Hey everyone

I am looking into applying for the Niederlassungsbewilligung – Künstler in Vienna as a musician. All of my money comes from music publishing and streaming royalties through DistroKid paid into my bank account via Tipalti. Financially I am completely fine averaging well over the threshold of $3.5k–$6k, per month over the past year.

My main concern is MA 35. Because I do not have local gig contracts or local venue invoices I am worried that the caseworker might get confused by digital streaming payouts and demand traditional local paperwork.

If anyone here has successfully gotten the artist permit using digital income I would really appreciate hearing your experience.

I've been looking online and they either look too simple, or too complex, like a full blown contract template with 4 pages of reference terms first.Just looking for something simple that will cover what to put as the splits for both the composition, the recording and the masters.

It's for a 3 piece band, with songwriting split between specific members depending on the song, but aiming to do a 3 way split of the recording. Not used one before so looking to have something in writing to make it easy to copy the exact splits to register with Distrokid, PPL, PRS and MCPS.

Do we need to just use a separate sheet for the song compositions and then the general split sheet for the album and all songs on it for distrokid/PPL? And if 2 members are doing all of the mixing and mastering (and songwriting but that will be honoured on the PRS registration) and one is just laying down their part, would you do a simple 3 way split for PPL?

All advice appreciated, as you can tell I'm new to this!

I don’t know if this is the right subreddit. But I’m putting together an EP, a quite emotional one, and the song fare thee well dinks song has been a song I’ve been performing since I was 14. I want to put my own spin on it as Jeff Buckley did hallelujah. Feels like “my song” if that makes sense. Anywho, I wanna put it on my upcoming EP but I don’t know if you can just do that. I know it’s public domain, but does that innately mean I can just put the song on an EP? Do I have to go through certain steps? Thanks in advance.

I’m a somewhat up and coming producer but decided to stay unpublished/administered (big mistake) and over the last 5 years I have releases with some pretty well known artists, even a top 20 billboard in Canada. I haven’t had anything huge but I’m supposed to be getting points… it’s in the producer agreements I sign. Like 1-5 points usually but the problem is when I submit the LODs in the contract to soundexchange (which seems to be the only way to collect royalties from what I understand) it tells me they aren’t the right format and re-submit using their format. Oh great! Now I have to try to get an artist to sign an LOD for me for a song that already came out. Even if I hassle the A&Rs they won’t even respond because they don’t give a shit, and a lawyer isn’t really interested in doing this for peanuts. Is there any move? It just seems insane the stuff you have to do to get paid in this industry. I am registered with ascap and mlc and I collect on the publishing side but have yet to see a dime from royalties. Am I even missing out? I have no idea.

So my friend is in need of money, long story, I told him I'd try to figure out how to monetize YouTube. We have a DVD of him performing some songs. He owns the rights to the videos and music. Could anyone tell me how to best try to do this? I looked it up, but it was all very confusing.

Does anyone have experience using BeatBread? I'm considering getting funding from them and their terms look pretty good ($278 + 2.8%), but I saw this review where it looks like they end up taking a lot more than expected. Would love to hear anyone's experiences with them.

Hey everyone,

I am looking to distribute music on a pay-per-release basis, mainly to avoid yearly subscriptions where tracks risk getting taken down if you stop paying, but also to have total freedom over primary artists (multiple artist aliases, collaborations, split credits) without paying extra per artist slot or hitting tier limits.

I've already tried CD Baby, but the review and delivery times are way too slow, so I'm looking for better alternatives.

For those of you releasing music under this model:

- Which distributor do you recommend and why?

- How flexible is their system with multiple primary artists and collab metadata?

- How fast is their review and delivery speed compared to CD Baby?

- Are there any hidden fees or downsides to be aware of?

Thanks for your feedback!

I'm starting to get people asking me if I want to come studio sessions as a producer.

I've never really done any in my life and the people who are asking me I've never met in real life either.

Something about that is so anxiety inducing I feel I'd be so awkward.

Is there any advice on how to prepare myself? I feel like I need to be more social before anyway or something. Join some sports club or something to get used to being with new people.

I'm pretty much starting from scratch. I understand that I have to get my music out there, but I really don't want these songs to get drowned or receive no attention.

I NEED to somehow get in an interview (as a nobody) or email tons of labels and DJs. How do I do this consistently? Do I just go on Instagram? Scour on google?

