02/24/2026
STEP 1: Lock In Your Ownership (Before Anything)
1️⃣ Formally Own the Song (Publishing Split Sheet)
Before release:
• Write down who wrote what percentage
• Split between:
• Songwriting (Composition)
• Production (Beat/Instrumental)
If you wrote and produced everything yourself → you own 100% writer + 100% publisher share.
Keep this document signed and dated.
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STEP 2: Register Copyright (Federal Protection)
Go to the official U.S. copyright office:
👉 United States Copyright Office
Website: copyright.gov
Register:
• PA (Performing Arts) → for composition (lyrics & melody)
• SR (Sound Recording) → for master recording
If you’re independent, you usually file:
• Composition under your name (or publishing company)
• Sound recording under your LLc
Why this matters:
• Establishes legal proof of ownership
• Required to sue for infringement
• Protects you before public release
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STEP 3: Join a PRO (Performance Rights Organization)
This collects performance royalties (radio, live shows, streaming public performance).
Choose ONE:
• ASCAP
• BMI
• SESAC
If you’re independent:
• Register as Writer
• Also create a Publishing company account
If you don’t register your publishing entity, you only get 50% of performance royalties.
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STEP 4: Register with The MLC (Mechanical Royalties)
Streaming services pay mechanical royalties separately.
Register at:
👉 The Mechanical Licensing Collective
If you skip this, you lose streaming mechanical money from:
• Spotify
• Apple Music
• Amazon
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STEP 5: Register with SoundExchange (Digital Performance Royalties)
For non-interactive streaming like:
• Pandora radio
• SiriusXM
Register at:
👉 SoundExchange
You must register as:
• Featured Artist
• Rights Owner (your LLC if you own masters)
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STEP 6: Choose a Distributor (For Streaming Platforms)
Distributors upload your music to:
• Spotify
• Apple Music
• Amazon Music
• Tidal
Common distributors:
• DistroKid
• TuneCore
• UnitedMasters
⚠️ Important:
Make sure you:
• Use your legal name or LLC exactly the same everywhere
• Double check metadata (songwriters, splits, ISRC)
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STEP 7: Get Your ISRC & UPC Codes
• ISRC = Song tracking number
• UPC = Project/album tracking number
Most distributors provide them.
If you want control, you can buy your own codes from:
👉 US ISRC Agency
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STEP 8: Register Metadata Correctly
Make sure this matches everywhere:
• Song title
• Writer name
• Publisher name
• PRO affiliation
• ISRC code
• Release date
Mismatch = lost royalties.
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STEP 9: YouTube Content ID Protection
If you want to collect YouTube royalties:
Use:
• AdRev
• Identifyy
• Or distributor’s Content ID option
This protects your music from unauthorized use.
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STEP 10: Keep Your Publishing (Most Important)
There are 4 types of royalties:
1. Mechanical
2. Performance
3. Master Recording
4. Sync Licensing
To keep 100%:
• Own your master
• Own your publishing
• Register everywhere above
• Don’t sign 360 deals
• Don’t give publishing to distributor
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Correct Order Checklist (DO THIS IN ORDER)
1. Split sheet signed
2. Copyright registration filed
3. Join PRO (writer + publisher)
4. Register with MLC
5. Register with SoundExchange
6. Get ISRC
7. Upload through distributor
8. Double-check metadata
9. Register for YouTube Content ID
1️⃣ Copyright Registration (Federal Protection)
🇺🇸 U.S. Government Registration
Official Agency:
• United States Copyright Office
Website: https://www.copyright.gov
You register:
• PA (Composition)
• SR (Sound Recording)
This is the only official federal copyright registration body.
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2️⃣ Performance Rights Organizations (PRO)
You only choose ONE of these for writer registration, but you should also register a publishing company account.
Official U.S. PROs:
• ASCAP
https://www.ascap.com
• BMI
https://www.bmi.com
• SESAC
https://www.sesac.com
(SESAC is invitation only.)
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3️⃣ Mechanical Royalties (Streaming Mechanical Collection)
Official U.S. Mechanical Collector:
• The Mechanical Licensing Collective
https://www.themlc.com
This is required to collect mechanical royalties from:
• Spotify
• Apple Music
• Amazon Music
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4️⃣ Digital Performance Royalties (Non-Interactive Streaming)
Official U.S. Collector:
• SoundExchange
https://www.soundexchange.com
Required for:
• Pandora (radio mode)
• SiriusXM
• Web radio
Register as:
• Featured Artist
• Rights Owner (if you own masters)
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5️⃣ ISRC Code Registration (If You Want Your Own Codes)
You can let your distributor issue codes, OR register directly:
• US ISRC Agency
https://www.usisrc.org
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6️⃣ Music Distribution Companies (To Upload to Streaming Platforms)
You only need ONE distributor.
Major Independent Distributors:
• DistroKid
https://www.distrokid.com
• TuneCore
https://www.tunecore.com
• UnitedMasters
https://www.unitedmasters.com
• CD Baby
https://www.cdbaby.com
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7️⃣ Streaming Platforms (Where Your Music Goes)
Your distributor delivers to:
• Spotify
• Apple Music
• Amazon Music
• Tidal
• YouTube Music
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8️⃣ YouTube Content ID & Monetization
To protect your music on YouTube:
• Identifyy
https://www.identifyy.com
• AdRev
https://www.adrev.net
(Some distributors include this automatically.)
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9️⃣ Optional But Recommended (Publishing Admin for Global Collection)
If you want worldwide mechanical collection:
• Songtrust
https://www.songtrust.com
• Sentric Music
https://www.sentricmusic.com
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🔥 Complete Official Registration Checklist
You need accounts with:
1. United States Copyright Office
2. ONE PRO (ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC)
3. The MLC
4. SoundExchange
5. ONE Distributor
6. (Optional) US ISRC Agency
7. (Optional) YouTube Content ID service
8. (Optional) Global publishing administrator
Music Publishing built around you
