339 Missing Royalties: Revenue Recovery Strategies with Amani Roberts
Release Date: 11/21/2025
342 What I Learned in 2025
The Unstarving Musician
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340 How to Conduct a Personal Royalty Audit and Recover Missing Money
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Most independent artists have thousands of dollars in unclaimed royalties sitting in four separate collection systems—and a four-year window to recover this money before it's redistributed to major labels. In this episode, I break down the systematic framework for conducting a personal royalty audit. You'll discover why being registered with ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC isn't enough, and learn about the three additional systems most artists don't know exist: SoundExchange for digital performance royalties, publishing administration services for worldwide mechanical collection, and the...
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339 Missing Royalties: Revenue Recovery Strategies with Amani Roberts
The Unstarving Musician
Independent musicians leave significant money on the table—not from lack of talent, but from unclaimed royalties and overlooked revenue streams. Amani Roberts, music business educator and author of the USA Today bestseller "The Quiet Storm," reveals the specific registration gaps costing artists thousands of dollars annually. In this conversation, Amani breaks down the four major royalty collection systems most artists fail to use properly: PRO registration for public performance royalties, SoundExchange for digital performance royalties, publishing royalties through services like...
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338 Jesse Flores – Distribution Partnerships And Strategic Planning For Independent Artists
The Unstarving Musician
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337 Ezra Vancil – Business Systems: From Marketing Day Job to Sustainable Music Career
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336 Community Collaboration: Turning Your Fanbase Into Creative Partners Without Losing Artistic Control
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335 Music Revenue Through Community - Moving Beyond Streaming
The Unstarving Musician
Music revenue diversification is essential for independent artists, but how do you actually monetize your community of superfans? This follow-up to episode 333's community-building strategies explores the practical side of turning deep fan relationships into sustainable income that goes beyond streaming pennies. Emerging direct-to-fan platforms like MySeat (highlighted by Dave Cool, formerly of Bandzoogle) allow artists to create branded mobile apps with multiple revenue streams - subscriptions, merchandise, live events, auctions, and exclusive content. Real case studies break down...
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334 Musician Podcaster Bree Noble – From Kitchen Recordings to Industry Authority
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333 How to Build, Name, and Nurture Your Creative Community
The Unstarving Musician
Most independent artists focus on building an audience, but the real power lies in developing a creative community. In this episode, I delve into the psychology behind transforming casual followers into passionate community members who view themselves as part of something larger. Drawing insights from my recent interview with singer-songwriter Eli Lev and his "Levitators" community, I break down the key differences between audience building and creative community development. You'll discover why community names matter more than you think, how to move beyond social media performance theater,...
info_outlineIndependent musicians leave significant money on the table—not from lack of talent, but from unclaimed royalties and overlooked revenue streams. Amani Roberts, music business educator and author of the USA Today bestseller "The Quiet Storm," reveals the specific registration gaps costing artists thousands of dollars annually.
In this conversation, Amani breaks down the four major royalty collection systems most artists fail to use properly: PRO registration for public performance royalties, SoundExchange for digital performance royalties, publishing royalties through services like Songtrust, and the Mechanical Licensing Collective. He explains how unclaimed royalties eventually get redistributed to major labels based on market share—money that independent artists could be collecting themselves.
Beyond royalty recovery, Amani shares his framework for building a private and corporate event business that can generate 5-10x more revenue than traditional bar gigs. He details the specific industry associations to join (MPI, PCMA, SITE), how to price yourself for corporate events, and the contract elements that differ from venue bookings.
Our conversation also covers email list-building strategies that convert social media followers into owned audience assets, how book publishing creates revenue opportunities beyond book sales, and why direct fan-to-artist platforms should be every musician's first 90-day priority.
Key Insights from This Episode
The Four Unclaimed Royalty Streams: Independent artists commonly miss public performance royalties (PROs), digital performance royalties (SoundExchange), publishing royalties (Songtrust), and mechanical royalties (Mechanical Licensing Collective). Unclaimed royalties eventually get redistributed to major labels—money independent artists should be collecting.
Royalty Recovery: Artists can recover unclaimed royalties going back up to four years. Proper metadata management and identical information across all platforms are critical for successful collection.
The Streaming Misconception: The biggest misconception is believing streaming is where most royalties come from. Mechanical, public performance, and publishing royalties represent more significant opportunities that are frequently overlooked.
Private and Corporate Event Revenue: Private and corporate events can generate 5-10x more revenue than bar gigs. Break in by joining event planning associations like Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Professional Conference Management Association (PCMA), and Society for Incentive Travel Executives (SITE). Volunteer at local chapters to build relationships with planners.
Corporate Event Pricing: Ask about the budget upfront, research past hires, and price based on your worth with flexibility. Always require deposits and negotiate hotel stays, parking, meals, and written/video testimonials in contracts.
Email List Monetization: Email lists are owned media (social is rented space). Revenue generation can begin with 50 subscribers. Use lead magnets like acoustic song versions and tools like MiniChat to automate conversions.
Book Publishing Strategy: Books rarely generate significant income from sales, but can increase speaking fees, create performance opportunities at events, and enhance rates for services. View publishing as paid marketing for your broader business.
90-Day Priority: Launch a direct fan-to-artist platform like Patreon with a compelling lead magnet for fast revenue impact.
Sustainable Revenue Model: Target 30% from performance, 30-35% from direct-to-fan, 20% from merchandise, 15% from private events.
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Resources
The Unstarving Musician’s Guide to Getting Paid Gigs, by Robonzo
Dreamhost – See the latest deals from Dreamhost, save money and support the UM in the process.
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