← Music Business hub· Rights & Royalties
SUB-TRACK E OF 8 FALL 2027

Rights & Royalties

The most expensive thing musicians don't understand.

See the courses ↓ Apply to teach in this sub-track →
Why this sub-track exists

The case for Rights & Royalties

The most expensive blind spot in working music. Songwriters lose six-figure sync placements because they didn't register with a PRO. Independent artists leave mechanical royalties uncollected at the MLC for years. Producers sign work-for-hire deals without understanding what they signed away. This is the sub-track that most affects student earnings — and the one the working pros we consulted said was most urgently missing from existing online curricula.

Four courses. Taught by music attorneys with active practices and rights specialists at PROs and publishers. Includes the cross-border international course that the rest of the market still ignores.

Who it's for

Personas mapped to this sub-track

From our six core personas, the following see the most direct value from Rights & Royalties. Cross-references encouraged — most students do a mix of sub-tracks.

Maya26 · Brooklyn
Early-career indie artist
Pain:Got a 'label services' deal, no idea if it's predatory. 12k monthly Spotify, day job in coffee.
Devon38 · Nashville
Mid-career sideman + bandleader
Pain:200 nights/yr, $72k pre-tax, no LLC, no retirement, tax bill blew up.
Ren23 · Boston
Recent Berklee Songwriting grad
Pain:$90k debt, demo-ing for $50, coffee-shop job. Berklee taught craft, not deal flow.
Tomás29 · Bogotá
International artist · no local industry
Pain:80k monthly listeners, viral on TikTok in LatAm, no manager / no US-EU contacts.
The 4 courses in this sub-track · Fall 2027

What you can take

All 4 courses run in the Fall 2027 term (Sep 6 – Dec 19, 2027). Drop-in Groups + Masterclass series begin in October 2027 and recur monthly thereafter.

Format Length Course Schedule Capstone deliverable Faculty type
Studio cohort 6 wks Your Catalog Is Worth More Than You Think Tue evenings Complete catalog audit + PRO/MLC registration verified + sync-ready metadata for every track Music attorney / rights specialist
Studio cohort 8 wks International Royalties for the Working Musician Thu evenings Cross-border royalty map for student's catalog (US + UK + EU + at least one of LatAm/MENA/APAC) International rights specialist
Group weekly Royalties & Rights Drop-In Wed lunchtime (drop in any week — Q&A with attorneys / publishing pros) Rotating attorneys / publishing pros
Private 1:1 60 min Office Hours: Rights & Royalties 1:1 by booking (per session — contract review, catalog audit, dispute strategy) Music attorney
Sample syllabus

Inside "Your Catalog Is Worth More Than You Think (Studio cohort, 6 weeks)"

The flagship course of this sub-track, expanded so you can see the texture. Other courses follow a similar pattern: weekly live cohort sessions + applied workshop + paired 1:1 mentor sessions + specific deliverables building toward a capstone.

In one paragraph: what you'll do Across 6 weeks you do a complete audit of your existing catalog and fix every leak. You map the seven income streams from a single song (composition, master, mechanical, performance, sync, neighbouring, AI-training). You verify your PRO and MLC registrations are clean (most aren't). You fix metadata so your tracks are actually findable by sync supervisors. You learn the basics of cross-border collection. By week 6 you present a complete catalog audit to a faculty attorney and walk away knowing exactly what your catalog is worth — and where money was being left on the table.
Week Topic
Week 1 The 7 income streams from a single song — comp, master, mechanical, performance, sync, neighbouring, AI training
Week 2 Composition vs master — what you actually own, what splits look like, what 'controlled comp' really means
Week 3 PROs (ASCAP/BMI/SESAC + international equivalents) — registration, blackbox money, foreign collection
Week 4 MLC, mechanicals, the streaming-mechanicals rate, why your DistroKid setup probably leaves money uncollected
Week 5 Sync-ready metadata — titles, descriptions, instrumentation, splits, AI-rights carveouts
Week 6 Capstone — present complete catalog audit to cohort + faculty attorney; verify all registrations
By April 30, 2027 The full syllabus above is the current draft. Between now and the April 30, 2027 curriculum lock, the founding faculty review and refine every week. The lock is when bookings open. If you sign up to the notify list, we email you the day the lock happens with the final syllabus + the named faculty + a registration link.
Outcome guarantee

What you take home — guaranteed

Your Catalog Is Worth More Than You Think (Studio cohort, 6 weeks)
"You will leave with a complete catalog audit, verified PRO and MLC registration for every track, and sync-ready metadata. If your catalog was already perfect — congratulations, we refund (and we've never had to)."

