Career Journey: Choosing Your Niche With Jamie Dee Hart

Jamie Dee Hart is a music rights management advocate who is passionate about giving back to the industry by educating independent creators. Her expertise guides artists in comprehending royalty collection, which is often overlooked but vital for establishing a sustainable long-term artist career. Jamie has spent the last decade working with artists, labels, and publishers, helping them leverage digital platforms and tools while also ensuring they accurately collect master and publishing royalties. Now, she is the Founder of Hart & Songs, a music rights management firm in Nashville, offering the ideal solution for independent artists, producers, and songwriters seeking to ensure proper song registration and effective royalty collection. In this interview we discuss Jamie's career so far and the importance of accurate royalty collection.

‍GA: You’ve built an incredible career at the intersection of music rights and artist advocacy. What originally drew you to the world of royalty collection and rights management, and what made you realize how critical this work is for independent creators? 

JDH: One of my first internships opened my eyes to how much money often goes uncollected for artists, writers, and producers. The more I learned about the broken systems currently in place for royalty collection, the more I felt compelled to raise awareness, provide assistance wherever possible, and dedicate my career to truly understanding music rights management from every angle.

GA: Through Hart & Songs, you work with everyone from emerging independent artists to chart-topping producers. What are some of the biggest misconceptions artists have about royalty collection, and how do you guide them toward reclaiming control over their rights and income? 

JDH: One of the biggest misconceptions is that royalty collection,—especially publishing royalties,—can wait until you have a manager or publisher on your team. That mindset is risky, especially in today’s industry, where many artists and writers don’t get management or publishing support until they’ve already built a successful career on their own. Sometimes a song might even go viral on TikTok unexpectedly, and if you’re not prepared, you miss out. Almost all major royalty streams have a limited collection window before unclaimed money is paid out to others. If you’re not set up in time, you may lose what’s rightfully yours. That’s why understanding the system and being proactive as a creator is crucial to long-term success.

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GA: You’ve had experience in both the major-label-adjacent world and the independent sector. How do you think the needs and challenges of independent artists have evolved over the last decade, especially with the rise of platforms like TikTok?

JDH: Now more than ever, major labels are admitting defeat and dropping artists they signed during the TikTok virality craze, largely because they failed to invest in true artist development. No amount of money can make up for a lack of connection between the artist and their audience. It’s really unfortunate for those artists who believed signing to a major label was the right move, only to find themselves without support and needing to essentially relaunch their careers to build real, lasting fan engagement.

The good news is that independent artists today have more tools than ever before. If you’re creative, driven, and have the right support system, you can absolutely build a successful career outside of the traditional label system. It’s more competitive than ever, but the opportunities are limitless if you stay focused and take full advantage of what’s available.

GA: Metadata is often an overlooked and under-appreciated part of the music industry. Can you give a brief explanation of what metadata is and share an example of a time when managing metadata correctly - or incorrectly - had a significant financial or career impact for an artist you worked with?

JDH: Metadata is like the routine maintenance of the music industry—similar to filing your taxes or getting your car serviced. It’s not the most glamorous part of the process, but if it’s ignored, everything else can fall apart. Metadata is essentially the identifying information for a song—things like the writers, performers, ISRCs, and ownership shares. If that information isn’t correctly registered, royalties can go completely uncollected.

Put simply: metadata = song identity. If your song's identity is wrong or missing in the system, the money meant for you could be misdirected or lost entirely.

GA: With the industry constantly evolving, especially in terms of streaming economics and AI’s role in music creation, what trends are you keeping a close eye on, and how are you preparing your clients at Hart & Songs for the industry’s changes?

My biggest recommendation to everyone is to stay informed and trust your instincts. Keep creating! There are more ways than ever to make a living in music, and getting caught up in the negativity can distract you from the opportunities that do exist. One resource I always recommend is Kristin Robinson’s Machine Learnings newsletter;, it’s a great way to stay current on all things AI and broader industry shifts.

‍Metadata = Song Identity.

GA: You’ve been a strong advocate for education in the music industry. What advice would you give to young professionals who are just beginning to navigate their journey in the music industry?

Push the limits, pave news paths, and ask questions! Not every opportunity will be for you, but everything happens for a reason :) 

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