Industry Resources

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Basics

IYKYK

Music Recording

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Music Registration

Music Registration Guide

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Music registration

Guide to registering your music so that you collect royalties as a:SONGWRITER
Those who compose melodies and author lyricsFEATURED ARTIST
The "stars" actually singing/performing on the song.
(not the background musician or vocals)PUBLISHER
The companies representing each songwriter, collecting publishing royalties on their behalf. They also negotiate and collect on "sync use licenses" when someone wants to use the "composition copyright" for sync.MASTER / SOUND RECORDING COPYRIGHT OWNER
The ones owning the actual song file. Usually the record label. They negotiate and collect on the "master use licenses" when someone wants to use the "sound recording copyright" for sync.

1. Settle Business with your producer

Artist-Producer Agreement
For you and your producer's records.SoundExchange Producer LOD
SoundExchange - Repertoire Chart
Send these 2 to [email protected]SoundExchange Extras
If you need help with the LOD, or if you're a producer being taken advantage of by an artist. This is a ZIP file btw...

2. Settle Business with all songwriters & publishers

Publishing Rights Declaration Page
Have all the songwriters and publishers sign this and keep in your records.This form also includes SPLIT SHEETS, as well as the terms regarding the "Sync Use License" (aka Composition Copyright) when others reach out for Sync Licensing.For someone to clear your song for sync use, they need to get rights to both Composition Copyright and Sound Recording Copyright.

3. Settle Business with all Master/Sound Recording Copyright Owners

Master Rights Declaration Page
Have all Master/Sound Recording Copyright Owners sign this and keep in your records.This form also includes terms regarding the "Master Use License" (aka. Sound Recording Copyright) when others reach out for Sync Licensing.For someone to clear your song for sync use, they need to get rights to both Sound Recording Copyright and Composition Copyright.

4. Get the final mixed/mastered WAV file (the master) from your mixer, and input metadata within your music

Metadata App
Our favorite metadata app.Inputting Metadata
How we like to fill out our music's metadata.NOTE: Within the metadata, we include song splits details, and instructions for who others should contact if they want to use our song for sync licensing. To use a song for sync, one must contact all Masters/Sound Recording Copyright Owners for a "Master Use License", and all Composition Copyright Owners (through their publishers) for a "Sync Use License". This will all come up again later on...

5. Schedule your music for distribution with your distributor

Too Lost
Our favorite distributor.We prefer uploading 24-bit WAVs with sample rate of 44.1.Here is where you will determine who the Master/Sound Recording Copyright Owners are, and how much each of them get.In order for someone else to collect on the Master, they need to sign up with the same distributor as you. Until then, your distributor holds it.Once approved, each song will be assigned an ISRC, and the entire project (Single/EP/Album) altogether will be assigned a UPC. If you purchased ISRC codes elsewhere and want to use those, you can. Distributors typically auto-generate ISRCs at no extra cost, so we prefer to go with that.ISRC: a unique identifier code that is permanently encoded into a recording or music video; this is your song's "digital fingerprint"UPC: a code used to represent and track your music as a physical or digital product being sold on a marketplace.

