The music industry has gone through many changes since the days of Elvis and the Beatles. From vinyl records to reel-to-reel and then 8-track tapes, to cassettes and then CDs – and now streaming digital music content – musicians, groups and other performers have been through it all.
But with each iteration of musical formats, musicians have had to adapt and embrace whatever platforms will play their songs.
Music creators get short shrift with the payouts
Each streaming service pays its creators fractions of a penny per stream. For red-hot artists and perennial favorites, this can still add up to significant sources of income. But for the up-and-coming rappers, singers and groups who are still hungry for the fame and recognition to translate into dollar signs, it’s time to think outside the box.
That’s why many newer artists release their content in innovative ways that rely less on major record labels than newer revenue sources like non-fungible tokens (NFTs) or monetization opportunities like w3’s.
How to protect copyrights in newer forms of marketing
As artists’ modes of expression expand, there is less relevance on record labels, which traditionally have been intrinsically linked to promoting their creations and getting them heard by their targeted demographics.
But technology and its scalable tools allow independent artists and even some pioneering present-day heavy hitters to reach audiences in innovative ways.
How to protect live performances of songs that don’t physically exist in any realm is a new challenge artists face. Seeking legal guidance in these untested waters can protect your intellectual property rights and the rights to any form of your work project.