Did you know there’s a shortcut to going viral that’s been hiding in plain sight for over 100 years.
A crew in Korea used it to turn a campfire singalong into the most-watched video of all time.
A rapper used the same principle to build a $15M+ career without a label.
A handful of smart indies are quietly using it right now to fill gigs and print money.
The best part? It costs nothing.
Here’s how it works:
Last week South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled on the most annoying song in history: Baby Shark.
Turns out Pinkfong didn’t “steal” it. The melody was already public domain.(I had no idea it wasn’t an original!)
All they did was add:
A bouncy beat
Cartoon sharks
Hooks kids couldn’t stop chanting
The Result?
👉 16 billion+ YouTube views
👉 Billboard domination
👉 A global franchise worth millions
Yes, it’s a dreadful song.
(But would you say no to even 25% of those royalties to fund your serious projects?)
Why You Should Care
Simply put Public domain songs are creative gold
Why? Because…
Already familiar – your audience’s brain lights up instantly.
Free to use – no licences, no royalties, no lawsuits.
Proven – if it’s lasted centuries, it’ll last another TikTok cycle.
It’s the ultimate head start. You’re not writing from zero, trying to build interest in a song no ones heard before, you’re riding a wave already in motion.
So that’s Lesson #1: Public domain songs are essentially free money.
To make it brain-dead simple, I pulled together a list of 12 public domain songs you can flip right now - one for every month of the year. (Details further down).
Lesson #2: Whoever Owns the Masters Wins
Look at Russ.
The only reason he’s rich and free is because he owns his masters. He turned down $50M because he knew he could earn it and keep full control instead of selling out to a big record deal and being tied into their clauses.
See Russ talks about how he makes millions as an Independent artist
Look at M&G. They’re not even a Record label - they’re a FTSE 100 fund!
They bought J-Kwon’s “Tipsy,” flipped it into Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song,” and cashed in with 1.4B streams.
Ownership = leverage.
Everyone else? Still giving away masters for a debt disguised as an “advance.”
In some cases quite a large advance which is very tempting for a lot of artists but rarely do they ever recoup it fully.
So here’s how you could do it…
Beginner: Re-record public domain songs and release yourself
Intermediate: Start your own label, keep the masters, put others music out too.
Advanced: Buy rights to hot songs and flip them like M&G.
The sooner you stop being the product and start owning the product, the faster everything changes. This is the mindset shift you need to go from just another wannabe hopeful to building and owning the rights to your own music empire, one song at at time.
If you notice with Russ he has gone for huge volume, he has over 500 songs out. With that many songs out, he will have a few hits but even the others will be gaining streams as well so that adds up collectively to a lot of income over time.
Not all artists can put out that much volume but as long as you keep control of every song you put out then you have a chance of building a collection of songs which become a valuable asset.
If this has inspired you to take your music career a bit more serioulsy and you feel like you need to create a strategy and get the support to actually execute then dont worry, I have you covered…
Here’s What I Show You Inside My Gold Package
How to never pay for a ticket again (instead get paid, grow fans, and leave richer than you came).
How to use Google Business Profiles to get discovered by locals searching for weddings, bars, and live music.
The “scalper’s playbook” that turns ticket-flipping psychology into audience growth.
How to stop thinking like an employee of the music industry and start acting like an owner.
Don’t just take my word for it:
“Spence is one of the most genuine and knowledgeable people I’ve worked with in music. He has incredible drive and clarity about how to get things done in this business.”
– Terry Jones (Former drummer from The Quads.)
The 12-Month Viral Song Blueprint
Here’s your free toolkit - 12 songs, one per month with some suggestions on how you can genre flip to create something fresh and new. The best part is that you can adapt, record, and release without paying a penny in royalties:
Jan: Auld Lang Syne → lo-fi “new chapter” beats
Feb: Camptown Races → ska-punk Valentine’s parody
Mar: When the Saints → brass/EDM Mardi Gras banger
Apr: Skip to My Lou → reggaeton spring dance challenge
May: Oh! Susanna → indie pop road trip anthem
Jun: She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain → drum & bass festival track
Jul: My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean → sea shanty pop-punk
Aug: Buffalo Gals → swing revival TikTok dance
Sep: Clementine → haunting indie ballad
Oct: House of the Rising Sun → gothic synthwave Halloween hit
Nov: Amazing Grace → atmospheric Thanksgiving soundtrack
Dec: Deck the Halls → disco or lo-fi Christmas content challenge
How to Use It:
Pick your track of the month. or choose your own from here
Flip the genre. Could be your genre or something completley different
Add your twist (lyrics, humor, visuals). The real fun part!
Release consistently. Aim for one track per month
Do that for a year and you’ve built a potentially viral catalogue without touching a lawyer or a label.
So to recap, Pinkfong didn’t reinvent music.
They just took a melody everyone half-remembered and made it impossible to forget.
M&G didn’t write a brand new song, they bought one that already was a hit and refreshed it.
That’s the shortcut hiding in plain sight.
And if you combine it with ownership? You’re building your own music empire.
– Spence
P.S. The back door for indies isn’t a label or TikTok luck. It’s owning your masters from day one. That’s why I love Elastic Stage: record a live set tonight, press it to vinyl tomorrow, and it’s yours forever. No middlemen. No contracts. Just your music in your hands.
Start your own online Vinyl distribution ElasticStage is the worlds first online vinyl store. As a partnership with them I can highly recommend their services. This can actually be a game changer for independent artists and can add a lot to your income.
(I also receive a very small commission if you sign up)
Final thoughts
What’s your challenge as a musician trying to grow your audience?
Hit reply and let me know—I’d love to help you tackle it!
Remember:
Rejection is correction. Ridicule is fuel. Keep thriving.
Until next time,
Spence C