In the age of streaming, where musicians get paid bugger all for a play, I thought it might be worth talking about royalties. I don’t know the exact figure these days, but it feels like something ridiculous — three-tenths of a thousandth of a cent per stream. Whatever the number is, it’s not exactly paying the mortgage.
Now, royalties are something we’ve actually received over the years, and our experience has been quite entertaining. Our first royalty cheque was enough to buy a coffee each.
The next one – a coffee and a muffin. A few months later, we had enough for a takeaway curry each (very tasty too if I recall). And then, over time, the numbers got a bit more interesting. A weekend away here and there. It all started adding up.
The funny thing is that it all came from one song. The reason? It got synced somewhere.
Many years ago, a very well-known record producer in England listened to some of our music and gave me the advise: “If you want to make money, get your music synced somewhere.”
For those unfamiliar with the term, sync licensing is when music is placed in television shows, films, advertisements, video games, documentaries, or online content be it a podcast, or web series. That’s where the real royalty opportunities begin.
I still think one of the most exciting things that could happen to us as songwriters is hearing our track pop up in a major series or film. Imagine landing a placement in a Netflix show that’s streamed all over the world. That’s where songs can start earning long after you’ve had a wee burst of interest upon releasing.
Will it make you rich enough to buy a mansion and a fleet of Rolls-Royces? Definitely not. But compared with relying solely on streaming revenue, it’s a completely different game.
If you’re a successful live band, touring helps. Merchandise sales help, and maybe selling a few records at a gig. Those things can absolutely contribute to making music financially sustainable. But if you’re a studio-based artist like us, or if you’re hoping streaming alone will generate meaningful income, the reality can be pretty sobering. That’s why I always come back to the same advice. Think sync.
If you’re writing and recording original music, don’t just focus on getting streams. Think about where your music could live. Could it work in a television drama, a documentary, an advertisement or a film soundtrack?
Because after years of making music, watching streaming numbers come and go, and cashing royalty cheques (bank transfer these days), I’ve become convinced of one thing: The real money isn’t in the streams. It’s in the syncs.
