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Lesson time: (11min 14sec)
Chris McIntosh - artist and publisher at Centric - explains why music publishers matter, how royalties and sync deals pay out, and why you must register your music.
This lesson is part of the course Where's The Money? Exploring revenue streams for artists
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Next up, we're going to talk to Chris McIntosh, who is both an artist and works for Centric. He's going to talk you through quite a few important topics:
Chris: Thank you for joining us. You're very welcome. Nice to be here.
Interviewer: Could you start by telling us a little about your artistry as well as what Centric does and who they are?
Chris: Centric offers artists a very flexible, artist-friendly publishing deal.
Registration: While we represent the music, we take the songs and register them with performing rights organizations in over 65 different territories globally. This ensures that their music is protected wherever it's being streamed, broadcast, or played live.
Generating Royalties: We make sure that any royalties generated by the band are returned accurately and quickly because we register the songs directly.
They've had great success recently, including placements with Mercedes Benz during the World Cup and numerous songs featured in Love Island and Dolce and Gabbana campaigns.
Interviewer: Can you tell me about some pitfalls of publishing?
Chris: The main pitfall in publishing is signing away your rights for a long period or giving up too much of your writing credits. This often leads to artists ending up on bad deals. At Centric, we aim to change this by ensuring our artists don't give away too many rights and never sign away their rights for an extended period.
Interviewer: On a basic level, how do royalties work for artists?
Chris: Many artists, especially emerging ones, don't realize how much royalties they generate just by being in a band.
Live Gigs: Every gig you play generates royalties. Venues pay a PRS license each year, and you're entitled to a slice of that.
Streaming and Broadcasting: Every time your music is streamed or broadcasted on radio or TV, you generate royalties. It's crucial for artists to ensure someone is collecting that for them.
Interviewer: As an artist, what's your main form of income at the moment?
Chris: My main form of income is from syncs, as we've landed a few big ones recently.
We did the theme music for BT Sport's Premier League, which many people will recognize. This opportunity came about because last year they used our music in highlight reels. They invited us to cover their theme music, and we were selected.
This sync finances our next recording session and helps cover day-to-day band expenses.
Interviewer: Syncs seem to be a valuable source of income. Can you talk about that a bit more?
Chris: Absolutely! Many people entering the industry may not realize sync revenue options. Even with Centric and other publishers, part of their role is to help artists get their music placed in various media.
Streaming vs. Syncs: With less money in recorded music sales, most income comes from gigs and syncs. There are many agencies specializing in sync because it's lucrative.
Content Demand: While streaming has lowered traditional music income, it has created demand for music in new content, such as Netflix and Amazon shows.
Sync opportunities can significantly boost an artist's exposure. Many have gained immense popularity after being featured in a film or show, leading to increased streaming numbers and interest from record labels.
Centric Music has great relationships with music supervisors from Made in Chelsea, which has proven beneficial for our artists. The show was the most shazammed in the UK last year!
Interviewer: What are music supervisors looking for in syncs?
Chris: The world of sync is highly competitive, with many bands vying for the same brief. Music supervisors often have very specific requirements:
Sometimes briefs can be very niche, e.g., an "afrobeat acoustic song about sponge cake."
It's not uncommon for brands to create soundalikes of popular songs if they can't afford the original due to the high costs involved.
Interviewer: On a basic level, why does an artist need a publisher?
Chris: It's crucial for an artist to work with a publisher, especially one like Centric, for several reasons:
Freedom: Our contracts are not long-term, allowing artists the freedom to manage their music.
Protection: We help protect the intellectual property of the songs. Once you create a song, you can't predict its future success, so getting everything registered with the right organizations (like PRS, PPL, and MCPS) is essential.
This ensures artists are protected and accounts for potential disagreements or disputes later down the line.
It's always best to have everything sorted out from the beginning to ensure protection throughout your career.
Sammy Andrews is the founder and CEO of Deviate Digital, a digital strategy agency that helps artists, labels and music businesses build audiences and earn a living online. She's one of the UK music industry's most outspoken voices on streaming, data and the digital economy, and a longstanding advocate for artists' rights — including through her work with the Featured Artist Coalition.In this course she breaks down where the money actually comes from for working artists today: the revenue streams, the rights that underpin them, and the practical steps to make sure you get paid fairly. read more
