PRICING, TERMS, AND FAQS

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.

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

*If you are with CD Baby and use their publishing services (CD Baby Pro), then you cannot also use Songtrust. This is also the case if you are already with another publishing administrator.

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 repeatedly in more 215 countries and territories, collecting an entirely different kind of royalty, and a whole lotta 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.

Most of the societies we collect from are able to forward royalties from the past couple of years (generally 1-2 years). While we are able to collect retroactive royalties sometimes, we can’t make any guarantees. It all depends on individual societies and may be affected by past publishing deals. The best way to increase your odds is to add as many titles as possible to your account with the correct co-writers, splits, and any related ISRC/recording information.

If we successfully collect your retroactive royalties, the payment will probably arrive two or three quarters after your first royalty statement. Learn more about the journey your song takes with Songtrust, here.

Songtrust collects from a wide range of revenue sources that follow their own timeline. Once you sign up and have accrued royalties that are ready for collection, it will take an average of 9-12 months to be fully registered globally and receive your first royalty payment. Once we start receiving royalties, you’ll receive earnings at the end of each quarter so long as you hit our $25 minimum.

Please note: Some societies prioritize their payouts based on total earnings. Make sure you have everything you need to start collecting by downloading our Music Royalties Checklist.

Songtrust distributes royalties quarterly (aka 4x a year) as long as you have met our $25 minimum and have valid tax information on file. Payments are typically distributed in the last week of each quarter, via bank transfer or Paypal, as listed on our full schedule. Actual dates may vary.

When it comes to compositions, yes! Songtrust offers YouTube monetization as part of our worldwide publishing administration services.

When you opt into YouTube monetization through Songtrust, we deliver all your songs, along with ISRC information, to YouTube’s Content ID System automatically. You can be confident that videos that qualify to be monetized are being claimed on your behalf and can use the Songtrust YouTube Claims page to discover and track all successful claims.

To learn more about YouTube’s monetization thresholds and eligibility, click here. Check out our Help Center to learn more.

Yes! You can create a Songtrust account whether you’re an independent songwriter, publisher, label, manager, or lawyer because you’re managing a writer(s)’ publishing rights. Account managers can track and filter earnings for each of their songwriters using our user-friendly dashboard.