Independent Venue Week founding partner Songtrust is missioned with using technology to empower artists. They are driven by the beliefs that every songwriter should get paid a fair share for their creativity and that songwriters’ time is best spent writing songs–not worrying about music publishing.
Since launching in 2010, Songtrust has grown to be the world’s largest platform for publishing royalty collection, enabling over 150,000 songwriters and 20,000 publishers to collect their publishing royalties worldwide. Songtrust’s dedication to serving songwriters in all stages of their careers makes them a perfect founding partner for Independent Venue Week.
Global Head of Business Development at Songtrust, Molly Neuman, shares the enthusiasm in being a part of the American launch of Independent Venue Week. We have asked Molly some questions about Songtrust’s involvement with Independent Venue Week:
What made Songtrust want to get involved with Independent Venue Week?
“Many (if not most) songwriters are also performers, and many get their start creatively performing their original songs in venues like the ones participating in IVW. We’re excited to connect with those songwriters and venues and share the work we’re doing at Songtrust to help emerging songwriters access what they’re earning in publishing royalties.”
Why do you think that independent venues matter?
In so many cities and towns, venues are the center of the creative community. These are the places taking chances on new artists and nurturing their careers–it’s devastating to think of a world without them!
What do independent venues mean to you personally, as someone who’s worked as a touring musician?
I grew up in Washington, D.C. home to two iconic venues D.C. Space (RIP) and 9:30 Club (a participating IWV venue). Without these places, my band and others like mine would never have existed.
How does Songtrust’s work with music publishing relate to live music?
As a music publisher, we collect royalties from the performance of the songs our clients write all over the world, including live performances. We encourage our clients to register their performances and work to educate them on the royalty landscape that supports this work.
What do you think are the biggest challenges that independent venues face in the US? And how do you
think these challenges can be met?
Live music remains such a risky endeavor – audiences are fickle and small and big forces can affect attendance in ways that are hard to anticipate. I hope there continue to be ways artists, fans, and venues can work together to reduce risk and help make touring and live performance a healthier and more stable part of our industry.
What kind of impact does Songtrust hope to have by getting involved with Independent Venue Week?
We’re excited to be working with IVW in their inaugural year in the U.S. While Songtrust has been a company for seven years, we’re just getting started connecting our work in music publishing administration with the songwriters who need our services and we are sure there are many who will be at IVW who fit the bill.
