Music Royalties: A Checklist for Independent Artists

Why one song creates different royalties

A released track contains two separate rights: the sound recording, often called the master, and the musical composition—the melody and lyrics. If you wrote and recorded the song, you may have an interest on both sides.

Different organizations handle different uses. No single account automatically collects every type of music royalty.

Who may pay or collect each stream

Your distributor generally reports money from on-demand streams of the master. The MLC administers eligible U.S. digital mechanical royalties for compositions. SoundExchange handles certain U.S. non-interactive digital performance royalties for recordings. ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC are performance-rights organizations for songwriters and publishers.

• Distributor: recording revenue from services it delivers to
• The MLC: eligible U.S. digital mechanical royalties for songs
• SoundExchange: certain U.S. digital performance royalties for recordings
• ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC: performance royalties for compositions

Before you release

Agree on songwriter and master ownership before the track goes live. Write the splits down and keep names consistent across every service.

• Confirm legal names and songwriter splits
• Identify the master owner
• Save the ISRC and release details
• Use the same artist and writer spelling everywhere

After your song is live

Check the composition, recording, and performance lanes separately. A release appearing on Spotify confirms delivery; it does not prove every royalty registration is complete.

• Register the composition with your PRO
• Register or confirm the work with The MLC
• Register and claim the recording with SoundExchange
• Compare distributor statements with your known activity

What unclaimed or unmatched means

A work can be missing, unmatched, or have incomplete ownership shares. That is a reason to inspect the official record—not proof that a specific amount of money is waiting. Society data can update slowly, so keep confirmation records and check again after changes process.

Your monthly royalty routine

Review new releases, unresolved matches, ownership shares, and recent statements. Fix the clearest registration gaps first, save confirmation details, and allow time for databases to refresh.

• Review every new release
• Resolve unmatched titles and writer names
• Confirm shares add up correctly
• Save registrations and confirmation numbers