Songtrust Vs. Tunecore

When you make music, you want to protect your work. After all, you’re proud of the song you created, so you throw it up on Soundcloud, but what happens if someone swipes it without your permission and uses it in their own work? Do you have any protection?
 
Uploading your music to the internet doesn’t guarantee that someone can’t come along and put your song in their Youtube video. What happens if you come across a video with thousands of views playing your song in the background – someone else has monetized your hard work and is able to make money off of the time and labor you put into your craft. Songs don’t come easy!
 
There are a couple of businesses that have emerged over the years to help artists and creators protect their work by flexing their legal rights. Have you ever received a copyright strike on one of your songs or videos? This is a publishing company at work, protecting your copyright so others can’t use it without permission.
 

Music Publishing

Music publishing companies also ensure that the proper individuals are paid out their correct royalties. When there is a single songwriter, that person owns 100% of the song.
 
So basically any time your song is played on Youtube or anywhere else on the internet, every copyright holder is paid out appropriately. 
 

Music Distribution

Who needs a record label when you can handle publishing and distribution all on your own? Back in the day, these were the two hardest elements of running a successful song or album campaign. After all, you’re an artist, and you shouldn’t also have to handle the logistics of being a successful (paid) musician.
 

So What’s the Difference between Songtrust and Tunecore?

When it comes to music publishing, both Songtrust and Tunecore both do this for the same amount of commission – a 15% royalty fee.
 
One Time Registration Fee
 
Both charge a one time fee, but they are different.
Tunecore has a one-time $75 fee. Songtrust’s fee is $100.
 

Do You Give Up Your Royalties When Using Tunecore or Songtrust?

With both services, you keep 100% of your copyright rights, meaning that you’re not giving up any portion of your rights.
 

What About Distribution?

Ultimately, the major difference between Songtrust and Tunecore is Songtrust does not handle distribution at all. 
 
So why would anyone choose Songtrust over Tunecore? For starters, many legacy internet musicians have been using third party music distributors since these were much more readily accessible in the early days of internet music.
 
Basically, if you’ve been using a music distributor like Distrokid or CD Baby and only need publishing management, Songtrust is the easiest transition.