Unclaimed royalties are lost income.
Billions in royalties go unclaimed every year because songs were never registered or the song details were wrong. This page covers what Charles is owed, who pays it, and exactly where to register to collect every cent.
Every song is two copyrights.
Because Charles owns both, he collects both. Most artists signed to labels see only a small share of one.
The master (sound recording)
The recording itself, as you hear it. It earns from streams, downloads, sync licenses for the master, and radio play on digital and international stations (called "neighboring rights").
The composition (song)
The melody and lyrics, which exist regardless of any recording. It earns performance, mechanical, sync and print royalties, split between the "writer's share" and the "publisher's share".
Six royalties, and who pays each one.
| Royalty | When it's earned | Who collects it | Typical rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streaming / master MASTER | Every stream and download on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Tidal, YouTube Music | Distributor (pays 100% on a flat-fee plan) | $0.003–$0.01 per stream |
| Performance COMPOSITION | Radio, TV, live venues, streaming, bars, gyms and stores playing the song in public | PRO (BMI / ASCAP / SESAC), plus publishing admin for international | Writer's share + publisher's share, paid quarterly |
| Mechanical COMPOSITION | Each time the song is copied or streamed on demand (streams, downloads, vinyl, CDs) | The MLC (US streaming), plus publishing admin worldwide | US physical rate 12.4¢ per copy; streaming is a percentage of platform revenue |
| Digital performance MASTER | Non-interactive radio: SiriusXM, Pandora radio, webcasters | SoundExchange (50% to the master owner, 45% to the featured artist, 5% to session players) | Rates set by law |
| Sync MASTER COMPOSITION | Music paired with video: TV, film, ads, games, trailers | Charles directly or through a sync agent (two fees: one for the master, one for the publishing) | $500 indie TV to $50K+ national ad, per side |
| Neighboring rights MASTER | Recording broadcast or played publicly outside the US (UK, EU, Africa) | SoundExchange international or a neighboring-rights agency (PPL in the UK) | Varies by territory |
Streaming royalty calculator.
Move the sliders to see what a level of streaming pays across masters and publishing, and what that makes the catalog worth.
Mix totals 100%
These are estimates. Real per-stream rates change with country, subscription type and the platforms' minimum-stream rules. Publishing is estimated at about 18% of master income.
Register everywhere.
Tick items off as they're done. Progress is saved on this device.
Protect the catalog.
Never sell the masters early
Advances are fine if they're paid back from royalties, or if Charles licenses the music for a fixed term. Selling the masters outright before Year 5 means selling a growing asset at a low price.
Check statements every quarter
Compare distributor, PRO, MLC and SoundExchange statements against the streaming numbers. Look for missing countries and songs that earn nothing.
Song details are money
Every release goes out with the correct ISRC, ISWC (the code for the song itself), IPI numbers, writer splits and credits. Wrong or missing details are the main reason royalties go unpaid.