How to Register Songs Online and More [Pro Tips and Advice] – Updated

In the past, without the help of a record label, it was practically impossible for your music to reach an audience beyond your friends and acquaintances. Nowadays, numerous music platforms allow you to take your first steps on a global level. You can register your songs online, distribute your music, and promote your music project on social networks in an economical and completely independent way.

Do not forget that the ultimate goal is to catch the attention of a record label or management office. But until that moment arrives, the following tips and links from this article on our music production blog can help you understand how to register your songs, distribute your music, and manage your project correctly online and upload your music to Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms.

1. How to Register Songs Online: Intellectual Property

There are several methods to register the lyrics and music of your song, providing legal proof in case of plagiarism or misuse. You can opt for the traditional method and register your songs using sheet music with chords, melody, and lyrics at the Intellectual Property Registry (Spain link) or do it digitally through an alternative online platform like safecreative.com. (link with a 10% discount if you use their registration services)

This way, you can register a song online and have additional proof of your authorship in the hypothetical (and unlikely) case of needing to go to court for an authorship-related issue.

2. Register Songs Online: Copyright

We can register our songs in various ways:

Register Songs with Copyright

In this case, you are stating that all rights are reserved. You will have to relinquish control over the exploitation, transformation, distribution, public broadcasting, or communication rights of all your works to a management society (these are usually exclusive). They will collect and pay you the money generated by your songs in terms of copyright, keeping a percentage for themselves. (In Spain: SGAE). These rights are mainly generated if your song is played on TV, Cinema, Radio, or Concerts. Streaming also generates copyrights nowadays, though the amount is still negligible.

Since a few years ago, SGAE allows online song registration without sheet music (by providing an mp3 and lyrics). You must become a member and use their Online Members platform.

This authors and composers registration can also be done through a music publisher, which will manage the registration and subsequent promotion of your work for a contracted period, receiving a percentage of royalties in return. For major authors, publishers often provide an advance payment to the composer in exchange for a set number of songs composed per year for the publisher.

Register Songs with Copyleft

This way, you will reserve some rights of your song. You decide how to distribute your work freely but waive the ability to generate income through copyright. The most common is Creative Commons, which implies that you allow others to copy and distribute your work as long as they explicitly acknowledge your authorship. You can restrict (and charge, of course!) for commercial use and the creation of derivative works by choosing between several types of licenses.

It is important to note that it is not strictly necessary to register songs to prove they are yours. In a potential lawsuit, any evidence (email, recording, etc.) should suffice to verify who the composer is. (Note: Typically, in an online recording studio, we keep all productions we have made online or in-person, which would likely be sufficient as evidence.)

Register Performance Rights of Your Songs (AIE)

There is another type of right that can be claimed and registered for your songs: performance rights. Unlike copyright, these rights are for people who performed any instrument (including vocals and backing vocals). In Spain, the society that collects these rights is AIE (Artistas, Intérpretes y Ejecutantes).

Notably, this management society also offers several benefits to members who have registered their songs, such as tour accident insurance, among others.

If the songs you participated in as an artist or session musician have a significant presence on radio, streaming platforms, and especially (still) television, be sure to register them with this society, as it can generate a substantial amount of royalties.

3. Distribute Your Songs to Streaming Services (Spotify, Apple Music…)

Once the master is complete and registration is done (or not…), you must decide on the format you will group them into (single, EP, album…) and whether to distribute a physical format (vinyl, CD, cassette…) or just digital. Remember, registering your songs before uploading music to Spotify or other streaming platforms is entirely up to you, as merely distributing them is already proof that they are yours.

The physical format is necessary to sell copies to acquaintances and at concerts. However, the romantic idea of being in stores is increasingly challenging and unprofitable without the backing of a solid (and expensive) promotional campaign and a record label, management, or distributor to finance it.

To sell your music in a digital format, the main goal is to upload your songs to Spotify, Apple Music, Instagram, TikTok, Tidal, and other platforms. This is done through a digital aggregator. Using one of these platforms, you can send your songs to Spotify and others, earn royalties per play, and manage your catalog. Here are some tips to choose the best music distributor that fits your project’s needs. You can also sell your songs on iTunes and Amazon MP3. However, with the rise of streaming services, the online sale of songs via download has become obsolete.

(Pro Tip): If you already have music distributed on Spotify, our blog has an article on how to add lyrics to Spotify.

