Own the Song 

There is a long, familiar echo in the creative world. A voice rises. A story moves the people. A culture shifts. And somewhere in the paperwork, the creator disappears.

From singers and songwriters to spoken-word poets, comedians, screenwriters, and storytellers, the pattern has repeated itself for generations. Talent is discovered. Deals are offered. Promises are made. Ownership quietly slips away.

This isn’t paranoia. This is precedent.

The Pattern They Don’t Teach You

Consider Sam Cooke, a man brilliant enough to recognize the trap and bold enough to challenge it. Cooke fought for ownership of his masters at a time when Black artists were expected to be grateful, not empowered. He understood something most creatives learn too late:

"Your song is not just art—it is leverage."

Fast-forward decades later to Angie Stone, whose story echoes a painful truth. Despite global success, classic records, and cultural impact, financial security and control remained elusive. Not because of lack of talent—but because of contracts, management structures, and systems designed to extract value upstream.

Different eras. Same machinery.

Then there's TLC—one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. Despite selling over 65 million records worldwide, they filed for bankruptcy in 1995 while at the height of their fame. Their contracts were so exploitative that each member was earning less than $50,000 annually while generating millions. T-Boz later revealed they made only $50,000 each from their diamond-certified album "CrazySexyCool."

Prince fought so hard against Warner Bros. Records' ownership of his masters that he changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol and wrote "SLAVE" on his face during performances. It took decades before he finally regained control of his catalog.

Lauryn Hill disappeared from the industry after "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill"—one ofthe greatest albums ever made. Behind the scenes: lawsuits, disputes over credits, and theweight of an industry that wanted to own her genius.

And it doesn’t stop with musicians.

• Writers lose publishing rights.
• Spoken-word artists give away recorded performances.
• Comedians sign contracts that own their jokes, likeness, and future specials.
• Creators hand over intellectual property for “exposure.”

The industry has many names for it: development deals, management agreements, producer points, publishing splits. But the effect is always the same.

You create. Someone else controls.

Producers, Labels, and Managers: Where ItGoes Wrong

Let’s be clear—producers, labels, and managers are not inherently evil. Many are necessary. Some are ethical. A few are even visionary.

The issue is asymmetry of knowledge and power.

Most creatives:

• Don’t understand ownership vs. licensing
• Don’t control their masters, recordings, or written works
• Don’t track who owns what version of their content
• Don’t have proof of authorship, timestamps, or clear splits
• Don’t have leverage when disputes arise

 

So when conflicts happen—or money shows up—documentation decides the outcome, not truth.

And documentation almost never favors the artist.

The New Reality: You Are a Media Company

In 2025, every creator is a publisher. Every phone is a studio. Every performance is content.

Yet most artists still operate like it’s 1995—trusting handshakes, verbal agreements, and platforms that profit more from their work than they ever will.

That’s where Ownthesong.app enters—not as a label, not as a manager, not as another middleman—but as infrastructure.

How Ownthesong.app Changes the Game

Ownthesong.app is built on a simple but radical idea:

Creators should control their work from the moment it is created.

The platform is designed to help artists:

• Document authorship the moment a song, poem, joke, or script is created
• Timestamp and register ownership intent before pitching, posting, or performing
• Track collaborators and splits clearly, without ambiguity
• Create proof trails that protect against exploitation and misattribution
• Retain leverage when dealing with producers, labels, managers, or distributors

 

This isn’t about fighting the industry. It’s about entering it prepared.

Think of it as a digital songbook, meets vault meets witness. A modern answer to an old problem.

Protection Is Not Distrust—It’s Wisdom

Our ancestors didn’t pass down stories orally because paper was weak. They did it because memory, witnesses, and ritual mattered.

Ownthesong.app follows that same lineage—using modern tools to restore an ancient principle: What comes from you should remain connected to you.

"Ownership is not greed. Documentation is not arrogance. Protection is not fear."

It’s respect for yourself, your craft, and the generations who will build on what you leave behind.

From Exploitation to Sovereignty

Sam Cooke tried to warn us. TLC filed for bankruptcy at their peak. Prince became asymbol to escape bondage. Lauryn Hill withdrew from an industry that wanted to consume her. Angie Stone lived the cost. Countless others never even got their names remembered.

The question now isn’t whether the industry will change. It’s whether artists will.

Own the song. Own the joke. Own the story.

And don’t let history remix your life without your permission.

Get the app today - Own The Song

 

Sid Morrison Washington

PEACE. LOVE. LIGHT. 1LOVE.