Resources · Music
The North Carolina music business guide
Starting a band, a label, a studio or a venue? Here is where to register it, protect it, get paid for it and find help, with North Carolina offices first and national ones after.
NC North Carolina resource National works anywhere in the U.S.
We link to government agencies, nonprofits and member organizations so you can go straight to the source. We are not lawyers or accountants, and nothing here is legal or tax advice. Links checked October 2026.
Start your music business
Make it official
A band that splits money, sells merch or signs contracts is already a business. These are the offices that make it official in North Carolina.
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NC Secretary of State: Business Registration (opens in a new tab)
Form an LLC, corporation or nonprofit, file your annual report and look up business names already taken.
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NC Secretary of State: Assumed business names (opens in a new tab)
Working under a band, studio or shop name that isn’t your legal name? How to register that name.
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NC Department of Revenue: Business Registration (opens in a new tab)
Register online for sales and use tax (selling merch, art or tickets) and payroll withholding.
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IRS: Get an Employer Identification Number (opens in a new tab)
A free federal tax ID for your band, label, studio or practice. Apply directly with the IRS.
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NC Small Business and Technology Development Center (opens in a new tab)
One-on-one business counseling for North Carolina businesses, from the UNC System.
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NC Community Colleges Small Business Center Network (opens in a new tab)
Free, confidential counseling and low-cost seminars at a Small Business Center in every community college.
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SCORE (opens in a new tab)
Free mentoring and workshops from experienced business volunteers. Search by ZIP code for a mentor near you.
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IRS: Self-employed individuals tax center (opens in a new tab)
Gig and freelance income, self-employment tax, estimated payments and deductions, explained by the IRS.
Protect your work
Own your songs, and your name
Copyright exists the moment a song is written down or recorded. Registering it makes it far easier to enforce. A trademark protects the name on the poster.
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U.S. Copyright Office (opens in a new tab)
What copyright covers, how to register, and a public records system for searching existing registrations.
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U.S. Copyright Office: Register songs and recordings (opens in a new tab)
Register lyrics, compositions and sound recordings, including one filing for the songs on an album.
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Copyright Claims Board (opens in a new tab)
A small-claims alternative to federal court for copyright disputes of up to $30,000.
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USPTO: Trademarks (opens in a new tab)
Protect a band name, logo or brand across the country with a federal trademark.
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USPTO: Search trademarks (opens in a new tab)
Check whether someone already registered the name you want before you print shirts.
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NC Secretary of State: Trademarks (opens in a new tab)
Register a trademark or service mark with the state, and search marks already registered in North Carolina.
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US ISRC Agency (opens in a new tab)
ISRC codes give each recording a permanent ID so plays and sales are credited to you.
Get paid for your music
Where the royalties come from
A song and a recording earn money in different ways, and different organizations collect each stream. Songwriters usually sign up with one PRO and The MLC. Artists and labels sign up with SoundExchange.
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ASCAP (opens in a new tab)
Performing rights organization: collects royalties when your songs are played in public, on air or online.
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BMI (opens in a new tab)
Performing rights organization: join as a songwriter or publisher to collect performance royalties.
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SESAC (opens in a new tab)
Performing rights organization. Membership is by invitation, usually through a manager, agent or lawyer.
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The MLC (opens in a new tab)
Collects mechanical royalties from U.S. streaming and download services for songwriters and publishers.
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SoundExchange (opens in a new tab)
Collects digital performance royalties for recordings played on services such as satellite and internet radio.
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AFM & SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund (opens in a new tab)
Collects and pays digital performance royalties to musicians and singers on recordings, union or non-union.
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Harry Fox Agency (opens in a new tab)
Mechanical licensing and royalty services for publishers, labels and creators.
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Distribution, in plain terms
A digital distributor delivers your recordings to streaming and download stores and pays you the recording’s share. Distributors charge in different ways: per release, by yearly fee or as a percentage. Read the terms and keep your own ISRC and songwriter registrations up to date.
Legal help
Read it before you sign it
Record, management, publishing and venue contracts are worth a lawyer’s look. These services help you find one, and some are free if your income qualifies.
