Sold 4 a Song

#25: Break Your Neighborhood First Then The World

Terrance Sawchuk urges artists to build their careers from the ground up by testing songs and performance in their own neighborhood, learning from real audience feedback rather than chasing online vanity metrics or moving to a bigger city. He explains why local shows, selling directly to fans, and maintaining ownership of your work create sustainable momentum, help you develop as an entertainer, and protect you from being undervalued by the industry. Practical takeaways include focusing on live performance, measuring real results like ticket sales and repeat attendees, and committing to the work and time required to grow a lasting career.   Resources & Next Steps * Pick up your copy of my new book, $old 4 a $ong (How Music Creators Lost Their Worth, and How to Take It Back) sold4asong.com * Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast to help this message reach more creators * Share this episode with a songwriter who still believes “someone else is watching out for them” About the Host Terrance “Terry” Sawchuk is a Billboard #1, multi-platinum songwriter, producer, engineer and now author with over three decades in the trenches. Sold for a Song exists to challenge the systems that undervalue creators—and to offer real pathways back to ownership, leverage, and sustainability. Sold 4 a Song™ Podcast Hosted by Terrance Sawchuk, Billboard #1 multi-platinum songwriter, producer, artist, mixer, and entrepreneur. The Book (How Music Creators Lost Their Worth, and How to Take It Back) is a living exploration of creative worth, ownership, and the true value of music—inside the systems that monetize it. If this episode resonates, you can follow the work at sold4asong.com

#24: Reclaiming Creators’ Worth

Big announcement: my first book is finished!!! In this episode I share why I wrote it, to expose how the music industry has historically overleveraged and undervalued creators, and to offer practical ways artists can reclaim their worth and attract abundance. I also discuss the early book release, the official launch before SXSW 2026, upcoming projects like a docu‑series called The True Value of Music, workshops, and how I plan to help creators streamline their careers so they can focus on making art. Join me as I break down the problem, the path to self‑worth, and actionable steps for creators to thrive in a changing industry.   Resources & Next Steps * Pick up your copy of my new book, $old 4 a $ong (How Music Creators Lost Their Worth, and How to Take It Back) sold4asong.com * Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast to help this message reach more creators * Share this episode with a songwriter who still believes “someone else is watching out for them” About the Host Terrance “Terry” Sawchuk is a Billboard #1, multi-platinum songwriter, producer, engineer and now author with over three decades in the trenches. Sold for a Song exists to challenge the systems that undervalue creators—and to offer real pathways back to ownership, leverage, and sustainability. Sold 4 a Song™ Podcast Hosted by Terrance Sawchuk, Billboard #1 multi-platinum songwriter, producer, artist, mixer, and entrepreneur. The Book (How Music Creators Lost Their Worth, and How to Take It Back) is a living exploration of creative worth, ownership, and the true value of music—inside the systems that monetize it. If this episode resonates, you can follow the work at sold4asong.com.

#23: Stop Using Spotify — Build Your Private Portal

In this episode Terrance Sawchuk argues that musicians and creators must stop giving their value away to big platforms and instead build their own “private portals” to own relationships with fans. Using AI and simple tech, artists can use TikTok and Spotify as billboards to drive traffic to their own hubs, sell directly, and reclaim income and control. The episode outlines practical steps and a mindset shift: stop relying on third-party platforms that monetize your data, create unique fan experiences on your own site, and use tech to streamline and sustain a real music business.     Resources & Next Steps * Pick up your copy of my new book, $old 4 a $ong (How Music Creators Lost Their Worth, and How to Take It Back) sold4asong.com * Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast to help this message reach more creators * Share this episode with a songwriter who still believes “someone else is watching out for them” About the Host Terrance “Terry” Sawchuk is a Billboard #1, multi-platinum songwriter, producer, engineer and now author with over three decades in the trenches. Sold for a Song exists to challenge the systems that undervalue creators—and to offer real pathways back to ownership, leverage, and sustainability. Sold 4 a Song™ Podcast Hosted by Terrance Sawchuk, Billboard #1 multi-platinum songwriter, producer, artist, mixer, and entrepreneur. The Book (How Music Creators Lost Their Worth, and How to Take It Back) is a living exploration of creative worth, ownership, and the true value of music—inside the systems that monetize it. If this episode resonates, you can follow the work at sold4asong.com.

