by Studio Budgets | Nov 8, 2025 | Royalties
Royalties & Bundles: How “All-in-One” Plans Cut Payouts — and When Clarity Might Arrive When a streaming service adds audiobooks (or other media) to a music plan and calls it a bundle, U.S. mechanical royalties for songwriters can be calculated at a discounted...
by Studio Budgets | Nov 8, 2025 | Creator Finance, Royalties
Taylor Swift’s Fight for Her Masters & What It Means for Creator Rights In the high-stakes intersection of creativity and commerce, few stories illustrate the power dynamics of ownership better than Taylor Swift’s years-long battle over her master recordings....
by Studio Budgets | Nov 8, 2025 | Creator Finance
Every Play Pays™ — How Your Music Earns, and Why the Details Matter Your music did the work. The streams were delivered. The plays happened. Now the question is: did every play pay? At Studio Budgets, our mantra is Every Play Pays™. That means we believe your music...
by Studio Budgets | Nov 7, 2025 | Creator Finance
2025 Tax Overhaul Impacts Royalty Earnings The tax landscape for music creators is changing rapidly. Effective January 2025, new IRS and regulatory provisions introduce tailored treatments for royalty income—from cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) on mechanical...
by Studio Budgets | Nov 7, 2025 | Royalties
Per-Stream Payout Comparisons: Apple Leads, Peloton Surprises In January 2025, new data show that per-stream payouts across digital platforms remain vastly different — and that difference matters to creators. Platforms like Apple Music and non-traditional services...