ranges:** Scales with radio/satellite play. Even modest SiriusXM or Pandora rotation produces quarterly checks; for radio-friendly records this is meaningful recurring income.

---

## 8. Creator-platform & direct-fan income

**What:** Money earned on platforms where the artist *is* the creator:
- **YouTube** (ad revenue via AdSense + Content ID claims on your music)
- **TikTok / Instagram** creator funds, bonuses, gifts/Live
- **Twitch** (subs, bits, ads) — big for producers who stream studio sessions/DJ sets
- **Patreon / Bandcamp subscriptions / Ko-fi** — recurring superfan support
- **Laylo** — drops, presale capture, and fan monetization (core to the Greyscale/TechYes/Snooko playbook)
- **Sample packs / presets / Splice** — producers selling sounds

**Who pays:** The platform and/or fans directly.

**Who collects:** The artist's accounts. **Two gotchas:**
1. Your music on **YouTube** earns **both** creator ad revenue *and* the underlying master/publishing royalties — make sure Content ID (via your distributor) is on so you collect on others' uploads too.
2. DJ/live sets streamed on Twitch/YouTube can trigger takedowns if they contain others' masters — use your own/cleared music or accept Content ID claims routing money to rights-holders.

**Ranges:** YouTube ad RPM ~$1–$5 per 1,000 monetized views (genre/geo-dependent). Patreon/subscriptions are the steadiest: 100 fans at $5/mo = $500/mo recurring, minus platform fee. Splice/sample income compounds for active producers.

---

## Putting it together — the collection checklist

To make sure **every** stream above is actually reaching the account, the artist must be registered in every relevant place. Recording streams flow through the **distributor**; song streams flow through your **PRO + the MLC**; digital radio flows through **SoundExchange**; sync flows through **direct deals/agents**; live and merch are **collected at the source.**

> **See the companion document — `Royalties & Registration Guide.md` — for the step-by-step "register everywhere" checklist so no money is left uncollected.**

---

## One-page summary table

| Stream | Right (Master / Song) | Who pays | Collected via |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streaming (master share) | Master | DSPs | Distributor / label |
| Streaming (mechanical) | Song | DSPs | **The MLC** |
| Streaming (performance) | Song | DSPs | **PRO** (ASCAP/BMI/SESAC) |
| Downloads | Master | Stores | Distributor / Bandcamp |
| Physical (vinyl/CD) | Master (+ mechanical owed) | Fans / retail | D2C / distributor |
| Mechanicals (physical/dl) | Song | Reproducer | MLC / HFA / distributor pub |
| Performance (radio/TV/venue) | Song | Broadcasters/venues | **PRO** |
| Live guarantee | — | Promoter | Artist / agent |
| Door / backend | — | Promoter | Settlement |
| VIP / M&G | — | Fans | Ticketing / management |
| Merch (live) | — | Fans | Merch table (− venue cut) |
| Merch (online) | — | Fans | D2C / fulfillment |
| Brand / sponsorship | — | Brands | Invoice (deliverables) |
| Sync — master use | Master | Production/brand | Direct / sync agent / distributor |
| Sync — sync license | Song | Production/brand | Direct / publisher / sync agent |
| Digital radio (SiriusXM/Pandora) | Master | Statutory licensees | **SoundExchange** |
| Neighboring rights (intl) | Master | Foreign societies | Neighboring-rights admin |
| YouTube ad + Content ID | Both | YouTube | AdSense + distributor CID |
| Creator platforms (Twitch/Patreon/Laylo) | — | Platform / fans | Artist accounts |

*Ranges in this guide are realistic working estimates for a US independent artist and will vary by deal, market, genre, and time. Use them to sanity-check statements, not as guarantees.*