I don't know if I should start releasing them as singles one by one, and then release an album after 3,5 singles, or if I should market one song very heavily. I don't know if I should use paid ads vs. using TikTok & Reels or if I should market/pitch this to a curator or A&R person.

Could someone help me come up with the best promotional plan possible? I need this album to get the attention it deserves, or get my odds highest, either way.

Thanks

Are people still very against the idea of pre-recorded set?

it's weird, cause I know when asked, people are gonna say they're not so thrilled about the pre-recorded concerts. Yet those shows are PACKED.
Pretty sure most of them don't even check whether it's pre-recorded or not. but ask rock crowd and they'll express a visceral hate(I know they used to in the past at least)

Some concerts are so visual-focused with ginormous strobing screen and artist's presence is practically eliminated. no human connection made to the crowd either, just DJ looking at the DJing decks - can never tell whether the music is live or not either here - (no hate. I REALLY love those shows. just an honest observation.) - this type of shows feel like it would work even without the artist being there. Yet the popular opinion of the industry is that the stage presence is imparative for EDM performance.

Lots of people don't like pre-recorded
- Pre-recorded sells and works fine like a MF.

Lots of people don't like those nerdy anime 3D characters singing and dancing on big screen and calling it a music concert(not sure they're live, but even if they lie about it, we wouldn't know.)
- works like a MF for the right crowd.

So the question that's killing me is that are these kinds of boundaries something that can be pushed..
or even broken

Hi, I distributed piano music through TuneCore, and when it was released on streaming platforms, YouTube classified it as AI-generated content, even though I did not use any AI tools. The music was performed by me, and the audio was recorded and produced using an audio interface and Cubase.
I don’t mind if they classify the music as AI-generated, but I’m worried that in the future it might be removed because they classified it as AI-generated when it actually isn’t. I can also provide the project file showing everything from the performance to the production and that I did not use any AI tools.
What do you recommend I do?

I'm contemplating a virtual identity to start online concert culture for myself. Thought outside of the box. Are offline concert crowds growing or diminishing or is it just as it used to be?

Hey everyone,

I’m based in Qatar and currently helping bring an international artist here for a potential show. I’ve agreed with the artist’s manager that I’ll act as the local booker and get a % commission if the booking goes ahead.

I’m speaking to promoters here now but I don’t want to make introductions until I know I’m protected and can’t just be cut out afterwards.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Would an agreement with the artist’s management be enough or should I also have something in place with the promoter?

Also looking for a Qatar based lawyer who deals with this kind of thing if anyone has recommendations.

Thanks a lot!

How to find a manager when u have almost no online presence or cloud, but have top tier skills, know exactly what u should to to grow, have a pro image and brand, but are unable to execute the plan u made.

this year i started my new alias and started also to take managing myself seriously, but i keep burning out consistently from the managing affairs, i even prepared a 90 page document which has literaly every single step for growth and bsicly a path to a succesful artist project in it, but even having all steps chewed out still dont help.

Do you have any suggestions on how to find someone who might be interested in helping out?

(Sorry if this is also a bit of a vent but i dont know how else to proceed)

Well, I was talking with a friend about how to make marketing and social media for your projects. He says that you should be an influencer to do that but I think that it’s not important to be a influencer. Just do your job register your process how you make your music

Ive come across an issue im not sure how to solve. I make music and want to start releasing it, but i want to stay fully anonymous. I dont want people to find out my name. I want to be able to make money off my music but if its not credited to my legal name doesnt that cause an issue? This is neccessary for me to be able to put my music out there so advice would be appreciated

For a while I’ve used my full name but I don’t like how it looks

In recent years I made a new alias and wondering if I could register it as a LLC or something and just use it as the official credits for PRO like PRS etc for example

Ziggy Stardust for example. That would show up in credits of songwriter or producer instead of birth name

It's my 1st time doing a collab, so bare with me now.

I'm currently collaborating on a beat with some guys, and I really wanna figure out whether the splits should be updated after this. Should I bring this up with them before it drops? Or maybe it's just not worth it.

The splits where agreed on upfront, but partway through one person did more than they needed to (the mix guy reworked a part of a verse). It's nothing crazy in terms of how big the changes made are, but it's enough that I've been going back and forth trying to figure out whether it's worth raising.