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Alexa Whiteside
Entertainment attorney listed in our directory. Contact details are on the listing.
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Poyner Spruill LLP (entertainment practice)
Entertainment attorney listed in our directory. Contact details are on the listing.
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Justin Eldreth
Entertainment attorney listed in our directory. Contact details are on the listing.
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Lauri Eberhart
Entertainment attorney listed in our directory. Contact details are on the listing.
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All entertainment lawyers in the directory
Every music and entertainment attorney we list, by town.
Referrals and free help
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NC Bar Association: Lawyer Referral Service (opens in a new tab)
Get matched with a North Carolina lawyer. Referred clients pay $50 for a first 30-minute consultation.
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NC Free Legal Answers (opens in a new tab)
Post a civil legal question online and a volunteer lawyer answers it, free, if your income qualifies.
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Legal Aid of North Carolina (opens in a new tab)
Free civil legal help with housing, benefits, consumer and workers’ rights, from the state’s nonprofit law firm.
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National Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts directory (opens in a new tab)
State-by-state list of volunteer-lawyers-for-the-arts programs that offer free or low-cost legal help to artists.
Funding and grants
Money for the work
Most public arts money for individual artists in North Carolina flows through county and regional arts councils. Start with yours.
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NC Arts Council: Grants (opens in a new tab)
Artist Support Grants of $500 to $2,000, run region by region, plus folklife apprenticeships and grants for groups.
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NC Arts Council: Directory of local arts agencies (opens in a new tab)
Find your county’s arts council. Local arts councils run the state’s Artist Support Grants and Grassroots Arts funding in their area.
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NC Arts Council: Artist opportunities (opens in a new tab)
A free listing of calls for art, grants, residencies and more, posted by organizations across the state.
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Come Hear NC Music Office (opens in a new tab)
The state’s music office. Its directories cover venues, studios, festivals, record stores and vinyl pressing.
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South Arts (opens in a new tab)
Regional arts organization for nine Southern states, North Carolina among them. Grants, fellowships and touring programs.
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National Endowment for the Arts: Grants (opens in a new tab)
Federal arts grants. The main programs fund organizations and arts agencies, so check each program’s guidelines.
Health and emergency help
When the gig stops
Illness, injury or a lost season of work: these groups give money and care to working musicians. Most ask you to show a music career, so keep a record of your gigs and releases.
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Music Maker Foundation (opens in a new tab)
Based in Hillsborough. Grants, bookings and support for senior traditional musicians of the South.
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MusiCares (opens in a new tab)
Financial help, mental health support, addiction recovery and health services for people in the music industry.
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Sweet Relief Musicians Fund (opens in a new tab)
Financial help for career musicians and music workers facing illness, disability or age-related problems.
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Musicians Foundation (opens in a new tab)
Grants paid directly to the biller for professional musicians in times of need.
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Jazz Foundation of America (opens in a new tab)
Housing and emergency help, pro bono medical care and paid gigs for jazz, blues and roots musicians.
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NC Navigator Consortium (opens in a new tab)
Free, unbiased local help signing up for Marketplace coverage or Medicaid in North Carolina.
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HealthCare.gov (opens in a new tab)
Compare and buy health coverage on the federal marketplace.
Education and careers
Study the business
North Carolina schools that offer a music business, music industry or commercial music program. Every school here is also in our directory.
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Appalachian State University (opens in a new tab)
Bachelor of Science in Music Industry Studies
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Catawba College (opens in a new tab)
Music (B.A.) with a Music Business concentration
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Chowan University (opens in a new tab)
Music, Music Industry (B.S.)
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Elon University (opens in a new tab)
Music Production & Recording Arts, with a Music Business concentration
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Gardner-Webb University (opens in a new tab)
Bachelor of Music, Business and Music Industry emphasis
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Montreat College (opens in a new tab)
Music Business
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North Carolina Central University (opens in a new tab)
Music, Music Industry Concentration (B.M.)
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UNC Pembroke (opens in a new tab)
Music with Music Industry Emphasis (B.A.)