Refund mechanics for guarantees and standard cancellation rules are governed by our Refund & Cancellation Policy. Outcome guarantees on Studio Classes specifically are written into each course's enrollment confirmation; they are not blanket platform terms.

Faculty for this sub-track

Who teaches Rights & Royalties

Music attorneys with 5+ years active practice. Rights specialists at PROs (ASCAP/BMI/PRS/SOCAN). Publishing administration veterans. International royalty specialists (UK PPL, EU neighbouring rights, Latin America CMOs).

Are you currently working in one of these roles? Our faculty application has a dedicated Music Business & Industry section. Founding faculty (those who join us before Fall 2027) get input on curriculum, the option to design their own Studio Class, and a permanent founding-faculty designation on their TGC profile.

Apply to teach in Rights & Royalties →
Combine well with

Sub-tracks that pair naturally with Rights & Royalties

Most students mix sub-tracks. These three pair particularly well with Rights & Royalties — same career stage, complementary skills, often taken in the same term.

Sync & Licensing

Sub-track F

The flagship vertical — biggest revenue lane for indies in 2027.

Read full plan →

Recording & Releasing

Sub-track D

The actual mechanics of self-release, taught by people who do it.

Read full plan →

Want all three together? See the Pro Intensive flagship— a 24-week bundle of 3 Studio Classes from any sub-tracks plus 4 hours of paired industry mentorship plus a portfolio capstone.

Common questions about Rights & Royalties

FAQ

When does Rights & Royalties open?
Fall 2027. The first cohorts begin September 6, 2027 (Monday). Registration opens June 1, 2027. Drop-in Groups and Masterclass series in this sub-track begin in October 2027 and recur monthly thereafter.
Can I take just one course in Rights & Royalties or do I need to take all 4?
Take any. Each course in Rights & Royalties stands on its own. Studio Classes () are full-term commitments to one cohort; Group sessions () are weekly drop-ins; Masterclasses () are one-time live events; Private 1:1 () is by booking. Mix and match.
Are courses in Rights & Royalties accredited?
No, and we don't pretend they are. We compete on outcomes (the artifact you ship — see the capstone deliverable column above) and credibility (the working-practitioner faculty). For students who need transferable academic credit, Berklee or NYU is your answer. For students who need a working music career, we are.
What if I'm not sure which Rights & Royalties course is right for me?
Email info@theglobalconservatory.comwith a one-line description of where you are in your career and we'll recommend the right course. From June 2027 onwards, registration includes a brief intake survey that helps match you to the right course automatically.
How do I get notified when Rights & Royalties registration opens?
Email info@theglobalconservatory.comwith subject "Notify me — Rights & Royalties Fall 2027" and we'll add you to the announcement list. You'll be the first to hear when June 1, 2027 registration opens.
Explore the other 7 sub-tracks

The full Music Business division

Most students do a mix. Hannah pairs Founder Track with Sync; Devon does Career Foundations + Bandleading + Sync; Priya goes deep on Studio Teaching alone. The full division has 34 courses across 8 sub-tracks.

SUB-TRACK ACareer FoundationsThe on-ramp every working musician needsSUB-TRACK BStudio & Teaching BusinessBuilding and scaling a private teaching studioSUB-TRACK CPerforming & Touring BusinessTouring as cost-controlled marketing, not a revenue lineSUB-TRACK DRecording & ReleasingThe actual mechanics of self-release, taught by people who do itSUB-TRACK FSync & LicensingThe flagship vertical — biggest revenue lane for indies in 2027SUB-TRACK GBandleading & Music DirectionThe bridge between performance and businessSUB-TRACK HEntrepreneurship & Music TechFounders, label-builders, music-tech operators

Two ways to be part of this

Faculty applications are open now. Student registration opens June 1, 2027.

Apply to teach a course → Notify me when registration opens →

Questions? info@theglobalconservatory.com