WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REGISTERING SONGS FOR MUSIC PUBLISHING

Your Guide to Song Registration and Getting Paid Globally

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To collect all the royalties you’ve earned, you need to register your songs with the right organizations in each country where your music is played or streamed. With 195 countries and different systems for performance royalties (radio, live shows) and mechanical royalties (streams, downloads), it can get complicated fast. Is this a new verse for you? Our free, on-demand Music Publishing 101 webinar is a great starting point to get up-to-speed. 

If your song is played on the radio in the UK and streamed on Spotify in the U.S., you’d need to register with both PRS (UK) and ASCAP or BMI (U.S.) to collect those royalties. Here is the tricky part: Not all societies around the world are connected, and not every country is a one-stop shop for collecting both performance and mechanical royalties. In fact, in North America, these rights are often split into separate organizations, so you might need to join two or more societies to cover everything.

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That’s why many songwriters turn to publishing administrators like Songtrust. Songtrust’s song registration process was built to address this problem by centralizing and managing song registrations on your behalf. Once you begin earning, our system ensures your song metadata is prepared, validated, and submitted to the societies, so you’re covered wherever your songs are earning royalties—saving you time, energy, and confusion.

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Why Not Register My Songs at Individual PROs and CMOs on My Own?

Registering your songs individually with each performance rights organization (PRO) and collection management organization (CMO) worldwide can be time-consuming, complicated, and expensive. Independent artists often face high fees and extensive paperwork, with each society charging separate registration costs.

Additionally, some societies have strict requirements, like needing to be a resident or citizen, or requiring you to physically visit their offices. This can be especially challenging for international songwriters unfamiliar with local laws. There’s also the risk of data errors, especially if you’re completing registrations multiple times across different societies. Human error, or a lack of proper validation, can lead to incorrect metadata, splits, or registration details—causing royalty conflicts or lost payments.

A professional service like a publisher can ensure your data is accurate and validated before submission, reducing the risk of errors and making sure you get paid properly.

What Information Is Needed To Register My Songs With a Publisher or Collection Society?

When registering your song with a publisher, publishing administrator like Songtrust, or collection society, you'll need to provide some key details to ensure proper tracking and royalty distribution. This includes the song title, co-writer information (if applicable), agreed upon song splits, an ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code), if you’ve been provided one by your collection society previously, and an ISRC (International Standard Recording Code), which uniquely tracks each recording of your song, such as a remix or live version.

Having these key details ready will streamline the registration process and help ensure you're properly compensated for your music. For a more in-depth breakdown, you can download our comprehensive Song Registration Checklist to guide you through the steps.

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How Can I Track my Song Registrations with Songtrust?

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Tracking your song registrations with Songtrust is easy and transparent. After adding your song details, you can track its progress directly from your account. Each song has its own page where you can see its current status as it moves through the registration process. From initial monitoring to global submission at societies where your song is earning royalties, Songtrust keeps you updated every step of the way. With a quick glance at our user-friendly dashboard, you’ll always know where your song is in the process and when to expect your royalties to start rolling in.

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What Types of Songs Are Eligible for Music Publishing Registration With Songtrust?

If you own the copyright to a musical work, most original compositions are eligible for publishing registration through Songtrust. This includes songs with music (melody, harmony, rhythm) and lyrics, as well as instrumentals. 

Songs with cleared samples can be registered, provided the sample usage and splits with the original copyright owners are in order. If someone covers your song, you can register the original composition to collect royalties whenever it’s performed or recorded. However, you cannot register a cover of someone else's song.

In short, if your work is original and you control the copyright, you can register it for publishing and start earning royalties from performance, mechanical, and sync uses worldwide. Registering your composition allows you to earn and collect publishing royalties for its use. You can learn more about who is not eligible for music publishing on our blog.