6. register your music

ASCAP
Register your song with your Performance Rights Organization (ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC).
ASCAP is our favorite PRO.Here is where you give each songwriter and publisher shares of the performance royalties collected. Each songwriter must be associated with a publisher of the same PRO.After your song is registered, your PRO will eventually assign it an ISWC.ISWC: a code used by music distributors, streaming services, and collection societies that allows them to identify recordings and distribute royalties.SoundExchange - ISRC Ingest File
Fill this out and upload it to SoundExchange or email it to [email protected].All Master/Sound Recording Copyright Owners must each submit their own.It might be easier to just register each individual song directly on their website.
Their system can be JANKY sometimes.Harry Fox Agency
We prefer to register each individual song on their website directly. There is an option for filling out an eSong Template with all your songs at once, but it is finicky. If you choose the upload their eSong Template (available on their site) make sure the file you submit has a unique name, like "HFABulkSubmissionYOURNAMEMONTHYEAR"NOTE: You can't submit music on behalf of other people. Each publisher needs to submit their own HFA song catalog, so don't worry about tracking down their information.NOTE: If your IPI number is "too short," add additional zeroes before it. 11 digits are required.NOTE: On HFA, the publisher number is a unique code provided by HFA to be used within HFA's system. It is not the same thing as your publisher IPI.MLC
First the song registration will show up in their system. BUT THEN there's the process of them matching the information you registered with the information they find out there among the DSPs. This is an additional step that you will have to do manually on their website later down the line. If your song has already been out on DSPs for a while, you might be able to do this matching as soon as your initial song registrations are approved.Music Reports
Music Reports Catalog
Fill this out and upload it to Music Reports. This organization is the slowest of them all. You will have to keep following up with them until your music shows up in their system.Keep logging into Songdex to view all of your songs and its writers, publishers, performers, albums, and tracks. That data will be reflected once your songs are fully registered with Music Reports.If they contact you with a Notice of Intent (NOI) with the songs that the streaming platforms received, make sure all the information on there is correct.If anything is incorrect, email changes to [email protected], or make changes directly on NOI and fax it to (818) 558-3474.NOTE: You can't submit music on behalf of other people. Each publisher needs to submit their own Music Reports song catalog, so don't worry about tracking down their information.CMRRA
CMRRA Song Registration Form
Sign up as a publisher here to collect publishing royalties in Canada.Fill out this form and email it to [email protected]NOTE: You can't submit music on behalf of other people. Each publisher needs to submit their own CMRRA song catalog, so don't worry about tracking down their information.

7. Check up on SoundExchange, and claim your Featured Artist & Master Recording Copyright Shares

Featured Artist Claim
Copyright Owner Claim
50% of what SoundExchange collects goes to the Master/Sound Recording Copyright Owners.45% of what SoundExchange collects goes to all the Featured Artists (the main performing acts) singing on your song.The remaining 5% of what SoundExchange collects goes to the AFM and SAG-AFTRA fund. They pay the back-up musicians/singers and session players of that given year's top 25,000 most-played digital tracks and top 100 best selling physical or digital sound recordings.Every Master/Sound Recording Copyright Owner and Featured Artist must claim their portions on their own. You cannot distribute these shares to them yourself. Follow these instructions for claiming your shares.

8. Register your songs with Luminate Soundscan (formerly Nielsen Soundscan).

This platform tracks sales of music and music video products and reports to Billboard; it is the system connected to the barcode scanner.Register your UPC Codes
Register UPC for physical CD and digital download separately here.Register your ISRC Codes
Register ISRC for each INDIVIDUAL song here.

9. Once music is uploaded on all DSP's, update your artist pages with new profile picture, cover picture, bio, etc.

Spotify for ArtistsApple Music for ArtistsAmazon Music for ArtistsPandora AMP
Formerly Next Big SoundTidal
You cannot edit your artist page yourself. Send an email to [email protected] with your bio, profile pic, and your artist Tidal page's URL, and they will update it for you.Musix Match
Once your song has been uploaded, log into musixmatch and add lyrics and credits to each of your songs. Here you sync the timing of your lyrics with the music for platforms like Instagram. This service comes with a paid subscription.

10. Eventually, when you have the means, or as your music gets more streams outside of the USA.

Copyright
Submit an application for SOUND RECORDING (SR) (for your actual recording) and another for WORK OF PERFORMING ARTS (PA) (for your lyrics and melodies) to fully own your song's copyrights.Register group of unpublished work (GRUW) to copyright 10 song titles for an artist; must copyright songs with features in a separate application.Follow this guidelinePRS & MCPS
Once you release 15 songs, sign up as a songwriter and as a publisher to collect royalties in Europe.Sentric
Sign up to collect publishing around the world.Sentric is our favorite publishing admin company. They keep 20% of the publishing they collect, but they only collect while your contract with them is active. Contracts renew every 28 days. Not subscription-based.