Catalog
The complete collection of musical works owned or administered by a publisher or songwriter. Catalogs are bought, sold, and licensed as assets, and their value is typically assessed as a multiple of their annual net publisher share (NPS).
Articles about Catalog
DistroKid Metadata Requirements: Preparing Your Catalog for Accurate Rights and Payments
Getting metadata right separates paid royalties from errors and lost revenue. This guide lays out DistroKid metadata requirements and the exact fields, identifiers, and formatting that determine how recordings and works are matched and paid across stores, PROs, SoundExchange, and The MLC .
Every Way to Earn Music Royalties as an Independent Artist
As an independent artist, understanding the different ways to earn music royalties separates missed income from real revenue. This checklist walks through eight distinct royalty streams, who collects them, realistic earning examples, and three concrete steps to start collecting each one, with international registration tips and services to compare.
Best Music Licensing Platforms for Getting Your Songs Placed
Getting songs placed is about choosing the right music licensing platforms and presenting tracks the way music supervisors actually use them. This list compares seven leading services — from high-volume marketplaces to curated publishers — and breaks down reach, submission models, rights, and realistic monetization.
All the Income Streams a Music Publisher Can Unlock for You
Music publishing income streams are messy and fragmented, and most independent songwriters only access a fraction of what they are owed. This list breaks down the seven income types a publisher can unlock, names who collects each payment, gives concrete examples, and leaves you with practical next steps to start claiming royalties.
How to Break Into the Music Industry: A Step-by-Step Roadmap
Knowing how to get into the music industry feels overwhelming because craft, rights, distribution, and promotion all matter at once. This step-by-step roadmap cuts through the noise with practical music industry tips and music career advice , a 12-month milestone plan with KPIs, and clear checklists for metadata, releases, networking, and monetization.
How to Build a Rap Career From Scratch: A Practical Guide
If you need to know how to become a rapper and build a real rap career from scratch, this guide gives a step-by-step roadmap you can follow. You will get actionable routines for developing rap skills and writing rap lyrics, a production and release plan, rights registration and royalty collection tips, and promotion tactics tailored to hip hop audiences — plus a practical 12 month roadmap and sample budget.
Best Music Distribution Services for Independent Artists
Choosing the best music distribution services matters more than you think — it affects your revenue, rights, and how fast your songs hit Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, and stores worldwide. This concise guide compares pricing models, royalty terms, release workflows, and value-adds like publishing, sync, and marketing, then matches each service to realistic artist scenarios so you can pick what fits your release cadence and career goals.
Signed Up With the Wrong PRO? Here's How It's Costing You Money
Signed up with the wrong PRO affiliation and wondering what it is costing you? Misaligned registrations and incorrect PRO membership can divert composition, neighboring, and digital performance royalties away from you or leave payments unmatched in society accounts.
Your Music Is Being Used Without Permission — Here's What to Do About It
If you have discovered your recording or song being used without permission, you are facing music copyright infringement problems that demand practical, immediate action. This guide walks you through what to do first: preserve evidence, identify which right is being violated, and stop the use on each platform, then how to recover revenue and prevent repeat misuse.