Industry News

Top 3 Industry News
Your Rights. Your Music. Your Money.

🗞️ Story 1 — Congress Just Introduced a Law to Give Independent Artists Power Against Spotify and AI

A new proposed federal law called the Protect Working Musicians Act was reintroduced on May 21st by Rep. Deborah Ross, which would allow independent musicians to team up and collectively negotiate licenses with AI companies and streaming platforms to help them demand fair compensation. The bill would allow independent artists to come together to negotiate with streaming services — and also to collectively refuse to license their music if the terms were not satisfactory — covering both streaming and AI training.

What this means for you: For the first time, independent artists could have the legal ability to negotiate as a group against platforms like Spotify and Apple Music — and refuse to license their music to AI companies on bad terms. This is one of the most significant proposed protections for indie artists in years. Pay attention to this one.

🔗 Article

🗞️ Story 2 — Independent Artists Are Fighting Back Against a Copyright Fee Hike

A coalition of ten major music organizations — led by A2IM and joined by the Artist Rights Alliance, Recording Academy, Songwriters of North America, and others — has filed opposition against the US Copyright Office's proposed 43% average increase to copyright registration fees, arguing the change would price many independent creators out of the system. The coalition notes that registration is required for statutory damages, attorney's fees, and Copyright Claims Board access — making higher fees a direct barrier to copyright enforcement for independent artists and smaller rights-holders.

What this means for you: Copyright registration is one of the most important protections you have as an independent artist. If these fees go up, protecting your music becomes more expensive and harder to access. Register your songs now at copyright.gov before any changes take effect.

🔗 Full breakdown

🗞️ Story 3 — Sony's AI Lawsuit Could Set a Landmark Ruling This Summer

Sony Music has settled with neither Suno nor Udio, and its fair-use cases against both AI companies are expected to produce a pivotal ruling this summer 2026. Warner Music settled with Suno in November 2025 and UMG settled with Udio in October 2025 — Sony is the only major still in court, and the outcome could set a landmark precedent for how AI companies are allowed to use copyrighted music going forward.

What this means for you: Whatever Sony's ruling produces this summer will reshape the rules of AI and music for every artist — signed or independent. If Sony wins, AI companies will have to license music before training. If they lose, your music could be fair game with no compensation required. Watch this space closely.

🔗 More here

Tip Of The Week

Tip You Need To Know
💡You're Leaving Money on the Table — Here's Where to Find It

Most independent artists are earning less than they should — not because they're not talented, not because they're not working hard, but because they don't know where all their money actually lives.

Streaming is just one revenue stream. And for most independent artists, it's the smallest one relative to what's available. Here's a breakdown of the money most artists are missing right now:

1. Unclaimed Mechanical Royalties Every time your song is streamed, downloaded, or reproduced — a mechanical royalty is generated. If you're not registered with a mechanical licensing organization like the MLC (Mechanical Licensing Collective) in the US, that money sits in a pool unclaimed. It doesn't come to you automatically. You have to register at themlc.com — it's free, and the money is already there waiting.

2. Performance Royalties You're Not Collecting Every time your music plays on radio, TV, in a bar, at a venue, or in a store — a performance royalty is generated. If you're not registered with a PRO (ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC in the US), that money disappears. Registration is free. If you're already registered but haven't submitted your setlists after live performances, you're leaving money on the table every single show.

3. Sync Licensing Opportunities Sync is one of the biggest untapped revenue streams for independent artists — placing your music in films, TV shows, commercials, video games, and YouTube channels. A single sync placement can pay anywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. Start by making sure your music is properly split-documented and registered, then explore platforms like Musicbed, Artlist, or Pond5 to get your catalog in front of music supervisors.

4. YouTube Content ID If your music is on YouTube — whether you uploaded it or someone else did — and you're not enrolled in Content ID, you're not collecting revenue from those plays. Most distributors offer Content ID enrollment. Check yours and make sure it's activated for every song in your catalog.

5. Direct Fan Revenue Streaming pays fractions of a penny. Your fans will pay you far more directly — through memberships, exclusive content, early access drops, merch bundles, and experiences. The artists making real money in 2026 aren't waiting for their stream count to go up. They're building direct relationships with their most loyal fans and monetizing those relationships intentionally.

The money is there. It's just not coming to you automatically — you have to go get it.

Your music is working harder than you think. Make sure you're getting paid for all of it.

How to do it — your checklist this week:

• Register at themlc.com for mechanical royalties (free)

• Register with ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC if you haven't (free)

• Submit past setlists to your PRO for live performance royalties

• Check your distributor settings and activate Content ID for your catalog

• Explore a one sync licensing platform this week

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Tools For Your Career
24/7 Artists Catalog Manager

You just learned where your money lives. Now here's how to make sure you can actually collect it.

Most independent artists have their songs scattered across Google Drive, random folders, text messages, and three different spreadsheets. No ISRC codes. Missing metadata. No split documentation. No registration records. That's not just disorganized — it's lost money and zero legal protection.

The 24/7 Artists Catalog Manager fixes that.

It's your single source of truth for everything related to your music — built to get your catalog organized, documented, and ready to generate every dollar it's owed. When you want to collect mechanical royalties through the MLC, register with your PRO, pitch for a sync placement, or make a deal with a brand or label — you need your catalog information complete and accessible. The Catalog Manager makes sure it is.

What it tracks for each song:

• ISRC codes, UPC, release date, writers, and producers

• Split sheets and contributor approvals

• Uploaded files — WAVs, stems, instrumentals, and artwork

• Agreements and contracts per song

• Registration status across PROs and distributors

Given this week's tip about collecting every dollar your music earns — the Catalog Manager is where you build the paper trail that makes that possible. You can't collect what you haven't documented. Start there.

Your music is working. Make sure you can prove it.

👇 Open the Catalog Manager inside your 24/7 Artists dashboard today👇

24/7 Artists Updates

Here’s What’s New
We Updated the Entire Experience — And It's Ready For You

We've been building — and the new 24/7 Artists dashboard is here.

If you haven't created your account yet, now is the time. What's waiting on the other side is a completely rebuilt experience designed around one simple idea: you don't have to figure it out alone anymore.

The moment you log in, you'll see one question: "What are you working on today?"

Tell us — and we'll line up the exact tools to get you there. No menus to dig through. No guessing where to start. Just the right tools, matched to where you are and where you're trying to go.

Here's what's inside:

🎯 Career GPS — No more guessing what to do next. Your daily moves, your goals, and your next steps — all mapped out and ready to execute. Your career on autopilot.

🗂️ Catalog Manager — Stop losing money you've already earned. Every song, every split, every file, every registration — all in one place.

📊 Streaming Calculator — Find out exactly what your streams are worth. Real numbers, no guessing.

💰 Direct to Fan Guide — Your fans are ready to pay you more than streaming ever will. Build your direct-to-fan campaign in 5 minutes.

🎓 Workshops — The industry's best minds. On demand. Built specifically for independent artists.

🤝 Partner Tools — Including Too Lost to manage your music rights and maximize your revenue everywhere your music lives.

And we're adding more every week — tools across Creative, Management, Productivity, Marketing, Education, Wellness, and Finance categories — all built around what independent artists actually need.

The goal hasn't changed: give every independent artist the infrastructure that used to only exist inside major labels.

Creating your account takes less than 2 minutes. Everything is free to access. Everything is ready right now.

You don't have to figure it out alone. We built this so you don't have to.