Step 10 of 13 · Release

Rights, metadata & royalties

This is the unglamorous stage that pays you. Your distributor handles recording (master) royalties, but publishing royalties are separate — a PRO (ASCAP/BMI/PRS) and a publishing admin (e.g. Songtrust) collect them. Agree songwriter splits in writing before release. Note the AI-copyright reality: the U.S. Copyright Office has said purely AI-generated material isn't protectable on its own — human authorship is what's registrable — so meaningful human creative input matters for ownership. This is general information, not legal advice.

The steps

  1. 1Confirm your ISRC (per track) and UPC (per release) from the distributor.
  2. 2Register as a songwriter with a PRO and a publishing admin to collect publishing royalties.
  3. 3Agree and document writer/producer splits in writing before release.
  4. 4Get metadata right (artist name, writers, contributors) — it's hard to fix later.
  5. 5Keep records of your human creative input for AI tracks, given current copyright guidance.
🤖 AI path

Copyright protection generally requires human authorship; document your creative input. Some societies/distributors have specific AI rules — check them.

🎤 Indie path

Standard PRO + publishing-admin + splits flow; cleaner copyright story for fully human works.

🔗 Where they meet

ISRC/UPC, PRO registration, publishing admin and written splits apply to every release.

The verdict

Your distributor only pays half the picture — register with a PRO and a publishing admin, document splits, and keep proof of your human input given AI-copyright rules. (Not legal advice.)

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by country — check official sources and, for important decisions, a professional.

FAQ

Can I copyright AI-generated music?

Per current U.S. Copyright Office guidance, purely AI-generated output isn't protectable on its own — copyright attaches to human authorship and creative arrangement. Keep evidence of your human input. This isn't legal advice.

How do I collect all my royalties?

Your distributor pays master/recording royalties; publishing royalties are separate — register with a PRO (ASCAP/BMI/PRS) and a publishing admin like Songtrust, and document your splits.