Songwriter U: Creators and Artists Are Thriving with Nashville-Based Soundstripe

Musicians and multimedia producers across all mediums held their collective breath as 2020 took a wild turn just over one year back. With live events including most shows and concerts cancelled all over the globe, phenomenally talented artists who relied on in-person events for their livelihood could no longer do so. Thankfully, they did not have to wait too long to exhale, essentially picking up right where they left off pre-pandemic to thrive in a new way online. 

Videos by American Songwriter

Here’s How with Soundstripe

Soundstripe gives musicians and multimedia content creators alike a new way to thrive despite the global pandemic and beyond it. The Nashville-based company is a leading provider of royalty-free music, stock video, and sound effects featuring artists in 18 countries.

Music creators made more than $2.5 million, with 75 unique artists among them, just last year alone. Also in 2020, Soundstripe was No. 1 in Tennessee, No. 5 in the Media category, and No. 68 among the fastest growing private companies in the United States according to Inc. 5000, with a growth rate of 5,000 percent over the last three years in business.

Here’s what else sets Soundstripe apart: The work-for-hire platform promises songwriters receive 100 percent of the writer’s share of performance royalties when their songs are used. With this incentive, musicians collect recurring revenue from their work when it is used by Soundstripe customers. This writer’s share royalty check is in addition to the upfront payment. 

WIth audio comes visual, and Soundstripe holds no shortage for video content, as well. The stock video library contains more than 70 thousand videos available with more on the way.

Soundstripe’s Social Media Spotlight

Featured artists can be found on Soundstripe Live, available on YouTube. There, you can watch inspiring artist stories right on the Soundstripe YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss who is featured next! 

Soundstripe doesn’t stop at YouTube to help artists and creators get the word out about their work. Follow them at @soundstripemusic on Instagram to see several creators take the spotlight, like Jonathan Warner of @WarnerVision.TV (on IG) for example. The England-based filmmaker has been creating beautiful time-lapse video content for around 25 years for clients like Starbucks and Microsoft. What’s more, the featured post on Instagram also simultaneously showcases “Into the Water” by Soundstripe artist Lost Portals. 

Some of the other artists featured on SoundStripe Live on YouTube, as well as on Instagram, include Hom Tanks and their latest single, “Soon” along with Half Measure’s “Story,” a project by Stephen Keech with keys by Adrian Walther. Another artist to grace the Soundstripe spotlight, Lincoln Davis just released the perfect weekend soundtrack titled “Coral,” an all-new record now streaming on Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music. Once you start to tune in, you’ll know you won’t want to miss any of them.

Exclusive Content Tools and Coverage

Along with premium promotion of content to help artists spread the word to share their work, Soundstripe also helps subscribers stay relevant. Some of the pivotal product launches include exclusive resources for creating high-demand videos, podcasts, Twitch streams, and more. 

The higher the demand of the content at hand, the better the commercial use will work in your favor as a successful content creator. What this means is the content you find on Soundstripe can help you make money without worrying whether the Creative Commons (CC) license allows the music or media to be used for commercial purposes. 

Not all Creative Commons licenses grant content creators the freedom to commercial use. Thanks to Soundstripe’s coverage of personal and commercial use when it comes to any content you find within the various libraries accessible, content creators and artists alike are relieved from the pressure to decipher the ability to use the content and earn an income with it.

Music licensing can sometimes create complications due to copyrighted content. This is a known, recurring snag in the world of media making that often blocks content creators from monetizing income streams such as YouTube ads. Lately as the platforms pay closer attention, it’s become more crucial to curb copyright claims with prevention and protection of your content. 

Royalty Free vs Copyright Free

It’s important to note, however, that every single song and piece of content published is copyrighted material, even when it is royalty free. So, what differentiates royalty free vs copyright free? The short answer is that it can get complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. 

The long answer? We’ll keep it brief for now, but Soundstripe specializes in royalty free music to save content creators from having to negotiate with artists, ultimately reducing the cost and the headache that comes with copyright issues. Here’s a quick look at how murky that can get: Anyone who had any part in the creation of a song can claim to be a copyright holder, thus requiring a licensing fee along with a percentage of your revenue. Unless you’re looking for ways to share your paycheck, this is less than ideal in order to maximize your monetization.

How do you protect and prevent your content from falling victim to copyright claims? Royalty free music is one valid recommendation. Here’s a quick way to distinguish royalty free vs copyright free to help clear any confusion. 

Luckily, artists and content creators alike don’t have to worry about that when working with Soundstripe. In fact, so much that Soundstripe goes so far as to cover personal and commercial use of content. This means that you can use the music in any type of video that you work on, removing the stress and uncertainty of whether it’s allowed, or whether you’ll have to face the potential chance of receiving any penalties for copyright claims. With Soundstripe, you won’t have to worry about it at all. 

Pictured (L-R): Soundstripe Co-Founders Micah Sannan (Co-CEO) Travis Terrell (Co-CEO), and Trevor Hinesley (CTO).

The reputation for reputable work doesn’t stop there. Soundstripe has also sat steadily on the Top Workplaces list in The Tennessean for two years and counting. Co-Founder Trevor Hinesley was acknowledged in the Nashville Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list, as well.

Photo by James Owen on Unsplash

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