I'm a digital marketer. I also make music. Not just beats, whole songs, built by me from start to finish. So when someone asks me how to make money from music, I don't send them to a course. I tell them what I'd do if I were starting over. Here's the first thing. Open a BMI account. Pay the yearly fee. That's your entry point. That's what lets you become a producer and actually get started instead of just talking about it. People want to skip this step. They want to find a shortcut or hire someone to set it up. Don't. It's your account, it's your music, and you can handle it yourself. Step two. Register all of your songs with BMI. Every single one. This matters because BMI makes sure you get paid. If your songs aren't registered, you're making music for free and calling it a career. When you sign up, do it as both a producer and an artist. Not one or the other. Both. That way you get paid for both. If you made the song and you made the music behind it, get credit for both sides of the work. Now here's what it all comes down to. Streams. That's the game. The more your music streams, the more you get paid. So registering your songs isn't the finish line. It's the foundation. Then you go get the streams. Put the music out, keep putting it out, and keep pushing it. I'm not going to throw numbers at you or promise you a payout. I don't know your music and I don't know your audience. What I do know is that without the account and without the registration, none of it counts. Step three. Only after all that, open an LLC for your record label. Notice the order. Not first. After. Don't build a label for songs you haven't registered or an account you haven't opened. Do the work, then build the structure around it. Why the LLC? Because once you have a label, you can get other people signed up under it. And when they make money, you get paid for them too. That's how you go from making money on your own music to making money on other people's music as well. I'll be honest about where I stand on this. I'm a little stubborn about it. I don't believe in paying someone thousands of dollars for something you can learn on your own. The information is out there. The steps are not complicated. What costs people is time they waste not knowing where to begin, and then they hand money to someone who tells them what I just told you. So here it is, in order. BMI account, pay the yearly fee. Register every song as both producer and artist. Then open the LLC for your label. Three steps. No middleman. Do them yourself, keep control of your work, and let the streams do the rest.