START HERE: Essential First Steps

Before diving into the full program, establish these foundations. These resources provide immediate clarity on sync licensing basics and address the mindset shifts needed for success.

🚨 MOST IMPORTANT: Don't overthink these first steps. Choose one, do it today, move forward. Perfectionism starts HERE.


Required Reading (Choose One to Start)

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

The foundational text for creatives battling internal resistance. Pressfield names the force causing your procrastination and perfectionism, then provides a battle plan for defeating it.

Key insight: "Most of us have two lives—the life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance."

Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland

Source of the famous ceramic bowl study proving that students graded on quantity produced higher quality work than those graded on perfection. This underground classic normalizes creative struggles and gives permission to create imperfect work.


First-Week Actions

1. Register with a PRO

✅ DO THIS FIRST: Choose either ASCAP ($50 one-time fee) or BMI (free for writers). This is the foundational step for collecting performance royalties from sync placements. Don't overthink this choice—both work well for indie artists.

2. Set Up DISCO

The industry-standard catalog management platform trusted by 90% of music supervisors. Starting at $10/month for 500 tracks. This single decision eliminates countless organizational headaches and puts your music where supervisors actually search.

🔗 https://www.disco.ac

3. Join FAWM or 50/90