S1 Ep 5: The Business Side of the Music Business with Guest Bart Herbison

The Verse Chorus

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The Business Side of the Music Business-with guest Bart Herbison

In this podcast, we have mostly talked about the craft of music and songwriting, but in this episode, we’re talking about the financial and business aspects of the songwriting industry. Our special guest, Bart Herbison is the President of the Nashville Songwriters Association International. He has had an integral role in the way that songwriters are able to make money.

Bart’s Tips for Professional Songwriters

Although not impossible, it’s tough for someone to make a living as a songwriter and it always has been, especially now during this digital age. There are a thousand good writers for every available spot. Bart’s number one recommendation for a songwriter is to do your homework. If your goal is to move to Nashville, instead of simply moving right away, “date” Nashville for a while. Get to know the business, network with others in the industry, and know what you’re getting in to.

“Be smart in the way that you are guided towards your goals as a songwriter.”

Bart’s second recommendation for songwriters is that once you move to Nashville, get your life positioned correctly. Have a place to live and a plan for financial stability while you are pursing your goals. Don’t move to the city with nowhere to live and no way to pay your bills. This will kill your career. Even though you have a dream, the rest of your life (and the people in it) are important too. Bart finds that the folks who take time to plan their life out and have a strategy in place, tend to be more successful in the long run.

Types of Professional Songwriters

• The songwriter who’s not the artist-these writers write songs for artists to record, and their whole financial livelihood is dependent upon this. Bart says that this category of writers has been hit the hardest in the digital era.
• The artist songwriter-these writers have a lot more opportunities to make income because they can perform their own songs, do product endorsements, etc. If these writers get a record deal, they (along with the record company) can decide what singles will go on the album.
• Songwriters who write for other things (film, TV, corporate, stage, etc)-these writers aren’t financially dependent upon an artist using their song because they write for other consumers.

Bart’s Work with Helping Songwriters be Financially Successful

There are two different kinds of royalties for song writers-sales royalties and performance royalties. Both royalties historically, did not allow for songwriters to make much money at all. Back when artists used to sell a million albums, the songwriter would make their share of the profit and it could be up to $30,000. Even a Top 30 single could pay them significant money. These days, if you write a song and it’s used as an album cut, you’re not going to make much money. However, a Top 10 single or a radio single will produce some income.

Bart and his team at the NSAI have worked hard to change old laws and rules (dating back as far as the 1900’s) which have hindered songwriters’ success. Because of the work the NSAI has done, in future rate proceedings, songwriters will be paid way more than what the market would approximate.

Songwriters, due to some national labor relations rulings, cannot unionize. It would be difficult for them to unionize anyway because it would be hard to set a prevailing wage for everyone. However, the NSAI has worked with Congress to change how songwriters’ wages are set and they’ve had a lot of success with that recently. When the Music Modernization Act was passed in 2018, the NSAI averaged about 110 days a year on Capitol Hill demonstrating (with guitars in hand) the importance of what songwriters did and how unfair their compensation was. Despite this work and progress, Bart emphasizes that above all, you still must have a hit single on the radio in order to make money.

“If you write songs that have a positive effect on others, songs that are played at weddings, graduations, and other special events, you should be fairly compensated for it.”

Thank you to Bart for being on the show today, speaking about The Music Modernization Act and the work of the NSAI. To our listeners, please remember to rate, subscribe, and share our podcast with your friends!

Connect with Bart

-on Instagram

Links and Resources

-NSAI Website

-Nashvillewriters.com

-Music Modernization Act

-The Tennessean-Story Behind the Song

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