One catalogue. Dozens of money sources.

Spotify pays for exploitation of the master through the distributor or label; the composition is licensed and accounted separately through publishers and licensing infrastructure. One stream is therefore at least two rights events, not one payment.CHECK ISRC ownership, territory, subscription tier, currency, tax, distributor deductions, artificial-streaming adjustments and whether the composition is registered everywhere the master is available.

Apple Music is another master-side DSP statement, not a universal fixed “per-stream rate.” Revenue changes with territory, subscriber plan, exchange rate and the platform's service economics.CHECK Delivery status, artist mapping, lossless/Spatial assets, country availability, catalogue conflicts and whether monthly units reconcile with Apple analytics and the distributor statement.

Short-form and UGC platforms license both recordings and compositions, but reporting can be usage-, creation- or pool-based rather than a clean stream count. A sound can travel through official audio, user uploads, remixes and advertising uses.CHECK Fingerprints, sound-page ownership, UGC claims, commercial-music restrictions, paid-media use, whitelisting and conflicts between the label, distributor, publisher and platform deal.

The long tail is not small when the catalogue travels. Amazon, Deezer, Tidal and regional services each add territories, product tiers, currencies, reporting formats and minimum-payment rules.CHECK Store coverage, takedowns, duplicate products, UPC/ISRC consistency, local pricing, FX conversion and whether “other DSPs” are reported track by track or buried in an aggregate line.

Performance income belongs to the composition when a song is broadcast, played live or communicated in public. Local licensing and reciprocal agreements move the writer's share across borders. The money only matches cleanly when work registration, IPI parties, splits, titles, setlists and usage reports agree.WHAT WE DO Register every ownership share, keep titles and identifiers aligned, deliver setlists and cue sheets, monitor foreign statements and challenge uses that do not reach the correct work.

Mechanical rights pay for reproduction of the composition: physical copies, downloads and the mechanical component of interactive streams. Digital licensing moves through territory-specific mandates and multi-territorial systems. Territory, mandate, ownership period and split must all line up.WHAT WE DO Map the correct repertoire into each mandate, prevent overlaps and ownership gaps, reconcile usage periods and investigate money that is unmatched, suspended or paid through the wrong representation chain.THE BLACK BOX Collection systems hold royalties that were collected but never matched to a name. A recording that does not link to its composition is money without an address. We link it — and claim it.

Publishing does not end at collection statements. Print, lyric display, commissioned adaptations, grand rights, certain cover uses and direct licences can require publisher approval and separate invoicing.CHECK Which right is controlled, writer/publisher authority, territory, term, media, exclusivity, minimum fee, royalty base, accounting schedule and whether the licence creates later performance income that still needs cue sheets or usage reporting.

Broadcast neighbouring rights sit on the recording, beside—not inside—the songwriter's broadcast royalty. Radio and TV playlists are matched to repertoire, then allocated to eligible performers and recording owners under local rules.WHAT WE DO Register the master and every eligible performer, verify roles and ownership, reconcile airplay against statements and pursue claims across territories where the recording was used.

When a shop, hotel, club, restaurant or event plays a recording, the venue normally pays a blanket public-performance licence. The difficult part is distribution: many users provide no track-level playlist, so allocation can rely on broadcast data, samples or other proxies.WHAT WE DO Keep repertoire eligible and visible in every relevant system, understand its allocation rules and challenge missing recordings rather than assuming a venue licence automatically reaches the artist.

Private-copy remuneration is statutory money paid by manufacturers or importers of devices and storage that enable legal private copying. It is not generated by a stream and can pass through central collection and allocation systems before it is divided between rights categories and repertoires.WHAT WE DO Maintain the registrations and evidence those systems require, follow performer and master-owner eligibility, and ensure statutory income is not mistaken for distribution revenue—or ignored.

A sync normally requires two clearances: the composition licence from every relevant writer/publisher and the master-use licence from the recording owner. The fee is only the start.ASK Production or trailer? Episode or full series? Territory, term, media, cutdowns, promos, festivals, VOD, soundtrack, exclusivity, edit rights, renewal and most-favoured-nations language. Then file the cue sheet so broadcast and performance royalties can follow.

Advertising is not “a brand licensing your track.” It is a negotiation across the master and publishing sides, with every controlling party cleared before launch. Getting more from the deal is bread and butter because the first offer rarely prices the full use.WE ASK THE QUESTIONS Paid media or organic only? Which countries, platforms, campaign term and category exclusivity? TV, cinema, online, social, retail, cutdowns, edits, creator whitelisting, agency case studies, renewal options and buyout language? Who controls every writer share and the master—and are both sides priced consistently?

Games and apps also need composition and master clearance, but “interactive” changes the scope. In-game listening, rhythm mechanics, user-generated levels, trailers, livestreams and downloadable content can be different uses.ASK Base game or marketing? Platforms, territories, term, sequels, DLC, ports, streaming/creator rights, edits, soundtrack release, virtual goods, UGC and whether the licence survives a publisher or platform acquisition.

Tour income is commercial income, not one royalty. The artist deal may combine a guarantee, ticket backend, bonuses, VIP and settlement deductions; the composition performed on stage creates a separate performance royalty paid through the organiser's local performance licence.CHECK Gross versus net box office, promoter expenses, venue cap, tax and withholding, ticket comps, production, merch commission, currency, settlement documents—and file the setlist after the show.

Festival value is split between cash, audience access and downstream rights. A headline fee can hide travel, backline, crew, tax, radius restrictions, broadcast capture or free promotional rights.CHECK Performance fee, deposit schedule, cancellation, force majeure, hospitality, filming/streaming, archive use, sponsor content, exclusivity and setlist reporting. Visibility is not payment unless the contract says what each side receives.

The promoter or venue pays into the local licensing system; the songwriter gets paid only after the event, work and setlist are matched. Your performance fee and this publishing royalty are separate.WHAT WE DO Submit and audit setlists, resolve alternate titles and medleys, confirm every work is registered, and follow the payment across borders rather than treating the show fee as the end of the job.

Physical merch is a product business built on artist name, image, artwork and sometimes third-party IP. Revenue is meaningless without landed cost and settlement discipline.CHECK Manufacturing, freight, VAT, venue commission, card fees, damaged stock, returns, inventory shrinkage, designer royalties, trademark permission and who owns customer data. A sold-out table can still lose money.

Print-on-demand removes inventory risk; it does not guarantee a clean margin. The platform controls base cost, fulfilment, returns and often the customer relationship.CHECK Artwork rights, product quality, territory, shipping, VAT, refunds, platform fee, payout threshold, data access and the right to move designs elsewhere. “No stock” is an operating choice, not a rights strategy.

YouTube can pay the master through channel monetisation and Content ID while the composition is licensed through publishing systems. Ownership conflicts, distributor claims and channel whitelists can block or redirect either side.CHECK Asset ownership, reference eligibility, territorial policy, claim type, composition splits, Shorts usage, official artist channel mapping, third-party uploads and whether a brand or collaborator must be allowlisted.

A brand deal may buy creative services, likeness, posting obligations and content usage—but it does not automatically clear the music inside the content. Creator funds and platform bonuses are another contract again.ASK Deliverables, approvals, paid amplification, whitelisting, handle usage, term, territory, category exclusivity, takedown, reuse, raw files, cancellation and measurement. Then clear master and publishing separately if the campaign uses a track.