Collect All Royalties: 5 Streams Beyond Distribution

The Revenue You're Missing

When you distribute music, your distributor collects streaming royalties from Spotify, Apple Music, and other platforms. This is money owed for the sound recording - the specific performance you uploaded.

But streaming also generates royalties for the underlying composition - the song itself. If you wrote the music, you're owed these composition royalties too. And they're collected through completely separate systems.

Most independent artists are registered with a distributor and nothing else. They're collecting roughly 60-70% of what they've actually earned.

The Six Royalty Types

Understanding what you're owed is the first step to collecting it.

Royalty Type	What Generates It	Who Collects	You Need To
Streaming (recording)	Spotify, Apple Music streams	Your distributor	Already set up
Mechanical	Streams, downloads (composition)	MLC (US), publishers, CMOs	Register with MLC
Performance	Radio, TV, live venues	ASCAP, BMI, SESAC	Join one PRO
SoundExchange	Pandora, SiriusXM, digital radio	SoundExchange	Register directly
Sync	Film, TV, ads, games	Direct licensing or sync agents	Pitch or hire agent
Print	Sheet music sales	Publishers	Rarely relevant

If you're both the songwriter and the performer/owner, you're owed all of these. If you perform covers, you're owed recording royalties but not composition royalties (those go to the original songwriter).

Step 1: Confirm Distributor Setup

You likely have this covered, but verify:

• Your music is live on major platforms
• You're receiving royalty statements
• Your bank/payment information is current
• All releases show your correct artist profile

This handles streaming royalties for sound recordings - the largest single revenue stream for most artists. Note that per-stream rates vary dramatically by platform: based on Dynamoi's royalty data, Amazon pays $9.02 per 1,000 streams while Spotify pays $3.02 per 1,000 streams. See the full rate breakdown for all platforms.

Step 2: Register with a PRO

Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) collect performance royalties when your songs are played publicly: radio, TV broadcasts, live venues, retail stores, even Spotify in some contexts.

In the US, you have three options:

ASCAP: Largest membership base, established reputation. Open enrollment, no fee to join.

BMI: Second largest, similar to ASCAP. Free to join as a songwriter.

SESAC: Invitation-only, smaller roster. Higher barrier but personalized service.

You can only join one PRO. Choose ASCAP or BMI if you're starting out - they're equivalent for most purposes.

To register:

1. Go to ascap.com or bmi.com
2. Create an account as a songwriter/composer
3. If you also own your publishing (most independent artists do), register as a publisher too
4. Register each of your songs with complete metadata

Registration takes 10-15 minutes per song. Once registered, you'll receive payments whenever your music is publicly performed and reported to the PRO.

Step 3: Register with the MLC

The Mechanical Licensing Collective handles mechanical royalties for interactive streaming in the US. When someone streams your song on Spotify, two royalties are generated: recording (to your distributor) and mechanical (to the MLC).

If you wrote your songs and haven't registered with the MLC, you're missing roughly 15% of your US streaming value.

To register:

1. Go to themlc.com
2. Create an account (free)
3. Claim your works by searching for your songs
4. Verify ownership and provide payment details

The MLC holds unclaimed royalties for three years. If you register now, you can claim historical payments from the past three years. After that, unclaimed money is redistributed.

This is free money you've already earned. Registration takes 30 minutes.

Step 4: Register with SoundExchange

SoundExchange collects royalties for non-interactive digital radio - Pandora, SiriusXM, iHeartRadio, and similar services. This is different from streaming; it's compulsory-license radio where listeners don't choose specific tracks.

Your distributor does NOT register you with SoundExchange. This is a separate registration you must complete yourself.

If you're both the performer and the owner of your recordings:

1. Go to soundexchange.com
2. Register as both a Featured Artist and a Sound Recording Copyright Owner
3. Claim your recordings in their database
4. Provide payment information

SoundExchange pays 45% to the featured artist, 50% to the recording owner, and 5% to backup musicians. If you're the featured artist AND the owner, you receive 95% of what your tracks earn.

