Money You’re Missing
Seven revenue streams. Answer honestly — every “No” is money you’re likely leaving on the table right now.
Here’s the truth: almost all of these are free to claim. They’re not secret and they’re not paywalled. The reason artists don’t get paid is that almost nobody sets them up correctly — the publisher entity, the splits, the metadata, the registration order. Doing it right is the whole game. Nothing here is uploaded; it stays in your browser.
Are you collecting performance royalties every time your songs are publicly played — on radio, TV, in venues, and on streaming?
A performance royalty is generated whenever your composition is publicly performed. It's on the songwriting side and is completely separate from what your distributor pays you for streams.
Have you set up the PUBLISHER side of your songwriting — not just the writer side?
A PRO pays performance royalties in two separate portions: a writer's share and a publisher's share. If you never register a publisher entity, your portion of the publisher's share typically goes uncollected — regardless of how ownership is split among collaborators. Setting up a publisher entity is free or low-cost depending on your PRO and timing; almost nobody does it.
Are you collecting mechanical royalties on U.S. streams and sales of your compositions?
A single stream generates BOTH a performance royalty and a mechanical royalty on the composition — two different payments for the same play. The mechanical side is collected separately and is easy to miss entirely.
Are you collecting digital performance royalties for your MASTER recordings on internet and satellite radio?
When your recording plays on U.S. non-interactive digital radio (internet radio, satellite radio, webcasters), the master earns its own royalty. It is not collected by your distributor or by your songwriting registrations.
Are you collecting revenue from every video that uses your music — including other people's uploads?
Video platforms can identify your recording and monetize every video that uses it — yours, fan uploads, reactions, edits — and pay you a share of the ad revenue. Most artists never switch this on.
Are you collecting international performance royalties on your master recordings?
Many countries pay a performance royalty on the master recording that the U.S. system doesn't fully collect. Collect domestically only and this international money accumulates abroad, unclaimed.
Is your music prepared and available for sync licensing — placement in TV, film, ads, and games?
Depending on the deal, a sync placement can pay a licensing fee up front, performance royalties when the show or ad airs, or both. But a track only gets placed if it's sync-ready: commonly a clean version, instrumental, and stems, plus correct metadata and one-stop ownership (you control both the song and the recording, splits signed, so it can be cleared in one place).