Songwriters of North America

What Songwriters of North America does

Songwriters of North America (SONA) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade organization founded in January 2015 by songwriters Kay Hanley and Michelle Lewis, with entertainment attorney Dina LaPolt joining as co-founder in 2016. Headquartered in Los Angeles, SONA functions as the closest legal equivalent to a union for songwriters in the United States, providing collective advocacy, community, and tangible benefits to professional songwriters, composers, and students across pop, country, R&B, film/TV scoring, and related genres. The organization played a pivotal role in the crafting and passage of the 2018 Music Modernization Act, filed a 2020 lawsuit against the Department of Justice over the ASCAP/BMI consent decree review, and continues to participate in amicus briefs on copyright termination rights and secondary liability (Cox v. Sony, Vetter v. Resnik). Its membership platform and e-commerce storefront are built on Shopify, and its programming includes tiered annual memberships (Gold $50, Platinum $100, Diamond $500, Silver student $25), donations, branded merchandise, and events such as Lunch and Learn, In The Room, Ask the Insider, and the 5th Annual SONA Warrior Awards held in October 2025.

SONA's revenue model is a hybrid of annual subscription membership dues, donations up to $5,000+, and one-time merchandise sales through its own Shopify storefront. Distribution is community-led, with member acquisition driven by organic social channels (Instagram, X, Facebook, YouTube), email newsletters, earned media in Billboard, Variety, Rolling Stone, and Digital Music News, and targeted partnerships including a TikTok-sponsored free Gold membership initiative and an Amazon Music/Amazon One Medical healthcare benefit for members. The customer base is broadly distributed across individual songwriters and music creators, with an 11-50 person paid staff supplemented by a large volunteer board of directors and advisory council of GRAMMY-winning, Emmy, and Peabody-recognized songwriters and music industry executives. Strategic partnerships with Amazon Music, TikTok, She Is The Music, The Ivors Academy, BMG, and YouTube Songwriters extend its reach across advocacy, programming, member acquisition, and benefits.

Name

Songwriters of North America

Legal name

Songwriters of North America

Website

https://wearesona.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Songwriters of North America (SONA) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade organization founded in 2015 that functions as the closest legal equivalent to a union for U.S. songwriters, providing collective advocacy, tiered memberships, healthcare benefits, and community programming to thousands of professional and student songwriters and composers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Industry Trade Organization / Songwriter Advocacy

NAICS

Music Publishers (51223), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Songwriting & Composition (Topliners, Co-writers, Camps) (MPAIABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements) (MPAIAKAD)

Keywords

• Songwriter advocacy
• Music copyright policy
• Royalty protection
• Music industry lobbying
• Trade organization membership

Headquarters

HQ city

West Hollywood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: SONA generates primary revenue through annual membership subscriptions at multiple tiers (Gold $50/yr, Platinum $100/yr, Diamond $500/yr, Silver for Students $25/yr). Membership provides access to networking events, educational programming, town halls, and member benefits including Amazon One Medical.
2. Donations: SONA accepts donations at varying levels ($50, $100, $250, $500, $750, $1000, $1500, $2500, $5000) and positions itself as a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade organization.
3. Merchandise Sales: SONA sells branded merchandise including apparel (t-shirts, hoodies, hats), notebooks (Fair Pay branded), and accessories (beach towels). Revenue from merchandise supports the organization and its mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Songwriters of North America (SONA) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade organization that represents professional songwriters through collective advocacy on royalty rates, copyright law, AI policy, and healthcare access. It sells tiered annual memberships (Diamond $500, Platinum $100, Gold $50, Silver $25 for students), branded advocacy merchandise (Fair Pay notebooks, apparel, hats, hoodies, beach towels), and donation products. Members gain access to networking events, educational programming, advocacy town halls, the annual SONA Warrior Awards, and member benefits including Amazon One Medical healthcare access.

Product overview

Songwriters of North America (SONA) operates primarily as an advocacy organization rather than a software product company. The organization's offerings consist of tiered annual memberships (Diamond at $500, Gold at $50, Platinum at $100, and Silver for students), merchandise supporting songwriter rights (Fair Pay notebooks and apparel), and donation options. The membership tiers provide access to educational events, networking opportunities, advocacy town halls, and member benefits such as Amazon One Medical subscriptions. The merchandise line includes notebooks, t-shirts, hats, hoodies, and beach towels featuring pro-songwriter messaging.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gold Membership Annual membership at $50 per year providing individual professional songwriters with free admission to SONA interviews/Q&As, invitations to membership meetings and exclusive networking events, free admission to annual Town Halls, first access to SONA Warrior Awards tickets, and discounts on songwriter camps, courses, tools, software, and partner organization memberships.
• Platinum Membership Annual membership at $100 per year providing expanded benefits over the Gold level for individual professional songwriters, including event access and member discounts on tools, software, camps, and partner memberships.
• Diamond Membership Premium annual membership at $500 per year providing the most comprehensive access to SONA events, networking, advocacy resources, and benefits for individual songwriters.
• Silver Membership (Students) Annual student-tier membership at $25 per year designed for student and emerging songwriters to access SONA resources, community, and benefits at a discounted rate.
• Fair Pay! Notebooks Branded notebooks supporting songwriter advocacy, available in multiple colors (black, blue, orange) and languages including Spanish variants, with portions of some sales supporting songwriter advocacy.
• Fair Pay! Apparel T-shirts and merchandise featuring pro-songwriter messaging, including the Fair Pay Too! Gray T-Shirt and Fair Pay! Black T-Shirt, sold to support SONA's mission.
• SONA Logo Merchandise Branded apparel including black dad hats, dark gray hooded sweatshirts, dark heather t-shirts, tank tops, and other items featuring the SONA logo, sold to support the organization and its songwriter advocacy mission.
• Donations Donation options at variable levels ($1 up to $5,000 and above) supporting SONA's advocacy and operations as a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade organization.

