Songtrust’s Molly Neuman Shares New Stats, Looks Ahead To 2020
Global royalty collection platform Songtrust is ending 2019 with record-setting increases for the total number of songs, songwriters, and producers represented, significant increases in royalties paid, and an expanded global reach.
Songtrust now administers works for more than 300,000 songwriters, producers, and other rights holders, and a catalog of more than 2,000,000 songs. Its collections have increased by nearly 250%, in part because of a growing global reach that spans 150 countries and territories and over fifty direct affiliations with collection societies.
Songwriters using the platform for global royalty collection include Jeremy Zucker, Tessa Violet, Craig Finn of the Hold Steady, and writers who have written or co-written songs for Billie Eilish, J. Cole, Anderson.Paak, Meek Mill, and more.
Songtrust also acts as the administration partner for distributors CD Baby, DashGo, Audiomack, Tracklib, and Symphonic Distribution, as well as, music publishers Downtown, Sub Pop, ZJS (Average Joes Entertainment), Merge, Symphonic and Passé Publishing.
“Every musician around the world, whether they’re an artist, songwriter, producer, or composer, should be able to easily and efficiently collect the royalties due to them without relinquishing their creative control,” said Molly Neuman, President of Songtrust. “We are focused on being a business partner to the creative community, offering fair, flexible and affordable terms that help them get what they are owed.”
Q & A
Hypebot asked Neuman to reflect on her recent promotion to president of Songtrust and the year ahead for songwriters and publishers.
HYPEBOT: Though your advocacy for musicians is decades-long, you’ve only been President Of Songtrust for a couple of months. Does the landscape for independent artists and publishers look different from your new vantage point?
NEUMAN: I spent most of my career keeping my knowledge of publishing at distance. It is confusing, convoluted, and full of conflicts. Coming to Songtrust with the specific mission of making this area of our industry specifically accessible has been as empowering to me as I hope it is to our clients and potential clients.
Through the work of our wonderful team, we’ve been able to put education and communication at the core of our marketing efforts and that’s been one of the most rewarding success stories of my career so far.
HYPEBOT: How does the Music Modernization Act effort affect your work at Songtrust?
NEUMAN: Thus far, the passage of the MMA has meant songwriters and equitable access to royalties due to songwriters has been brought to the forefront of discussion in our industry, which has been long overdue. With the timeliness for executing on many elements of the MMA approaching, 2020 will surely be a dynamic year for this discussion to continue.
HYPEBOT: The music industry seems to be in a constant state of evolution. Are there any trends that excite or concern you?
NEUMAN: We’re excited about the new platforms for engagement like TikTok, Insta stories, and other new tools that fans and creators are using to collaborate and discover new music. We’re hopeful that these platforms keep the rightsholders in mind as they’re developing their products to ensure that everyone is participating in equitable ways.
I’m personally excited about the ongoing discussion and prioritization of gender and ethnic diversity and balance in our industry at the corporate level as well as the creator/producer/engineer/artist level. Once our industry is healthier on both of these fronts, I am quite hopeful about the work and elevation of artistry we might see.
