I'm telling ya guys we're gonna be rich!

A popular song is like a stock, or a mutual fund -- its value fluctuates based on market circumstances, and it can even be an investment. Licensing tracks to film, television and commercials has become one of the only ways to make money off of music these days, and you don't actually need to be a musician to do it. You just need to own the rights to some music.

In fact, a company called The Royalty Exchange allows the layperson to buy and sell "royalty assets," including songs, through auction. As we type this, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme has a listed starting price of $60,000; its average yearly royalties, according to the site, are $10,645. Don't ask us if it's worth buying -- we at West Coast Sound aren't exactly in the business of investment advice. But we are darn curious. So the folks at the company were kind enough to estimate what a bunch of songs will sell for at auction. If you've ever wanted to know how much the rights to TLC's "Girl Talk" would set you back, you have come to the right place. (The tracks below are listed from cheapest to most expensive.)

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Most anyone who gets tons of music submissions and press releases -- journalists, managers, music supervisors, etc. -- will tell you that not much of it seeps through. We know you're all working hard out there. We're sorry.

But Century City-based singer/songwriter Cathy Heller has figured out a way to break through. Though she's not a household name, she's made a shit ton of money. Her system is pretty simple -- it doesn't even require a time machine to take her back to the music business glory days around the millennium.

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Timothy Norris

While the corpses of corporate music retail chains litter strip malls where outlets like Tower Records and Blockbuster Music once stood, Amoeba Music is an independent juggernaut with three California-based stores the size of supermarkets. They've been a destinations for music aficionados for more than two decades, places that shine the light on small artists and labels and give fledgling releases an audience that, in many cases, they might not attain in big box stores.

A large part of Amoeba's charm is the thousands of used records that are traded in and given a chance at a second life in their used bins. But its latest project has many folks talking about copyright law.

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Jena Ardell

The Internet can be a great marketing tool, but it is ruining the livelihood of many artists. This we all know.

Ventura County-based photographer John Mueller penned an insightful post titled This Photograph Is Not Free, in which he determined the actual cost of producing one of his pictures. (This was a response to the requests photographers often receive for free usage of their work in exchange for "exposure.") He determined someone would have to spend $6,612 to shoot the same photo he shot.

And so, we decided to apply this concept to the recording industry, as musicians also often feel pressure to give away their music for free. Thus, how much would it cost someone to recreate a song from scratch?

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Credit: Sami Ansari

Dave Grohl

By Whitney Friedlander

The lobby of Dave Grohl's Northridge-based 606 Studios has a Joan Jett book on the coffee table and a row of classic arcade games like Donkey Kong Jr. against one wall. On top of a photo booth sits an iconic "Moonman" MTV Video Music Award, festooned with a roll of toilet paper around the MTV flag.

The 20 Worst Hipster Bands

What it doesn't have on this chilly Thursday morning in January are helicoptering publicists or managers restricting access -- Grohl is unaccompanied as he heads into the studio for an interview. And he has no intention of avoiding controversial subjects.

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flickr/goldberg

What's your favorite radio station? More specifically: What's your favorite radio station to listen to while you're pumping gas? Admittedly, it's a pretty stupid question, because, as L.A. folks are undoubtedly aware, you don't have a choice. If you're at one of 171 stations in the broader metro area, you're getting something called Gas Station Radio. It's a mix of commercials, weather, news, traffic and, oh, some music every now and then, although nothing we've ever heard of.

After being subjected to it for the umpteenth time recently we got to wondering: What is Gas Station Radio? Does it have DJs? How do they pick their music? And where do they get off calling themselves a radio station?

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Wrings

A Los Angeles-based company called Raw would like to give your band a show. And also, possibly, an award.

In exchange, it would like a few dollars.

Raw's clunky, full moniker is RAW: natural born artists -- it's not an acronym but rather references "unpolished" performers. It puts on parties in more than 50 cities each year, showcasing not just musicians but also designers, photographers, filmmakers and other artists. A typical event features a fashion show, live music and a film screening, along with photos, jewelry and other crafts on display.

It's all capped off each year with a national awards ceremony, which this year takes place in Los Angeles on Jan. 13 at the Belasco Theater. Fifteen hundred people are expected to attend, and awards will be dispensed: The prizes for musician of the year include meetings with music executives and with influential KCSN DJ Nic Harcourt, an ad on the homepage of ReverbNation.com, an electronic press kit produced by indie company Eenie Meenie Records and more.

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Allstar Weekend needs to consultant their accountant

Boy band Allstar Weekend are Poway's answer to One Direction. The San Diego county-bred group got its start on the Disney Channel music competition Next Big Thing back in 2009. They took second place on that show, but the exposure helped the band ink a four-album deal with Hollywood Records, book a tour with Selena Gomez and score a few spreads in J-14 magazine.

See also: Why Is L.A. the Most Popular City for Bands - By Far?

Two albums into their record contract, though, Allstar Weekend and the label ran into "creative differences." The latter wanted to continue milking the younger demographic, the former wanted to make more mature music, and they parted ways.

To fund their next work, this summer Allstar Weekend turned to Kickstarter. The trio, now living in Burbank, made a video asking fans for help and compiled a list of rewards for donating.

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Aaron Frank

Leeor Brown owns what some consider to be L.A.'s best electronic label, FoF Music, which is short for Friends of Friends. Though the imprint counts only one full-time employee and has yet to release any best-sellers, it's made major strides. With an ever-expanding roster that includes prolific 22-year-old beatmaker Shlohmo and increasingly popular club producer Salva -- both of whom released critically acclaimed albums in 2011 -- Brown's efforts are drawing notice.

Now 29, Brown had industry exposure from a young age. His stepfather is a former Rolling Stones tour manager who brought Brown along to their concerts. From as young as 11, he'd watch from the sound booth next to celebrities like Madonna.

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Paul T. Bradley

No Age's show at Human Resources in June

You need a car, there's way too many malls, the bars close early, and the neighbors are known to tattle on house shows. But yet Los Angeles is actually the music capital of the country, according to hard data!

According to the just-released study by Richard Florida -- an Atlantic editor and freaking guru when it comes to all things urban and creative -- Los Angeles has the most musical acts of any city in the United States, not to mention the most per capita.

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