#22: When Music Stopped Being The Product

In this episode of Sold 4 a Song, Terry Sawchuk breaks down a quiet but fundamental shift in the modern music business: how platforms moved from distributing music to extracting data—and why most artists never see the upside of the value they generate. Every stream, skip, save, replay, and share feeds an ecosystem designed to learn, predict, and monetize human behavior at scale. While creators focus on promotion and visibility, tech platforms quietly leverage analytics, audience data, and pattern recognition to build massive profit engines—often without artists realizing what they’re giving away. This episode is a wake-up call for artists, producers, and songwriters who feel stuck in a loop of being controlled instead of being in control. 🔍 In This Episode, You’ll Learn: * Why fan behavior has become more valuable than the song itself * How artists unknowingly give up masters, publishing, and audience data * The real difference between reach and leverage—and why confusing the two keeps creators powerless * Why visibility without control leads to noise, not sustainability * What it truly means to own your audience in a data-driven industry * Why platforms thrive on your data—and why artists must build their own infrastructure * How small, leveraged audiences often outperform massive but disconnected followings 💡 Key Takeaway If you don’t own your rights, your data, or your direct relationship with your audience, you’re not participating in the upside—you’re powering it. Understanding the difference between being visible and being leveraged is the first step toward reclaiming creative freedom, financial stability, and long-term value.   Resources & Next Steps * Join the Sold for a Song community: sold4asong.com * Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast to help this message reach more creators * Share this episode with a songwriter who still believes “someone else is watching out for them” About the Host Terrance “Terry” Sawchuk is a Billboard #1, multi-platinum songwriter, producer, and now author with over three decades in the trenches. Sold for a Song exists to challenge the systems that undervalue creators—and to offer real pathways back to ownership, leverage, and sustainability. Sold 4 a Song™ Podcast Hosted by Terrance Sawchuk, Billboard #1 multi-platinum songwriter, producer, artist, mixer, and entrepreneur. The Book (How Music Creators Lost Their Worth, and How to Take It Back) is a living exploration of creative worth, ownership, and the true value of music—inside the systems that monetize it. If this episode resonates, you can follow the work at sold4asong.com.

#21: Why It Is Illegal For Songwriters To Form A Union

In this episode of Sold 4 a Song, Terrance Sawchuk answers the question why do musicians, singers, actors, directors, producers, screenwriters, even stagehands,have unions… but songwriters don’t? In this episode of Sold for a Song, Terry Sawchuk breaks down a truth that shocks many creators: songwriters are legally prohibited from forming a union in the United States. Not discouraged. Not frowned upon. Illegal. Drawing on 30+ years in the music industry, including real-world examples from his own Billboard #1 career, Terry explains: * How U.S. labor and antitrust law classify songwriters * Why owning a song and controlling it are two very different things * How compulsory licenses strip songwriters of the right to say no * Why publishers, PROs, and Congress—not creators—set the rules * Where live performance royalties break down (and often disappear) * And why the future of creator power depends on direct ownership, private portals, and cutting out intermediaries This episode is about clarity, leverage, and practical survival in a system that was never designed to favor the inventor. Key Topics Covered * Why songwriter unions are illegal under U.S. antitrust law * The difference between copyright ownership and price control * What a song actually is (before publishers enter the picture) * Advances vs. income, and why publishing deals behave like credit cards * How administrative fees quietly eat up royalties worldwide * The real story behind compulsory licenses * A firsthand case study: pulling unauthorized uses of a #1 hit * Why live concert royalties are one of the least transparent systems in music * How Congress, the Copyright Royalty Board, and PROs shape songwriter income * Elon Musk, platform leverage, and the future battle over music pricing * Why artist-owned “home bases” are the most powerful path forward * How education changes your leverage with labels and publishers Key Takeaways * Songwriters are independent rights holders, not employees, which blocks collective bargaining * Once a song is released, key rights are permanently restricted * Publishers and PROs do not equal songwriter representation * Transparency failures aren’t accidental, they’re structural * Ownership without control is not freedom * The future belongs to creators who own, leverage, streamline, and sustain from their own platforms Memorable Quotes “Owning your song and controlling your song are two very different things.” “The inventor is the only one in the system who isn’t allowed to set the price.” “If you don’t like the cost of music, don’t use music. Don’t over-leverage it.” “Spotify and TikTok should be billboards, not the destination.” Action Steps for Songwriters & Artists * Understand your rights before releasing music * Stop confusing advances with income * Audit where your royalties are actually coming from * Build a private, artist-owned home base * Use platforms as traffic, not dependency * Educate yourself before signing your next deal Resources & Next Steps * Join the Sold for a Song community: TerranceSawchuk.com * Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast to help this message reach more creators * Share this episode with a songwriter who still believes “someone else is watching out for them” About the Host Terrance “Terry” Sawchuk is a Billboard #1, multi-platinum songwriter, producer, and industry veteran with over three decades in the trenches. Sold for a Song exists to challenge the systems that undervalue creators—and to offer real pathways back to ownership, leverage, and sustainability. Sold 4 a Song™ Podcast Hosted by Terrance Sawchuk, Billboard #1 multi-platinum songwriter, producer, artist, mixer, and entrepreneur. Sold 4 a Song™ is a living exploration of creative worth, ownership, and the true value of music—inside the systems that monetize it. If this episode resonates, you can follow the work at sold4asong.com.