Joe George: February Release

In Joe George’s second installment of the year, Leave It At The Door, he provides a quiet reflection of the times we live in. Joe’s smooth, buttery voice leaves an imprint of compassion and heartbreak. A slow-moving harmony underpins a wonderful bed for his lyrics to inspire a respite from the everyday. With the sustain of the last chord lingering into a nearly empty studio it brings an open mind and heart to whatever tomorrow will bring with the hope that you will leave your demons and monsters at the door. Thank you, Joe, for the reminder to breathe.

With school shootings, fascist leaders, mass incarceration, war, nuclear threats, and distracting headlines that don’t stop it’s hard to take a moment to be with yourself let alone other people. This song is a reminder that on a deep spiritual level we are only human. It reminds us to listen to others that feel differently. Reminds us that the combination of two contrasting opinions can meet in the middle with compromise and transparency. Reminds us that disagreement is natural. Reminds us that we need to have dialogue with each other to understand each other—or better yet—love each other.

Musicians: 4 Ways to Begin Collecting Performance Royalties

When you choose to play music for a living you must be creative with how you pad your pockets. Royalties can seem really complicated, but with the help of two articles and four simple steps you’ll be collecting them in no time at all.

Chris Robley gives you simple steps to collect performance royalties. If you make original music and you play it live it’s time to start submitting your set lists to major Performing Rights Organizations (PROs). This blog walks you through ways to submit through ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC.

In addition to performance royalties Kaitlyn Raterman gives musicians a very detailed overview of all the royalty categories that a musician—independent or otherwise—can collect on. This article provides the building blocks to demystify a world that many independent musicians don't understand. 

Here are quick steps you can take to start collecting today: 

Register with a PRO

Affiliate yourself with ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC.

Register Music

Submit your original music; you need to do this to collect performance royalties.

Gig Log

Stay organized with an excel sheet with set lists, venues, and submission deadlines.

Submit

This is where you wait. It can take some time for your PRO to compensate you. 

In doing these four actions you will begin to reap the benefits of writing, performing, and submitting your music through your PRO.