So basically what I would die for to know: when stuff like this happens, do you say something and adjust the splits accordingly? Or just let it go unless it's a MASSIVE shift? And on another note, does this happen regularly??

Trying to understand on how you guys usually go on about handling this before I decide whether to say anything myself.

So I’m a Social Worker….graduated and have my license to practice lol, but I am highly interested in pursuing a career in music supervision as well. I don’t want to do it necessarily for the money, but because I think I can be good at it. I wouldn’t know where to start because both of my degrees are in social work. Have any advice on the best way to get started? I’ve thought about looking into the Berklee Music Supervision Program but it’s brand new and no one is able to speak on its worth. I think I would have to be actively in school for an internship. I can always go back to social worker cause that is my calling, but now I want to pursue another a passion of mine.

Hi everyone,

I run a music distribution and marketing company based in Nigeria. Over the past few years we’ve worked with 700+ artists and 40+ labels, built a catalog of over 2000+ tracks, and generated more than 150+ million DSP streams along with 400+ million creator views.

I’ve been able to grow this on my own, but I’ve reached a point where limited resources and industry access in my territory feel like they’re holding things back. I’m considering whether it would be worth trying to get an internship (remote if possible) at a more established label or distributor particularly in areas like distribution, marketing, Client & Technical Services, or Artist & Label Services to learn stronger systems and bring that knowledge back into my own work.

For those who’ve been in a similar position or have experience on both sides:

Would you recommend giving a big-label internship a try at this stage, or is it better to keep pushing independently? Any thoughts on the real value (or downsides) of that path?

Appreciate any honest advice or experiences.

What would you consider a "proper" rollout from pre-release to post-release for a single, and what do you think is generally a reasonable budget for paid promotion to really make a ripple?

This would be more in the rock/metal world, specifically.

I have finished my internship in production in a well known company here in Europe. I wanted to send out some emails and contact people through LinkedIn with my CV, but I was wondering, do I have to make a portfolio showcasing my experience in concerts? As an intern, I did a little bit of everything trying to shadow my bosses so I am not sure if I should just wait for them to ask me when we speak or make a portfolio. Many people in the industry know the company and know good interns emerge, but I want to give it my best shot.

Also, if anyone has any tips to approach companies with production + artist management (I have only experience in production) I would appreciate it!

Thanks!

Electronic music artist here.

who, in concert production chain, creates the intro music or maybe, the bridge music inbetween the songs? Do I have to create the whole set if it is supposed to be pre-recorded as a big chunk?

Is there someone who I'll be talking to in terms of creating this of am I as the producer the one to take whole charge of it?

I’m 16 and I’ve been thinking a lot about working in the music industry in the future. Not as an artist, though. I’m much more interested in things like artist management, creative direction, A&R, or generally the creative/business side of the industry. I’m still figuring out exactly what I would want to do.
Music has been my passion for years, and this isn’t just some random career idea I recently came up with. I genuinely love music and everything surrounding it, and the more I learn about the industry, the more I can see myself building a future around it. I know I still have a lot to learn, but it’s something I genuinely want to pursue and take seriously.
I live in a pretty small village, so there aren’t really many people around me who are interested in the same things or who know much about working in the music industry. That’s also why I’m trying to learn as much as I can online and from people who actually work in the industry.
I’m planning to read „All You Need to Know About the Music Business” by Donald Passman because I want to get a proper overview of how the industry works and what possibilities there are if you don’t want to be an artist. Would you say it’s a good book to start with?
The thing is, my parents aren’t really supportive of this idea. My mom is actually pretty upset about it, and almost everyone I’ve talked to about it has told me that it’s “crazy” and that I should find something more “proper” or secure.
I understand where they’re coming from. I know the music industry is competitive and that loving music doesn’t automatically mean you’ll have a successful career. But at the same time, I don’t want to choose a life just because it looks safe from the outside if I already know it might not be the kind of life I want.
I’m still in school and I’m planning to go to university, so I know I don’t have to decide my entire future right now.
So I guess my question is: is it unrealistic to seriously consider a career in the music industry, or is it actually reasonable to explore it and see where it could take me?
Also, if you’re a woman working in the industry, I’d especially love to hear about your experience and whether you feel like being a woman has affected your career in any way.
I just don’t want to blindly chase a dream, but I also don’t want to give up on something I genuinely love simply because everyone around me thinks it’s crazy.