Author
Al West
Founder, Masterpiece Recording Group
Al West is an independent recording artist, author and speaker, and the founder of Masterpiece Recording Group. He writes The Masterpiece Artist Blueprint from the perspective of an artist building his own label infrastructure — releasing music on his own platform, selling directly to listeners and documenting what he learns about ownership, money and audience along the way.
Articles by Al West
Who Actually Owns a Song?
A recorded song is usually two different copyrights with two different owners. Here is how to tell who owns what before money, contracts or collaborators get involved.
ReadMaster Rights vs. Publishing Rights
Masters and publishing are the two sides of every recorded song. Here is what each one covers, who usually controls it and how each earns.
ReadHow Music Royalties Actually Work
Royalties follow rights and metadata. A plain-language map of recording and publishing income, who collects each one, and where artists lose money they already earned.
ReadWhat Does a Music Distributor Actually Do?
Distribution is delivery, not ownership. What a distributor does, what it usually does not do, and how to compare options.
ReadHow to Sell Music Directly to Fans
Direct-to-fan sales mean you own the storefront, the customer record and the relationship. How to set it up without abandoning streaming.
ReadThe Independent Artist 90-Day Release Plan
Release day is not a strategy. A week-by-week framework for preparing, launching and extending a single, EP or album.
ReadMusic Marketing Without Begging for Streams
Marketing is not asking strangers to press play. It is helping the right listeners find the work and giving them a reason to stay.
ReadHow to Build an Artist Brand
A brand is what people recognize and feel before they press play. How to define a point of view, a visual world and a story people can enter.
ReadIndependent Artist Revenue Streams
Streaming is revenue, not the entire business. A map of the ways independent artists earn, and how to decide which to build first.
ReadHow Independent Artists Can Use AI Responsibly
Technology should multiply human creativity, not erase it. What is settled, what is still uncertain, and practical rules for using AI tools.
ReadBuilding a Direct-to-Fan Album Strategy
A strategy breakdown of how Masterpiece Recording Group approaches a record on its own site: listen first, enter the story, then decide to own it.
ReadBefore You Sign Anything: The Questions to Ask
A plain-language checklist of questions every independent artist should be able to answer about an agreement before signing it.
ReadMetadata: Why It Decides Whether You Get Paid
Metadata is the information that connects a stream or a broadcast to the people owed money. Here is what to get right before release.
ReadStreaming Audience vs. Owned Audience
Followers and monthly listeners are useful, but you do not control them. The difference between attention and an audience you can actually reach.
ReadShould an Independent Artist Form an LLC?
What an LLC is, what it can and cannot do for a music career, and the questions to bring to an attorney and accountant.
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