The Foundation

Artist Development & Industry Education is the key that unlocks your career.

No label or industry insider is going to lay it all out for you, even if they could.

  • Continually Growing Online Resource Library: A collection of articles, templates, checklists, and more to study at your own pace

  • Monthly Music Industry Intensive: An Exclusive Group Call* to discuss a variety of industry related topics for creative artists

  • Ongoing Exclusive Online Artist Community: A place to continue the conversation and connect with other artists

* In addition to the monthly technical calls where we discuss optimizing the platform

The 2026 Music Industry Map

  • Labels, Distributors, PROs, Publishers, MLC, and SoundExchange

  • Ownership, Control, and Licensing

  • ISRC, ISWC, UPC, Splits

  • Banking, Payees, and Admin Basics

Copyright, Publishing & Song Administration

  • Copyright: Songs vs. Recordings and How to Register

  • PROs, MLC, and Publishing Deals & Admin vs. Co-Pub

  • Splits, Co-Writing Etiquette, and Song Registration

  • Neighboring Rights & International Collections

Revenue Streams & Royalty Collection

  • All the Income Buckets: Streaming, Sync, Live, Merch, UGC, Fan Clubs

  • Master-Side Money: Distributor Payouts, Content ID, TikTok/Meta, NR

  • Songwriter Money: Performance, Mechanical, and Sync

  • Money Management: Budgeting, Taxes, and Simple Accounting

Live, Touring & Merch

  • Booking & Routing: From Local to Regional Runs

  • Live Agreements, Riders & Settlements

  • Merch Strategy: Design, Production, and E‑Commerce

  • Tour Health, Safety & Insurance

Artist Identity & Development

  • Photos, Fonts, Palettes, and Consistency

  • Short-Form, Long-Form, and Evergreen

  • Manager, Agent, Lawyer, Publicist

Release Planning & Digital Distribution

  • Choosing a Distributor: Fees, Features, and Payouts

  • Release Timeline & Assets, From Masters to Cover Art and Credits

  • Pre-Release Momentum: Pre-Saves, Smart Links, and Editorial Pitching

  • Post-Release Analytics, Reading Dashboards, and Iterating

Marketing, PR & Fan Growth

  • Storytelling, Websites, & Funnels: Turning Listeners into Fans

  • Paid Ads 101: Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and Pixels

  • Community & Membership: Self-hosted, Discord, Patreon, Substack

  • PR, Playlists, and Influencer Outreach, Ethics, & Effectiveness

Career Management, Legal & Tools

  • Contracts 101: Manager, Producer, Feature, and Label Clauses

  • Catalog & Data Hygiene: Credits, Backups, and Naming

  • Productivity & AI Tools for Indie Musicians | The TOOLKIT

  • 12‑Month Career Plan: Goals, OKRs, and Milestone Mapping

STOP WAITING FOR A LABEL TO SAVE YOU

Take Ownership Of Your Career Industry.

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Seven Stone Pillars

Empowering indie artists to bridge the gap between creative passion and sustainable business. We provide the structured systems for creative freedom and practical tools you need to take ownership of your industry. Learn more about us.

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