Sherilyn on How to Release Music Independently Like a Pro (Episode 167)

Make Music Your Business.

Sherilyn spent most of her 20s as a signed artist, touring the world in the CCM and worship scene. Then she lost the label support and had to rebuild everything herself. Today she is an independent pop alternative artist, producer, podcast host and music career coach with her own label and publishing company, Starboard Stride.

In Episode 167 of The Career Musician, she tells Nomad how she went from signed to independent, and walks through what it really takes to release music independently like a pro: booking, merch, publishing, contracts, sync and the long game.

Be yourself sooner

She started writing songs at five or six, sent songs to a small Christian label after high school, and got signed. Touring took her as far as Australia. But she admits she was in over her head. At an early industry showcase, she fumbled her words between songs and kept comparing herself to the artist before her.

Her advice to her 20-year-old self: enjoy it more, be yourself more, and stop comparing. Nomad shares his wife's version: comparison is the thief of all joy. He also adds a lesson for young artists: find a good mentor, ideally a professional who has been down that road.

When the label support disappears

Around 2008, just as her career was lifting off, with an album getting critical attention and early radio play, a painful change in her personal life upended her career. She thought about quitting. But she still felt called to music.

"I just have to reinvent myself as an independent artist, and I have to figure out how to handle my own publishing, my own tours, my own merch, all the things the label was doing for me."

Sherilyn, 10:51

She started with her goals. She still wanted to play events, conferences and festivals, so she built an electronic press kit and began booking herself. That revenue paid for new recordings and video content. She also started a small business, learned about sales tax the hard way, and invested in merch: stacks of stickers and batches of shirts before print-on-demand was common.

Nomad's note: that is six or seven jobs dropped on you at once. The only way through is a POA, a plan of attack, step by step. Over time she also added teaching between tour dates. More income streams. That is The Biz pillar: diversify or die.

Own your publishing and your masters

When she released her next album on her own, she had to learn the whole royalty picture: registering with her PRO (she is with ASCAP, as writer and as her own publishing company), global publishing admin through Songtrust, and SoundExchange for master and featured artist royalties. Her warning: when you self-publish, that money can take 12, 18, even 24 months to arrive. Plan for the long haul.

The CD math shows why ownership matters. She pressed albums through Disc Makers or CD Baby for about two dollars each and sold them for $15. Nomad points out that a signed artist might buy their own CDs from the label at a much smaller margin. Sherilyn owned the masters, the publishing and the songs.

Lead with service

Her bookings came through relationships built over years at retreats and events, and through one-on-one outreach. The tough love answer, she says, is that there is no shortcut.

"Anytime I'm reaching out to someone and offering to do music for them... I always have the mindset of how can I serve their needs."

Sherilyn, 13:10

Instead of "can I come play," she asks: do you need an opener, do you need a worship leader for an upcoming conference, what are you planning for Easter next year? Nomad calls it reframing from wanting to serving. That is Humility from the ETHOS code, and it opens doors.

She keeps the business side tight too. Always a contract, in writing, with signatures. A lean rider: a mic on a boom stand, a DI and a cable. Flexible lineups: solo, with her band, or with a house band. And travel and lodging covered by whoever books her. That is low maintenance / no drama with a professional backbone.

Pivot when the world stops

She stayed honest with her fans through hard times, and many have stuck with her for decades and still help fund her music. When the pandemic shut down live events, she chased three dreams she had been too busy for: she launched a podcast, took courses in sync licensing and started writing for music supervisors, and turned her own release checklist into coaching for other artists.

Her approach was simple: record one episode and see. Pitch one song to one library, and if it's not accepted, pitch another. She says her songs are now signed with about eight publishing libraries.

"It is possible to make tiny changes each day to work towards your dreams, but you just have to be willing to take those tiny baby steps."

Sherilyn, 24:29

Nomad calls it tenacity, proactiveness and resilience. It is also work begets work.

The takeaway

Labels come and go. Ownership, relationships and a step-by-step plan stay with you. If you want guided help releasing a single, Sherilyn runs a 12-week Release Music Like a Pro Bootcamp. And to map your own next steps, grab the free plan of attack (POA) worksheet.

Get the gig. Keep the gig. Build the career.

Watch on YouTube or find every episode on the TCM Podcast page.