Royalties are paid quarterly, with a $10 minimum ($100 for paper checks). Monthly payments are available for electronic payments of $100+.

Step 5: Consider Publishing Administration

If registering with the MLC and tracking international mechanical royalties sounds complex, publishing administrators handle it for you - for a fee.

Songtrust: 15% commission, collects global mechanicals and registers with societies worldwide. Good for artists without a publishing deal.

CD Baby Pro: One-time fee ($29.99-$49.99 per release) includes publishing administration. Collects mechanicals and performance royalties globally.

TuneCore Publishing: Commission-based, integrates with TuneCore distribution.

These services register you with collection societies globally, track down international royalties, and handle the administrative complexity. Worth considering if you have international listeners and don't want to manage multiple society registrations.

Step 6: Understand Sync Opportunities

Sync royalties come from licensing music for film, TV, commercials, video games, and other visual media. Unlike streaming or radio, sync licensing requires direct negotiation - no society collects automatically.

Options for pursuing sync:

Direct pitching: Research music supervisors, production companies, and licensing opportunities. Cold outreach with professional materials.

Sync agents/libraries: Companies like Musicbed, Artlist, Epidemic Sound, and Syncr represent catalogs and pitch to licensees. They take 30-50% but handle the sales work.

Publisher sync departments: If you sign a publishing deal, sync pitching is typically included.

Sync is high-upside but unpredictable. A single TV placement can pay $5,000-$50,000+. But many artists never land sync despite years of effort. It's worth pursuing but not worth depending on.

The Complete Setup Checklist

If you're an independent artist who writes and records your own music, complete this setup:

• Distributor account active (DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, etc.)
• All releases live with correct metadata
• PRO membership (ASCAP or BMI)
• All songs registered with your PRO
• MLC account created and works claimed
• SoundExchange registration (artist AND owner accounts)
• Recordings claimed in SoundExchange database
• Publishing administrator (optional, for international collection)

This takes an afternoon to complete. The returns are permanent.

Ongoing Maintenance

Registration isn't set-and-forget. When you release new music:

1. Upload to distributor (automatic)
2. Register song with your PRO
3. Confirm song appears in MLC database (often automatic via distributor)
4. Claim recording in SoundExchange (if not auto-matched)

Build this into your release process. The 15 minutes per release ensures you capture all revenue going forward.

What About Covers?

If you record cover songs:

• You earn recording royalties (paid through your distributor)
• You do NOT earn composition royalties (those go to the original songwriter)
• You must obtain a mechanical license (usually handled by your distributor's cover song service)
• Performance royalties go to the original songwriter's PRO

Your distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore, etc.) offers cover song licensing that handles the mechanical license legally. Use it - distributing covers without proper licensing creates legal exposure.

International Considerations

If you have significant international listenership:

Mechanical royalties: The MLC only covers US mechanicals. International collection requires either a publishing administrator or direct registration with each territory's CMO (collection management organization).

Performance royalties: ASCAP and BMI have reciprocal agreements with international PROs, so performances abroad should flow back to you automatically. Verify with your PRO.

SoundExchange: US only. International neighboring rights are collected by country-specific organizations. UK artists register with PPL; Canadian artists with Re:Sound; etc.

The complexity of international collection is why publishing administrators earn their commission. For artists with 20%+ international audience, a service like Songtrust often pays for itself.

The Bottom Line

Your distributor handles one revenue stream. The complete setup requires:

• PRO membership for performance royalties
• MLC registration for US mechanical royalties
• SoundExchange registration for digital radio royalties
• Optionally, a publishing administrator for global collection

This isn't complicated, but it requires initiative. Most artists never complete the setup because no one makes them. The reward for doing the work is capturing 100% of what you earn instead of leaving 30-40% uncollected.