Chartlex
Free Audit
Issue Nº 41Live · October 11, 2026Weekly · Tuesdays

The Brief.

A weekly dispatch on streaming, royalties, marketing and the music industry — written from real campaign data, not theory.

In the archive
358 dispatches
Read by
5,000+ artists
AllStreaming123Marketing89Business62Touring16Money48Career20
Business

Filed under Business

An independent songwriter's home-office desk at dusk: stacked PRO and MLC quarterly statements with handwritten margin notes in red pen, a desk calculator with a curling paper tape, a marked-up split-sheet spreadsheet printout with highlighter on missing ISWCs, a battered hardcover royalty ledger, a chipped ceramic mug of black coffee, a Yamaha HS5 monitor visible in the background, and a single warm desk lamp throwing amber light across a scuffed oak desk.
Business

Music Royalty Audit Guide 2026: How to Find the Money You're Owed

Daniel Brooks24 min read
A music publishing administrator's evening desk: open laptop showing a side-by-side comparison spreadsheet of five publishing admin services, a printed quarterly royalty statement with handwritten margin notes, two stacked admin contracts, a coffee mug, and a small brass desk lamp casting warm light over weathered wood.
Business

Songtrust vs Sentric vs Songtradr: Admin Compared 2026

Daniel Brooks15 min read
A music supervisor's late-night office: stacked production binders flagged with colored sticky tabs, an open contract with handwritten margin notes in pencil, Sennheiser HD600 headphones resting on a leather notebook, a half-full glass tumbler with melting ice, a calibrated screening monitor showing a paused dialogue scene, and a single warm desk lamp casting amber light across a worn walnut desk.
Business

Sync License Cost 2026: Fees for Film, TV, Ads and Games

Daniel Brooks23 min read
A music industry analyst's late-night desk: a stack of printed industry reports flagged with colored sticky tabs and pencil margin notes, an open spiral notebook with handwritten percentage figures and arrows, a basic desk calculator with a long receipt tape curled across the wood, two ceramic coffee mugs with cold rings, a closed laptop pushed to the side, and a single warm desk lamp casting amber light across a worn walnut surface in a quiet windowless office.
Business

The 2026 State of the Indie Music Industry: 14 Numbers That Define It

Daniel Brooks23 min read
An independent record store interior at golden hour: stacks of new vinyl LPs on a worn wooden counter with handwritten price tags, a customer in a wool coat thumbing through a classic-rock bin in the background, soft natural light from a street-facing window, a Fleetwood Mac Rumours sleeve visible on the front display, and a dust-covered turntable on a side shelf.
Business

Vinyl Sales 2026: Industry Report (RIAA + Discogs Data)

Daniel Brooks23 min read
Business

Ditto vs DistroKid for Music Distribution (2026)

Daniel Brooks9 min read
Business

Producer Agreement Essentials for Musicians (2026)

Daniel Brooks13 min read
Business

How to Protect Your Music from AI Cloning (2026)

Daniel Brooks16 min read
Business

Music LLC vs Sole Proprietor: What Artists Need to Know (2026)

Daniel Brooks10 min read
Business

The Independent Artist Business Guide (2026)

Daniel Brooks20 min read
Business

Music Contract Red Flags: 5 Clauses to Avoid (2026)

Daniel Brooks15 min read
Business

YouTube Copyright Strikes: How to Avoid and Fix Them (2026)

Daniel Brooks18 min read
Page 4 of 6