PMApub / Academy lessons / Module 5

The Ultimate Royalties Setup Checklist

By PMApub Academy · Last reviewed 2026-10-13 · About 6 min read

Know the two sides of every song

Every released song has two parts, and each earns separately:

• The master recording: the specific recorded performance. Its owner is usually the artist or label.
• The composition: the underlying melody and lyrics, owned by the songwriters and any publishers.

Most registrations belong to one side or the other. If you wrote and recorded your own song, you hold both roles, which is why you need to complete both sets of steps.

A quick sanity check before you begin: confirm who wrote the song, who owns the recording, and what percentage each person holds. Write those splits down and have every collaborator agree to them. Disagreements discovered after registration are slower and more stressful to fix than conversations held before it.

Step 1: Your distributor

Start with the company that delivers your music to Spotify, Apple Music and other services. You upload the audio, artwork and release information, including the UPC for the release and an ISRC for each track. Platforms such as PMApub, among others, can fill this role. Your distributor is also typically how master-side streaming income reaches you, so confirm how and when it pays.

Do this accurately, because every later registration refers back to the same titles, names and codes. Keep a spreadsheet with song titles, writers, splits, ISRCs and the UPC so you can copy details exactly.

Step 2: Your performing rights organization

In the US, songwriters register with a PRO such as ASCAP or BMI. A PRO collects public performance royalties, which come from sources such as radio, television, venues and certain streaming uses. A writer can belong to only one US PRO at a time, so choose carefully and review each organization's current terms and any fees.

Performance income is generally paid in two parts, commonly described as a writer's share and a publisher's share. As a songwriter you can collect the writer's share through your PRO. The publisher's share requires a publisher entity or an administrator, which is why step 6 matters.

Step 3: The MLC

The Mechanical Licensing Collective collects and distributes digital audio mechanical royalties for the use of compositions in the United States, such as interactive streams and downloads, under the blanket license created by the Music Modernization Act. You register your songs, with correct writer information and splits, so that matched usage can be paid. Registration is separate from your PRO account, so completing one does not complete the other. If you have no publisher entity or administrator, check the MLC's current member options to see how publisher-side income can be claimed.

Step 4: SoundExchange

SoundExchange collects digital performance royalties for the master recording from non-interactive services such as internet radio and satellite radio. You can register as a rights owner for the recording and, if you perform on it, as a featured artist. Register in both capacities if both apply to you. Review its current rules to confirm what it covers.

Step 5 and 6: Luminate and a publishing administrator

Next, find out how your release's UPC and ISRCs get registered with Luminate, whether by your distributor or by you, so that sales and streams can be matched for chart tracking. This is about measurement, not payment, and it does not guarantee any chart position.

Finally, consider a publishing administrator to register your compositions worldwide and collect the publisher's share and international mechanicals. Compare fees and contract terms first.

Also keep a record of each registration date and confirmation. If a payment seems missing months later, those notes make it far easier to find out why.

Maya's checklist in practice

Maya finishes a single she wrote and recorded. In one afternoon she builds her reference sheet, then works through the list:

1. Upload to her distributor and record the UPC and ISRC.
2. Register the song with her PRO as a songwriter.
3. Register the composition with The MLC.
4. Register the recording with SoundExchange as rights owner and featured artist.
5. Confirm how the UPC and ISRC reach Luminate.
6. Decide on a publishing administrator and submit the song.

This order is a sensible workflow, not a legal requirement. No law says you must register in this sequence; it simply puts the details every later step relies on first. She then sets a reminder to repeat the process for each new release. Because registrations can affect taxes and contracts, a qualified music attorney or accountant is worth consulting if your situation is complex.

For labels, managers, and teams

On a label roster, the royalty checklist becomes an operating procedure. Nightshift Records, a fictional label with several artists, would treat each release as a project with registration tasks, owners and deadlines.

Start with rights. Decide, per song, who owns the master and who owns the composition, and get that in writing. Collect a signed split sheet for every song before registering anything, because conflicting registrations at a PRO, the MLC or elsewhere can hold up payments for everyone.

Build a registration tracker. For each release list the UPC, every ISRC, writers and splits, and the status and date of registration at the distributor, PRO, MLC, SoundExchange and any administrator. Assign each line to a named person.

On the master side, a label usually registers as the rights owner at SoundExchange while the featured artist registers separately for their own share. Do not assume one registration covers both. Confirm your account setup and any letters of direction directly with SoundExchange.

For accounting, reconcile statements from the distributor, PRO, MLC, SoundExchange and administrator against your tracker each period. Pay artists and writers according to signed agreements, and have an accountant advise on reporting and tax treatment. Right to audit clauses in your distribution and administration contracts are worth understanding before you need them.

Last, run catalog hygiene reviews: fix mismatched titles and writer names, add late co-writers, and archive confirmations in a shared folder.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Uploading to a distributor and assuming that finishes the job, leaving the PRO, MLC and SoundExchange registrations undone.
• Believing that a PRO registration also covers mechanical royalties, or the reverse.
• Registering only as a rights owner at SoundExchange when you also perform on the recording, or vice versa.
• Joining more than one US PRO as a writer, which is generally not permitted.
• Registering before splits are agreed, then having payments held while claims conflict.
• Treating the order of the checklist as a legal rule instead of a workflow.
• Letting titles, writer names or codes drift between registrations so usage cannot be matched.
• Forgetting to keep dates and confirmations, which makes missing-payment questions slow to resolve.

Action checklist

1. Write down who wrote the song, who owns the recording and each person's percentage, and get everyone to agree.
2. Build a reference sheet of titles, writers, splits, ISRCs and the UPC.
3. Upload the release to your distributor and confirm the codes it assigns.
4. Register as a songwriter with one US PRO.
5. Register the composition with The MLC with correct splits.
6. Register the recording with SoundExchange as rights owner and, if you perform, as featured artist.
7. Find out whether your distributor or you handle Luminate registration, and complete it if needed.
8. Decide whether a publishing administrator makes sense and compare terms first.
9. Record the date and confirmation for every registration.
10. Set a reminder to repeat the process for every new release and review statements regularly.

Key terms

• Master recording: The specific recorded performance of a song, usually owned by the artist or label.
• Composition: The underlying melody and lyrics, owned by songwriters and any publishers.
• PRO: Performing rights organization, such as ASCAP or BMI, that licenses public performances and pays writers and publishers.
• Public performance royalty: Income from a composition being performed publicly, such as on radio, TV, in venues or certain streams.
• Mechanical royalty: Income from reproducing and distributing a composition, including digital downloads and interactive streams.
• The MLC: Mechanical Licensing Collective; the organization that collects and distributes digital audio mechanical royalties in the United States.
• SoundExchange: The organization that collects digital performance royalties for sound recordings from non-interactive services.
• Non-interactive service: A streaming service where the listener cannot choose specific songs on demand, such as internet or satellite radio.
• Rights owner: The party that owns a sound recording, often the label or self-releasing artist.
• Featured artist: The performer credited as the main artist on a recording.
• Writer's share and publisher's share: The two parts into which composition income is generally divided and paid.
• Split sheet: A signed record of each contributor's ownership percentage in a song.