Selling direct, sync licensing, and building a music career you own.
A music cue sheet logs every cue in a film or TV show so PROs can pay you. What goes on one, who files it, a sample layout, free templates and what to check.
ASCAP vs BMI from their own sites, checked October 2026: joining fees, publisher rules, contract terms and exit windows, payment timing and minimum payouts.
How to copyright a song in the US: why to register, PA vs SR, every eCO option and fee (checked October 2026), the steps, and the poor man’s copyright myth.
A free split sheet template to copy, a filled-in example, how co-writers decide splits, what happens without one, and how to register splits with your PRO.
What a music supervisor does day to day, the main types, how people get into music supervision, what the job pays, and how artists get on their radar.
What an electronic press kit is, what to put in it, four EPK examples by artist type, a copy-paste template, and how to host and send it as one link.
The next Bandcamp Friday is 6 November 2026, then 4 December. Every 2026 date, the Pacific Time window, what Bandcamp waives and what artists still pay.
You can’t upload to Spotify yourself. How to get music on Spotify through a distributor, claim Spotify for Artists, pitch editors and get verified in 2026.
Undetectr six-month results: our 100-track test recorded 98 acceptances, continued availability, royalties and playlist activity. Read our follow-up.
Explore WaveQuake Covers: turn audio, lyrics and humming ideas into songs. See real studio screenshots, melody controls, two versions and current pricing.
WaveQuake Soundprint guide: our Dua Lipa-inspired test turned an artist reference into a musical brief and two songs. See real screenshots and results.
Cynqo review: explore AI music for TV, radio and podcasts, Played briefs, the US$15,000 listed budget, current pricing and the route from track to pitch.
Croonio review: explore personalised AI song pitches, editable lyrics, listening pages, Instantly handoff, two free credits and current Starter pricing.
WaveQuake review for artists selling directly: explore songwriting, one-time pricing, mastering, file delivery and the commercial licence boundaries.
Suno V6 launched on 9 September 2026 with Warner and BMG behind it. Cleaner audio, three models, a 20-download cap, and every older model retired. What changed, what people actually think, and whether you can still sell it.
Since 3 September 2026 Suno caps downloads at 7 lifetime on free, 20 a month on Pro and 60 on Premier, retroactively. What counts as a download, what extras cost, and how to spend the allowance if you sell what you make.
Suno is retiring every model before V6 as part of its Warner settlement. Your songs stay in the library, but covers and extensions now run on V6 and your rights follow the plan that made them. Here is what is safe, what changes, and what to export first.
Where the Suno lawsuits stand in September 2026: Warner settled and co-built V6, GEMA won in Munich, Sony and Universal are still in court. What the deal contains, what it leaves unbuilt, and who owns the songs you make.
The honest breakdown of how musicians earn in 2026: what live, direct sales, sync, fan subscriptions and streaming each really pay, why streaming is reach and not income, and the order to build them in when you are starting from nothing.
Compare DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, LANDR and Amuse: AI eligibility, model requirements, disclosure and delivery exclusions. Official policies reviewed September 11, 2026.
Yes — Spotify has no blanket ban on AI music. The real obstacles are your distributor’s AI policy, its upload classifier, DDEX disclosure metadata and ongoing fraud rescans. Here are the five gates a track passes, and what it actually earns.
What Songtradr costs in 2026, how the Lite and Pro commission tiers actually work, what the credit system means for submissions, its AI music policy, and the alternatives worth comparing before you pay.
How to spot AI-generated music by ear and by tool, what detectors actually scan for, how often they misfire on human tracks, and what to do if your own music gets wrongly flagged.
DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, Amuse, UnitedMasters and RouteNote compared on what they actually cost in 2026: subscription versus commission, the break-even points, what happens when you stop paying, and their AI music policies.
The royalty streams an independent artist can earn in 2026, which organisation collects each one, the actual 2026 rates, Spotify’s 1,000-stream rule, and the money most artists never claim.
What an ISRC code is, how the 12 characters break down, how to get them free from your distributor or $95 direct from the RIAA, when a recording needs a new one, and how ISRCs differ from UPCs.
Most free music distribution tiers disappeared in 2025 and 2026. Here is what is genuinely still free, the commission-vs-upfront math, the hidden costs, and the extra hurdle if your music is AI-generated.
Bandcamp keeps 15% of digital and 10% of physical sales, plus processing. What’s left from a $10 album, the $5,000 rule, Bandcamp Friday and how Played compares.
Why raw AI generations sound amateur and how to fix it: a step-by-step guide to cleaning up, mastering and finishing Suno and Udio tracks so they sound release-ready and sell.
Is it legal to sell AI music, can you copyright it, and do you actually own what you make with Suno or Udio? A plain-English guide to AI music rights, commercial licenses, and how to sell AI songs safely.
Udio vs Suno compared for 2026: audio quality, vocals, song control, stems, commercial rights and pricing — plus how to actually sell the music you make with either one.
A producer’s guide to selling beats online in 2026: where to sell, how licensing (lease vs exclusive) works, how to price your beats, and how to keep 100% by selling direct to artists.
A practical guide to building a music fanbase from scratch in 2026: the 1,000 true fans model, owning your audience with an email list, turning listeners into buyers, and the release habits that compound.
Per-stream payout rates for Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, YouTube Music, Deezer and Amazon in 2026, a royalty calculator, the 1,000-stream rule and what you keep.
A rundown of the best AI music generators in 2026, what to look for in commercial rights and quality, and how to sell the tracks you create on a platform that welcomes AI music.
A working handbook for selling Suno music: which plan grants commercial rights, the seven days from export to a track someone can buy, what each revenue route really pays, and the platform numbers Played.fm publishes in full — including the ones that look bad.
A practical guide to making money with AI music: the revenue streams that actually pay, the step-by-step release process, and how to sell AI-generated tracks direct to fans and keep 100%.
Why distributors reject and take down AI-generated music, how AI detection (SynthID, C2PA, spectral fingerprinting) actually works, and the steps artists take to release Suno and Udio tracks that survive on streaming platforms.
A practical guide to selling your music online without a label: direct-to-fan storefronts, pricing, payments, and how to keep every cent of every sale.
The real Bandcamp alternatives in 2026, compared on the only things that matter: what reaches you per sale, who owns the fan list, and whether anyone new ever finds you. With the take-home maths on 100 album sales.
What sync licensing is, the four routes into TV, film, games and ads and what each takes from you, how to make a catalogue supervisor-ready, and where to pitch real briefs while keeping 100%.
What an AI music watermark remover actually does, why Suno and Udio tracks get flagged by SynthID, C2PA and spectral detection, and how to clean AI music so it survives distribution in 2026.
What sync licensing pays and costs in 2026: fee ranges by use, 40 real budgets from live briefs, what moves the price, backend royalties and what you keep.
Every major sync licensing company compared on what it takes, what it locks, what it pays and whether it accepts AI music — plus how to read the contract and which route to start with.
Whether AI-generated music can land sync placements, the rights and detection problems that make buyers nervous, and the exact steps to make a Suno or Udio track sync-ready — clean, cleared and one-stop.
0% commission — keep 100%. Upload a track, set your price, start selling today.
Start selling