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Western Carolina University (opens in a new tab)
B.M. in Commercial Music and Audio Production; B.A. in Music with a music industry option
Keep learning
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Come Hear NC: University music programs (opens in a new tab)
The state music office’s full list of college and university music programs in North Carolina.
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GRAMMY U (opens in a new tab)
Recording Academy program for students and emerging music professionals: mentorship, a conference, and internship and job postings.
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Recording Academy membership (opens in a new tab)
Peer-reviewed membership for music creators and professionals, with chapter events and a part in the Grammy Awards process.
Industry organizations
Find your people
Unions, songwriter groups and trade associations. North Carolina chapters first, then the national groups behind the genres this state is known for.
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AFM Local 500 (opens in a new tab)
The musicians’ union for the eastern half of North Carolina, based in Raleigh.
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NSAI Charlotte chapter (opens in a new tab)
Monthly songwriter meetings with song feedback and music-business lessons.
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North Carolina Folklife Institute (opens in a new tab)
Supports and uplifts the folklife and traditional arts of North Carolina’s communities.
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NC Arts Council: Folk and traditional arts (opens in a new tab)
The state program for traditional artists, including apprenticeships and the NC Heritage Awards.
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American Federation of Musicians: Find my local (opens in a new tab)
Find the musicians’ union local that covers your town.
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International Bluegrass Music Association (opens in a new tab)
Trade association for the global bluegrass community, with a yearly business conference.
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Folk Alliance International (opens in a new tab)
Nonprofit for the folk music community. Its annual conference brings members together for showcases, panels and networking.
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Americana Music Association (opens in a new tab)
Not-for-profit trade organization for American roots music, with an annual festival and conference.
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A2IM (opens in a new tab)
Trade group for independent record labels: advocacy, education and the Indie Week conference.
Venues and booking
Find a room, run a room
Book shows with our directory of North Carolina stages. If you run the room, these are the licenses and permits that come with live music.
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Search music venues in our directory
Clubs, halls, listening rooms and festivals across North Carolina, by town.
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See what’s on
Who is playing where this month, to find rooms that book your kind of show.
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List your venue or band
Claim or add a free listing so bookers and fans can find you.
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Come Hear NC: Live music venues (opens in a new tab)
The state music office’s list of live music venues.
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Come Hear NC: Recording studios (opens in a new tab)
The state music office’s list of recording studios in North Carolina.
Booking agents and managers in the directory
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Rockwood Booking
Booking agency listed in our directory. Contact details are on the listing.
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Roots Music Agency
Booking agency listed in our directory. Contact details are on the listing.
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Deep South Entertainment
Artist management company listed in our directory. Contact details are on the listing.
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The Glow
Artist management company listed in our directory. Contact details are on the listing.
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All booking agencies and managers
Agencies, managers and promoters we list across North Carolina.
If you run a venue
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ASCAP: License finder for businesses (opens in a new tab)
Venues, bars and restaurants: find the ASCAP license for live or recorded music.
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BMI: Music licensing (opens in a new tab)
Get a BMI license to play music in your business.
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SESAC: Music licensing (opens in a new tab)
Venues and businesses: get a SESAC license to play the music it represents.
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NC Department of Revenue: Admission charges (opens in a new tab)
Selling tickets? Sales tax applies to admission charges for entertainment in North Carolina.
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NC ABC Commission (opens in a new tab)
Alcohol permits for venues and one-time permits for events in North Carolina.
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National Independent Venue Association (opens in a new tab)
Trade group for independent venues, promoters and festivals: advocacy, research and an annual conference.
Money in, money out
Keep the books
Track every gig payment, merch sale and expense from day one. Free bookkeeping and tax help is on our business page.
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Keep the books: free help
IRS recordkeeping rules, NC tax forms, and free bookkeeping classes and counseling.
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IRS: Recordkeeping (opens in a new tab)
What records to keep, why, and for how long: income, expenses, receipts and property.
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IRS: Self-employed individuals tax center (opens in a new tab)
Gig and freelance income, self-employment tax, estimated payments and deductions, explained by the IRS.
Know a resource we missed?
Help us keep this guide useful
Send us a North Carolina program, office or nonprofit that helps musicians. We check every link before it goes up.
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