BUILT FOR MODERN CREATORS. TRUSTED BY INDUSTRY LEADERS.

Songtrust combines modern technology, global royalty collection, and transparent service in a way few others can. Unlike many administrators, we don’t require you to give up ownership, sign lengthy contracts, or navigate outdated systems. Our platform is built for all types of music creators—from emerging artists to established professionals—offering a clear, accessible way to collect royalties worldwide while staying fully in control of your rights. No middlemen, no industry politics—just your earnings, delivered directly to you.

Yes, because we collect a different kind of royalty*. Labels and distributors deal with recordings; publishing administrators keep their eyes locked on compositions. 

Some music distributors offer publishing administration as a premium add-on*. While convenient, these services can come with trade-offs in transparency, fees, and flexibility. If your distributor doesn't offer publishing—or lets you opt out—Songtrust is a perfect complement.

*If you are with CD Baby and have or are using their publishing services (CD Baby Pro or Boost), then you cannot also use Songtrust.

Yes! SoundExchange collects digital performance royalties generated by sound recordings on behalf of recording owners and performers. This is completely separate from Songtrust’s role: collecting royalties generated by compositions on behalf of songwriters and publishers.

If you own your recordings and/or are a performing artist, you should certainly think about registering with SoundExchange to round out your royalty needs.

Yes! The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) is a nonprofit organization created in 2019 by the Music Modernization Act (MMA) to administer blanket mechanical licences to eligible streaming services in the U.S., and to pay the resulting royalties to songwriters, composers, lyricists, and music publishers. 

If you’re signed up with Songtrust, we register your songs with The MLC on your behalf, along with local societies and other pay sources in the U.S. and 244 countries and territories around the world that your songs are earning in.

We charge a one-time fee of $100 per writer to cover song monitoring and admin costs, and take a commission of 15% on any performance royalties collected and 20% on non-performance (worldwide mechanical) royalties collected, on your behalf. That’s it — no surprise cuts from your royalties. We’re transparent, predictable, and focused on making your admin seamless.

Performance Rights Organizations (PROs) and Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) are essential partners in your publishing journey—and a required first step before using Songtrust. These societies connect you as a songwriter within registration databases worldwide and help connect you to your copyright/composition when you register it. Think of it like this – these are the societies that we are working with directly to collect the royalties you are earning there – it makes sense that you’d have a membership with at least one!

The short answer: Your PRO only collects half of what your song earns, often in just one territory or country.

The long answer is explained in-depth here, but basically amounts to the fact that your PRO is only responsible to collect performance royalties in your territory or country, meaning you’re leaving your international and mechanical royalties on the table. Suffice it to say, it involves registering your song individually in more than 215 countries and territories, collecting an entirely different kind of royalty, and pouring in a whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears.

Make your life much, much easier — sign up with a publishing administrator like Songtrust (who’s network covers 98% of the global music market) today and head over here to learn more about where we collect.

Publishing royalties take time to reach you because they come from many different sources — each with its own timeline for reporting and paying out. On average, it takes 9–12 months to receive your first royalty payment. This includes time for global registration and for each society to process and pay royalties on their own schedule.

Once your works are fully registered, we can begin collecting from societies around the world where they are earning. Once your works are fully registered, we can begin collecting from societies around the world where they’re earning. Keep in mind that some societies prioritize faster payments for complete registrations—missing information (like ISRCs) can delay collection, or even prevent it entirely.