Royalties
Recording Royalties
Recording royalties are what the master earns — the recording revenue your distributor collects, plus digital-performance royalties.
The recording (master) side pays in two ways. Recording revenue is generated every time the recording is streamed or sold; streaming platforms pay it out and a distributor collects it on the artist's or label's behalf. Digital-performance royalties are paid when the master is played on non-interactive digital radio like Pandora or SiriusXM.
Recording royalties are separate from the publishing side — being on Spotify doesn't mean your composition royalties are being collected. Notes covers both so nothing is left behind.
Good to know
Recording Royalties: common questions
- Does my distributor collect everything I'm owed?
- No — a distributor collects recording revenue from the streaming platforms, but not the composition's publishing royalties or, in many cases, your neighboring/digital-performance royalties. Those need separate collection.
