PMApub / Artist guides

How to Get Paid Every Time Your Song Plays

By PMApub Academy · Last reviewed 2026-10-13 · About 7 min read

First, understand that one song is really two things

Every song you release is actually two separate pieces of property. The composition is the melody, chords and lyrics, the thing someone could play on an acoustic guitar. The sound recording (the master) is the specific recorded performance you uploaded. The U.S. Copyright Office treats these as separate works, and different organizations collect money for each.

That is why there is no single "royalty office" to call. Think of it as two lanes:

• The songwriter lane (composition): performance royalties from a performing rights organization (PRO), and digital mechanical royalties from The MLC.
• The recording lane (master): your distributor's streaming payouts, plus digital performance royalties from SoundExchange.

If you write and record your own songs, you sit in both lanes, and you will want to claim your money in both. Our lessons on songwriting vs. master copyrights and the ultimate royalties setup checklist go deeper if you want the theory. This guide is the doing part.

Step zero: get your song information straight

Before you sign up anywhere, spend an hour on paperwork. It is boring, and it is the single thing that prevents most payment headaches later. For every song, write down:

• The exact title (and any alternate titles)
• Every writer's legal name and what percentage of the song each person wrote
• Who the featured artist is, and who owns the master recording
• The release date and which distributor you used

If more than one person wrote the song, get the splits agreed in writing now, not after it gets popular. A one-page split sheet signed by everyone is the usual way to do it. Our companion guide on writing a split sheet walks through it, and the lesson on writer vs. publisher splits explains the background.

You will also bump into three codes. Here is what they are, per The MLC's own explainer:

• ISRC identifies one specific recording. Each version of a song (radio edit, live take) gets its own. Usually the label assigns it. If you release independently, your distributor typically provides one.
• ISWC identifies the composition itself. In the U.S., it is assigned when a work is registered with a U.S. PRO. You do not create it yourself.
• IPI identifies you, as a writer or publisher. PROs usually assign it the first time you register with one.

So the practical takeaway: your ISRC comes with your release, and your ISWC and IPI come after you join a PRO. Save all of them in one spreadsheet.

Step 1: join a performing rights organization

A PRO collects performance royalties when your composition is performed publicly, which includes radio, TV, live venues and streaming, and pays them to the writers and publishers. In the U.S. the main ones are ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR. SESAC and GMR are generally invitation-based, so most independent songwriters choose between ASCAP and BMI. Our lesson What is a PRO? compares how they work.

A few things worth knowing before you click Join:

• Read the membership agreement. It covers how long you are committed and whether you can be with another PRO at the same time. Do not assume.
• You may be asked about the publisher side. ASCAP's own help pages explain that performance income is split evenly, 50% to the writer(s) and 50% to the publisher(s), and that the publisher's share is only accessible once you set up a publishing entity with them. If you are your own publisher, that is the share you would otherwise leave unclaimed. ASCAP's page says joining as a publisher needs a mailing address, email address and a U.S. tax ID.
• Fees differ. BMI's site lists a one-time processing fee for publisher applications and says nothing about a fee on the songwriter page, but fees change, so confirm on the current site.

After you are approved, register each song with your PRO, with the correct writers and shares. That registration is what tells them who to pay when it is played. If you want the publishing side explained, see the role of publishing administrators.

Imagine a bedroom producer who also sings on their own tracks. They are the writer, the artist and the owner of the master, so every one of these doors opens for them. That is great news, and it also means nobody else is going to walk through those doors on their behalf.

Step 2: register with The MLC

The MLC (Mechanical Licensing Collective) was set up under the Music Modernization Act. It collects and pays digital mechanical royalties from streaming and download services in the U.S. This is a separate pot from PRO performance money, and it is a common gap for independents: nobody pays it to you automatically just because you have a distributor.

According to The MLC's own site, membership is free, and it pays self-administered songwriters directly. The flow is:

1. Sign up as a Member on The MLC's Get Started page.
2. In the Member Hub, search to make sure your song is not already registered, then create the work.
3. Add each writer and their role. At least one composer or author is required.
4. Add the publisher (if you are self-published, use your own member name) and enter collection shares. Shares are tracked against a total of 100%, and overlapping claims have to be resolved through a dispute process.
5. Optionally add the recording. If you do, the recording title and artist name are required.

The MLC says ISRCs, ISWCs and IPIs are not required to register, but recommends adding them when you have them, because they help match the right streams to the right song. More on this in understanding the MLC.

One caution: the MLC covers the U.S. digital mechanical license, not every country and not every type of income. Do not read "registered with the MLC" as "done." The MLC says it distributes royalties to members monthly once streams are matched to your registered songs, so accurate registration is what makes matching possible.

Step 3: claim your recording with SoundExchange

SoundExchange collects and distributes digital performance royalties for sound recordings. Its own site says services such as Pandora, SiriusXM and webcasters are required to pay. Under the statute, the money is divided: 45% to the featured artist(s), 5% to a fund for non-featured artists, and 50% to the recording's rights owner.

If you are an independent artist who owns your masters, you can be both the featured artist and the rights owner, which means you may be owed both slices. Registration is described on SoundExchange's site as free. Roughly, you register, then use the Search and Claim tool to find your recordings, or submit them if they are missing. Keep your name, address and tax information current so payment is not held up.

Do not skip it because you only see streaming numbers. SoundExchange pays for a different kind of play than your distributor does. Our lesson What is SoundExchange? explains the difference in more depth.

The order to do it in (a checklist you can follow)

If you want one pass-through list, here it is. Do not try to do it all in one afternoon. Finish a step, then move on.

1. Make a song sheet. Title, writers, percentages, master owner, release date, ISRC.
2. Get split agreements signed for any song with co-writers or co-owners.
3. Release through a distributor and note the ISRCs they assign. See the role of DSPs and distributors.
4. Join a PRO as a writer, and consider setting up your publisher entity too.
5. Register your songs with your PRO and save the IPI and ISWC when they appear.
6. Join The MLC and register the same songs with the same shares.
7. Register with SoundExchange and claim your recordings.
8. Put a calendar reminder every time you release something: register it in all three places within a week.

The consistency matters more than the speed. If your PRO says you own 50% and The MLC says 60%, the system flags a conflict and payment can sit.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Thinking the distributor handles everything. Distributors pay for recording streams. Your PRO, The MLC and SoundExchange pay for other things.
• Registering only once. Each new song needs registering in every place. It is a habit, not a one-time setup.
• Mismatched splits. Different percentages in different databases cause disputes and delays. Copy from one source sheet.
• Misspelled names or old addresses. If your legal name does not match your tax info, expect friction.
• Ignoring the publisher share. If you are a self-published writer and never set up the publisher side, that half of performance income may have no one to go to.
• Waiting until you have a hit. It is easier to register ten songs than a hundred, and you cannot count on any song earning anything. Setup is just making sure you are ready if it does.
• Assuming this is legal or tax advice. It is not. For tax treatment, see the IRS, and consider a professional. Our lesson on setting up a legal entity can help you think about structure.

Your next 3 moves

1. This week: build your song sheet for every track you have released, with writers, splits, master owner and ISRC.
2. This month: join a PRO, join The MLC, and register with SoundExchange, in that order, and register your existing songs in each.
3. Every release: make registration part of release day. If you want help presenting your music professionally once the paperwork is done, PMApub's ReleaseReady tools at /hub (artist profile, pitching, EPK) are built for that, and Academy is at /academy for more lessons.

Nobody can promise a song will earn anything. What you can control is making sure that if it does, the money has a place to land.