Musilock Blog
Stories and tools for musicians who get paid what they're owed.
Live Performance
4 articlesWhy a bare stage can cost as much as a rotating planet
Charli XCX performed for 60,000 people at Glastonbury with just a white curtain and strobes. The total production bill was anything but simple.
5 min read·August 14, 2026What actually goes into the price of a concert ticket
Los Campesinos! sold out 99.2 percent of their US tour and still nearly broke even on tickets, which is exactly why pricing a live show is complicated.
12 min read·August 8, 2026Live Performance Contracts: What Every Musician Needs to Know
From a $250 club night to a festival slot, the gap between getting paid and getting burned comes down to what you put in writing before you plug in.
15 min read·May 16, 2026The $400 Lesson: Why Session Musicians Need Written Gig Contracts
A six-week Andes tour ended with a promoter ghosting four musicians out of $400 each, all because every deal in the chain was verbal.
14 min read·May 14, 2026
Digital Distribution
3 articlesYour song has an audience, here is how to find them
Independent artists lose time and money releasing music without knowing who will listen, data tools are finally closing the gap that labels never shared.
13 min read·August 8, 2026How corridos artists built a global genre without major labels
Corridos grew from roughly 10 to 53 superstar-tier artists in just a few years, and 92.8% of the artists who built that rise did it without a major label.
5 min read·August 7, 2026Digital Distribution Deals: What You Sign and What You Keep
Before you hand your catalog to a distributor, you need to understand what you are actually signing, because the fine print decides whether you keep your masters, your money, and your freedom.
16 min read·May 16, 2026
Master License
3 articlesWhat 10,000 minutes on Spotify actually pays an artist
One devoted fan streamed a band for 10,834 minutes and contributed roughly $8 to $14 in royalties, less than the price of a branded mug.
3 min read·August 10, 2026What the new AI remix tools want from your masters
Spotify and Udio are both building tools that let fans remix your songs. Before you opt in, you need to know exactly what you are licensing and for how long.
14 min read·August 8, 2026Master License Agreements: What Every Independent Artist Needs to Know
A music supervisor has 48 hours to clear your track, here is exactly what a master license covers, what it costs, and what happens if you skip it.
18 min read·May 16, 2026
Split Sheet
3 articlesWhat a hit record actually means for independent artists in 2026
Chart positions no longer launch careers, and understanding what actually does gives independent artists a real edge in how they build and protect their work.
5 min read·August 3, 2026How to get a music advance without giving up your masters
Streaming income advances let independent artists get funded without signing away their masters, but your rights must be documented before the money flows.
5 min read·July 31, 2026Split Sheets: What They Are and Why Every Co-Writer Needs One
A nine-year legal battle that cost the equivalent of five million dollars, all because two bandmates never signed a simple ownership agreement.
18 min read·May 16, 2026
Producer Agreement
2 articlesMy producer didn't pay me: what you can actually do
When your producer never paid you and there was no contract, the argument becomes whether a deal existed at all, not what it said.
4 min read·August 10, 2026Producer Deals Explained: Points, Fees, and Who Pays Whom
Before you book the session, know how producer royalties, advances, and the letter of direction actually work, or the hit record could cost you money.
16 min read·May 16, 2026
Recording Agreement
2 articlesThe retention period in your label deal is blocking sync income
When a brand wants to license your track, the retention period in your recording deal determines whether anyone can say yes fast enough to matter.
5 min read·August 5, 2026Recording Contracts: What You Sign Away and What You Keep
Before you sign with a label, you need to understand masters, advances, recoupment, and cross-collateralization, or you could earn nothing for years.
15 min read·May 16, 2026