Paid in dollars, no conversion
Earnings are already in US dollars, calculated from the minutes your tracks are played inside sessions. The payout method is agreed in the artist agreement before anything is played.
All countries
Artists by country
Emerging artists in the United Statesplayed where the work gets done.
Yes. The community is international, and most of the people listening are in the United States and Europe, so an artist in Austin or Brooklyn is playing to their own time zone. You apply with two or three links, a curator answers within seven days, and earnings are calculated in US dollars from the minutes your tracks are actually played inside sessions.
In rotation from United States
No artist based in United States is in rotation yet. You could be the first.
The scene in United States
Every large US city has an instrumental scene that never reaches the charts: ambient and modular in Los Angeles and Portland, neoclassical and tape music in New York and Chicago, and in Nashville and Austin a long line of studio players who record wordless material between sessions. Much of it lives on Bandcamp and small cassette labels rather than on playlists.
Artists here usually distribute to Spotify early and keep Bandcamp for the long-form pieces streaming does not reward. Send the long-form ones. A twelve-minute track on a private link is a stronger application than a three-minute single.
Practical, from United States
ISRC and PRO affiliation are optional
You can apply without an ISRC or a performing rights society. If you have them, add them to your artist profile after approval; they make licensing to brands quicker.
Your listeners keep the same hours
Most sessions are played during US and European working hours, so a track in Deep Focus is heard at 10 a.m. in Chicago and 4 p.m. in Berlin on the same day.
Rights bodies in United States
- ASCAP
- Performing rights: collects performance royalties for songwriters, composers and publishers.
- BMI
- Performing rights: collects performance royalties for songwriters, composers and publishers, alongside ASCAP and SESAC.
- SESAC
- Performing rights: a smaller society collecting performance royalties for songwriters, composers and publishers.
- SoundExchange
- Digital performance royalties for sound recordings, paid to featured artists and rights owners.
- The MLC
- Mechanical royalties from US streaming and downloads, paid to songwriters and publishers.
General information from the curators, not legal advice.
Common questions
Can I join Music For Work from the United States?
Yes. You need to be 18 or over and to hold the rights to the music you send. Apply with links; no label, manager or distributor is required.
How am I paid?
Earnings are calculated in US dollars from real listening minutes inside sessions. The payout method and schedule are set out in the written artist agreement you sign after approval.
Do I need to be registered with ASCAP or BMI?
No. A performing rights society matters for royalties collected elsewhere, not for the application. You can join one later, or never.
Does Music For Work take exclusive rights to my music?
You keep every right to your music. How it is used in sessions and how you are paid is set out in the written artist agreement before anything is played.
Apply from United States.
The site is in English, the community is not limited by country, and earnings are calculated in US dollars from real listening minutes.