4. Sell Your Music Online (Alternative Platforms)

Nowadays, there are countless online platforms and music networks aimed at artist promotion. These platforms allow you to upload songs, videos, and photos for free, reaching new groups of users. Some also offer the option to sell your music online, provide free downloads, or allow downloads in exchange for an email address. Try to be present on as many as you can!

Main Platforms to Sell Your Songs Online and Promote Your Music Project

• Bandcamp – Undoubtedly, the leading platform for selling songs online and merchandising, specializing in independent projects of all styles. (Fun fact: The company was recently acquired by Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite. Time will tell what this means—could it become the new Spotify?)
• Soundcloud – One of the most important platforms for promoting and uploading our songs online. A service that is part social network and part streaming platform for musicians.

Other options include Lastfm, ReverbNation, and platforms specializing in Copyleft music such as Free Music Archive or Jamendo.

Tip: Do not forget to insert links on each of these pages pointing to the sites where you want to direct your followers. We recommend focusing on the main social networks and your website/blog.

5. Tips to Promote Your Music on Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube)

On Facebook, create a page for your project (not a personal profile) and regularly post updates about news, concerts, new tracks, and any aspect related to your career.

Do it gradually, as flooding your followers with information in a short time can lead to rejection. You can also create a tab with your music using applications offered by websites like: Bandcamp (one of the best sites for selling your music independently, though not yet available in Spanish). Above all, try to be original, patient, and… don’t spam!

On Twitter, keep your account active and combine purely promotional posts with informal ones and day-to-day curiosities. On Twitter, as with Facebook, excessive self-promotion is penalized, but it’s the perfect platform for people to feel close to your project. Just avoid negativity—let’s make the internet a better place! 😉

On Instagram: Use hashtags effectively in your language, create quality content (easier said than done, right? 😅). Don’t forget basics like keeping your account up-to-date, uploading videos (currently in vertical formats like reels, for example, featuring different parts of the song structure), doing live streams, hosting contests, and always responding to your followers.

Don’t overlook YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch. On these platforms, you can not only promote your music videos and lyric videos but also create engaging content to maintain your audience’s interest, such as: covering viral songs, sharing your non-musical daily life, or making tutorials (e.g., how to compose songs), showcasing your home studio, or producing your own beats. Everything goes!

We recommend focusing on one or two platforms, as being active on all of them is nearly impossible.

6. Create a Website (or Blog) for Your Band or Music Project

You can start by creating a free blog on Blogspot or WordPress.com. However, in the long run, you will benefit from having your own domain and centralizing all the content you create there. Below are some recommended sections for the website of a music project.

Important Sections for a Music Website

• Blog: Regularly post entries with important news (press releases, collaborations, etc.).
• Concert Dates: Keep your followers informed about all your dates.
• Music: Use widgets available on streaming sites to upload your songs online.
• Videos: Embed your YouTube and Vimeo videos directly into your site.
• Photos: Upload your pictures directly or link from specialized sites like Instagram.
• Links: Ensure links to your pages (social media, music, videos) are visible and active.
• Mail List: Share updates, concerts, and videos via email. Email marketing is crucial in the medium and long term. You can announce your concerts and new singles more personally and locally. Offer something in exchange for subscription. To start, we recommend Mailchimp.

Services to Create Free Websites

• Wix.com: One of the most popular web creation services.
• WordPress.com: Publish your website/blog under a WordPress.com subdomain. In the future, you can upgrade to a custom domain and use WordPress templates for your website. This option provides a professional look for websites of any type, although it requires more management or hiring a web developer.

Platforms Specializing in Music and Artist Websites

• Bandzoogle.com (A website creation platform specializing in musical content and artist management with free and paid options).

Update: Promote Your Music on Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, and Google Ads/YouTube

Once you have registered your songs, distributed them digitally, and entered the promotion phase, you might consider investing in paid advertising for your music project. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google, and YouTube make it relatively easy to start.

However, we recommend conducting prior research on your target audience (what other music they listen to, where they live, their age, etc.). This will allow you to better tailor your campaign goals and optimize your budget.

We also recommend studying in depth the options offered by the main ad management platforms such as Ads Manager (for Facebook and Instagram) and Google Ads (for Google and YouTube) before launching a campaign for your new video clip or single.

We hope all this information is helpful. Enjoy the process and good luck!