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• She Is The MusicmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 August 2026SONA partners with She Is The Music on a 3-Day Songwriting Lab at Kensaltown East Studios in NYC (August 6–8, 2026), bringing together female and nonbinary creators in a collaborative and celebratory environment. She Is The Music hosts ongoing labs globally with participants including Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Kim Petras, and Tems.
• TikTokcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 January 2026TikTok sponsors free one-year Gold-level SONA memberships for qualifying songwriters with at least one publicly released work and an active TikTok account. This partnership drives member acquisition and positions TikTok as a supporter of songwriter rights. Limited spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Amazon Music / Amazon One MedicalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Amazon Music, in partnership with Amazon One Medical, provides SONA members with free one-year Amazon One Medical subscriptions as a membership benefit, plus emergency medical grants for out-of-pocket expenses. This addresses the critical healthcare gap for freelance songwriters who lack employer-based benefits. The partnership was announced as part of SONA's 10th anniversary celebrations and was covered by Variety.
• BMGmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBMG partners with SONA on Ask the Insider events — member-exclusive speed networking events that connect rising songwriters with BMG industry professionals. Multiple Ask the Insider events have been held in Los Angeles and New York.
• Kensaltown East StudiosminorOthersKensaltown East Studios, a 10,000 square foot recording facility and creative hub in NYC's Union Square, serves as the venue for the She Is The Music x SONA Writing Lab. Founded by Camus Celli and Martin Terefe.
• The Ivors AcademymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSONA and The Ivors Academy co-host events and discussions on songwriter opportunities and key issues facing the songwriter community, including the TikTok + SONA Songwriter Night featuring conversations with industry leaders.
• Impact24 PRminorGTM or Marketing PartnerImpact24 PR co-presented SONA's Songs & Score: Inside the Craft event alongside SONA.
• Rhapsody PR / AMC / GMRminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRhapsody PR, AMC, and GMR provided support for SONA's Songs & Score: Inside the Craft event.
• The SONA FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe SONA Foundation works alongside Amazon Music to offer SONA members emergency medical grants for out-of-pocket expenses. The Foundation also hosts In Session events and benefits from merchandise partnerships (Kay Hanley Signature Series sweatshirts).
• YouTube SongwritersmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerYouTube Songwriters is the presenting sponsor of the inaugural Emerging Songwriter Warrior Award at the 5th Annual SONA Warrior Awards, celebrating a SONA member on the rise. Created by Songwriters for Songwriters, this award is member-voted.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights12 records

Broad incumbents

• BMI: BMI is the other major U.S. Performing Rights Organization for songwriters and composers, alongside ASCAP. It is a broader incumbent peer whose consent decrees and licensing practices SONA has actively litigated against (DOJ consent decree action, 2020).
• ASCAP: ASCAP is one of the two largest U.S. Performing Rights Organizations serving songwriters and composers. It is a broader incumbent peer — collecting and distributing performance royalties to songwriters that SONA advocates for — though its scope (PRO) differs from SONA's advocacy-only model.
• American Federation of Musicians (AFM): AFM is the largest U.S. union for professional musicians and is a frequent SONA coalition partner (e.g., on the Copyright Office fee opposition). It is a broader incumbent operating as a labor union rather than a trade association.
• Recording Academy (The GRAMMYs): The Recording Academy is the largest U.S. music professional organization. It is a broader incumbent peer of SONA — they frequently co-file advocacy actions (e.g., Cox v. Sony amicus, Copyright Office fee opposition) — but its scope extends to all music professionals, not just songwriters.

Emerging players

• Music Artists Coalition (MAC): MAC is a non-profit coalition advocating for recording artists' rights, frequently joining SONA in copyright and royalty policy actions. It is an emerging peer with overlapping membership and shared advocacy priorities.
• Music Managers Forum-US (MMF-US): MMF-US represents U.S. music managers and is a frequent coalition partner of SONA on copyright, AI, and royalty issues. It is an emerging peer in the same creator-rights advocacy space, representing the manager constituency alongside SONA's songwriters.

Direct peers

• Songwriters Guild of America (SGA): SGA is the oldest songwriter trade organization in the U.S. and a direct peer of SONA — both advocate for songwriters' rights, negotiate on licensing and royalty issues, and are named together in coalition actions like the Copyright Office fee opposition.
• Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI): NSAI is the world's largest not-for-profit songwriters' trade organization, focused on protecting the rights of songwriters in Nashville and country music. It is a direct peer to SONA with overlapping advocacy mission and member-based dues model.
• Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL): SCL is a U.S. trade organization specifically for composers and lyricists working in film, TV, and media. It is a direct peer of SONA, frequently co-files coalitions and advocacy actions on behalf of music creators.
• Artist Rights Alliance (ARA): ARA is a non-profit artist advocacy organization that frequently partners with SONA on creator-rights issues including MMA passage and AI-music policy. It is a direct peer and coalition partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wearesona_
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@wearesona_
• Facebookfacebook.com/songwritersofnorthamerica
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearesona_/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/songwritersofnorthamerica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Songwriters of North America