Collecting all the royalties owed for your music is important but can be quite confusing. In this article, I’ll show you the differences between Songtrust and Audiam, and help you understand which is right for you to join.
The main difference between Songtrust and Audiam is that Songtrust collects global performance, mechanical, and YouTube royalties, while Audiam simply collects mechanical royalties and YouTube royalties.
Even if you are using Audiam, it may still be useful to join Songtrust since they can also collect performance rights royalties for you as well. However, if you are brand new to music publishing and are not on Audiam OR Songtrust, how can you tell which is the right platform to join?
Continue reading to find out the answer to the question and for a deeper dive into how Audiam compares to Songtrust, my friend. 🙂
Audiam vs Songtrust
Both Audiam and Songtrust help collect the money is owed to you, but collect different types of money for you.
- Songtrust collects performance, mechanical, and YouTube royalties
- Audiam simply collects mechanical royalties and YouTube monetization
However, an important difference between the 2 is that Songtrust collects globally while Audiam only collects mechanical royalties from the United States and Canada.
To put it simply: Songtrust collects more royalties for you from more places when compared to Audiam.
But, with that said, how do the costs of using each of these companies compare?
Audiam vs Songtrust: Pricing, fees, and costs
In terms of costs, the 2 companies have quite different pricing structures.
- Songtrust pricing is a onetime setup fee of $100 and then 15% of any of the royalties that Songtrust collects for you
- Audiam takes 20% of mechanical royalties and charges a 30% admin fee for royalties that need to be collected before signing up and has a 25% admin fee for what it collects from YouTube for videos using your music outside of your channel
Songtrust’s pricing is much simpler with a smaller commission percentage, however, they do charge a one-time setup fee upfront. Luckily, there is a Songtrust discount code that you can apply to get set up for less. 🙂
Which should you sign up for?
If you are not using Songtrust or Audiam as of yet, I think it is a no-brainer for you to join Songtrust since they can do more for you.
Songtrust collects more royalties from more places around the world and really make music publishing simple and worry-free. This is actually why I use Songtrust for my music publishing needs myself.
However, you should still decide if now is the right time for you to join Songtrust because there are fees that you will want to recoup from your music publishing royalties before you can be making a profit from them.
What if you are already using Audiam?
If you are already using Audiam but are considering also joining Songtrust, you should know that any previous deals that you may have made in regards to publishing right may conflict with Songtrust.
Songtrust can monetize your compositions without any conflicts as long as you own your sound recordings and are only using Audiam to represent your recordings and not to act as your music publisher.
Is Audiam Legit?
Audiam is legit and is a very useful resource for artists to collect Youtube royalties globally and mechanical royalties from the United States and Canada.
In a Billboard article from 2019, Audiam is said to have collected over $120 million in royalty collections and have represented over 1.2 million copyrights for publishing royalty collections.
Audiam also has an impressive roster of songwriters that it represents, including:
- Bob Dylan
- Metallica
- Red Hot Chilli Peppers
- Jimmy Buffet
- Jason Mraz
Those are some pretty legit artists, so if they are using Audiam, then it is pretty safe to say that Audiam is legit as well.
Is Songtrust Legit?
Songtrust is legit and is needed to make sure that an artist collects all of the music publishing royalties around the world that are owed to them.
However, if your musical project is not (yet) getting much attention or streams, it may not yet make sense to sign up for Songtrust because, although they only take a small 15% percentage of any royalties they collect, there is a $100 setup fee. Ideally, your music is being played enough for you to recoup the cost of that signup fee.
P.S. To learn more about Songtrust’s fees, check out my article on Songtrust Pricing for more. 🙂
With that said, below are some simple ways you can easily decide if now is the right time for you to join Songtrust or not.
Consider joining Songtrust if:
- Your music is being played all around the world
- Your music is being played thousands of times per month
- You do not want to sign up and deal with PROs all around the world
- You do not want to (or can’t) sign a traditional publishing deal or create your own publishing company
- You’d prefer a simple way to collect all your music publishing royalties and feel confident you aren’t leaving any money on the table
If the above sounds like you, click here to learn more about getting up and running with Songtrust.
Hold off on joining Songtrust if:
- Your music is not currently getting very many plays per month
- Your music is only being played in 1 or 2 countries
If the above sounds like you, I’ve put together a free course called The 6 Secrets To Spotify Success that you can check out to learn how to bump your numbers up all around the globe. 🙂
Songtrust Discount Code: How To Save
If you’ve decided to join Songtrust so that you can stop leaving money on the table, it is important to know about the Songtrust discount code before getting signed up.
You can use the Songtrust discount code 256343a-DB0 to save 10% off when joining Songtrust. This promo code must be applied at checkout by clicking on the “Have a discount code?” link.
Your Songtrust discount code: 256343a-DB0
If you are ready to start collecting all the royalty money owed to you, copy the discount code above and then click here to get started.
However, if you’d like to learn more about Songtrust, how the discount code works, and exactly how to use it, check out my article called: Songtrust Discount Code: How To Get The Promo Price 🙂
Audiam vs DistroKid
Audiam is a royalty collection agency that focuses on Youtube and streaming mechanical royalties for songwriters and artists. DistroKid is a music distribution company that allows artists to get their music on online stores and streaming services.
The main difference between Audiam and DistroKid is that Audiam collects publishing royalties while DistroKid distributes music and collects master recording royalties.
Although they both collect different types of royalties for songwriters and artists, only DistroKid can get the music up on streaming services and stores in the first place.
Songtrust vs SoundExchange
The main difference between SoundExchange and Songtrust is the type of royalties they collect, with Songtrust collecting royalties generated by compositions, also called publishing royalties, and SoundExchange collecting royalties generated by the mastering recording, also called master recording royalties.
Both companies have completely separate roles in their royalty collection:
- Songtrust collects royalties on behalf of songwriters and music publishers
- SoundExchange collects royalties on behalf of master owners and performers
However, as an independent artist that is most likely all of the above, you may be wondering if you need to sign up for both services.
Unfortunately, the answer is… it depends.
To learn more about how Songtrust compares to SoundExchange, check out my article on SoundExchange vs Songtrust for more. 🙂
Songtrust vs DistroKid
Songtrust is a publishing administration company that helps artists collect publishing, mechanical, and live performance royalties. DistroKid is a music distribution company that allows artists to get their music on online stores and streaming services.
Both companies get you paid, but for different aspects of music consumption, while only DistroKid can upload music.
Keep on reading for a simple breakdown of how these two companies compare and what they can do for you.
DistroKid does these things for artists:
- Uploads your music to Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
- Collects the master recording royalties and payments for you (ie: Spotify royalties)
Songtrust does these things for artists:
- Collects the music publishing royalties for you (ie: performance royalties and mechanical royalties)
- Signs up you for and allows you to easily submit your music to performance rights organizations around the world
To learn more about how these 2 services compare, check out my article on Songtrust vs DistroKid. 🙂
