How to Collect Music Royalties in 120+ Countries and How Afro Soundtrack Makes It Happen
Collecting global music royalties entails building a clear ownership record, registering works in the right places, delivering flawless metadata, linking with trusted collection partners, and actively claiming income from every source where a song earns money.
It is hinged on having accurate rights information, persistent metadata, and reliable relationships with collecting societies, digital platforms, and direct licensees.
The system is practical and repeatable. It begins with strong foundational steps, continues with ongoing administration, and includes enforcement when needed. At a high level, here is the flow:
At a high level it entails these steps:
- Register works and rights holders.
- Submit international identifiers.
- Supply complete metadata to digital service providers and societies.
- Affiliate with local and global collection partners.
- Claim mechanical, performance and sync income where applicable.
- License directly for sync and master uses.
- Monitor usage reports, reconcile statements, and audit payments when needed.
When that flow is maintained correctly, an artist can be paid in 120+ territories wherever their music is used.
Afro Soundtrack takes responsibility for every step. We register publishing rights, manage registrations and identifiers, deliver clean metadata to platforms and societies and pursue performance and mechanical claims through proper channels.
We clear sync and master license deals, follow up on missing payments, and provide transparent statements and regular payouts so creators always see where their earnings come from and when they’ll be received.
Understanding Music Royalties
Music royalties are payments made to rights holders when their works are used. Key types include:
- Mechanical Royalties: Paid for reproductions of a work (physical media, digital downloads, streaming)
- Performance Royalties: Paid when a work is publicly performed (radio, TV, live venues, public spaces)
- Synchronization (Sync) Royalties: Paid when a work is used in visual media (film, TV, ads, games)
- Print Royalties: Paid for reproduction of musical notation (sheet music)
- Digital Performance Royalties: Paid for non-interactive digital uses (in some markets)
How the Global Music Royalty Collection System Works (Step by Step) and How Afro Soundtrack Executes It
1. Establish and Document Ownership
Every royalty claim hinges on clear ownership. You need signed split sheets and publisher agreements defining how much each person owns of each song and recording. Afro Soundtrack collects and verifies these, assigns a unique internal identifier to each work, and uses them during registration with societies and platforms.
2. Register Compositions and Recordings
After ownership is confirmed, each song and recording is registered properly. Compositions go to your local PRO or through a global publishing administrator. Recordings are registered via distributors or label services with valid ISRC codes. Afro Soundtrack submits publishers’ shares, obtains ISWC codes, and ensures works are traceable in all territories.
3. Provide Accurate, Complete Metadata
Metadata connects users to payments. It must include consistent writer names, publisher shares, ISRCs, ISWCs and more. Afro Soundtrack builds one canonical metadata file per work, verifies its accuracy, and distributes it to collection sources to ensure plays are matched quickly and correctly.
4. Build a Global Collection Network
Royalties in foreign territories often require local collection. A publisher with reciprocal agreements can place claims locally, collect locally, then send payments back to you. Afro Soundtrack maintains partnerships with right entities and collecting societies globally to support collections in 120+ countries.
5. Claim Digital, Mechanical, Performance and Sync income
Afro Soundtrack ensures your compositions earn from every possible source. We register works with the right societies, track their digital and performance income, and file claims for mechanical and sync income so that all your songwriting royalties are captured and paid.
6. Register with Relevant Collection Sources
To get paid globally, your songs must be registered where royalties are collected. Afro Soundtrack connects your catalog to local and international collection societies ensuring your works are recognized and payable in every active territory.
7. Secure Sync and Direct Licensing
Performance royalties cover the use of musical compositions in public settings such as broadcasts, live performances, and streaming. Mechanical royalties cover the reproduction of those compositions through downloads and interactive streaming. Sync income is earned when a composition is licensed for use in visual media such as film, television, and advertising.
Afro Soundtrack focuses on the composition side of publishing. We identify the correct collection societies in each territory, register your songs and writer shares, and file claims for digital, mechanical, performance, and sync income so that no earnings from your compositions are left unclaimed.
8. Monitor, Reconcile, and Audit
Royalty collection is never “set it and forget it.” Afro Soundtrack continuously tracks usage and earnings reports from digital service providers and collection societies, then reconciles those reports against expected payments. When discrepancies appear, we file claims, request corrections, or conduct audits to make sure every stream, broadcast, and performance is accurately paid.
To strengthen this process, Afro Soundtrack is developing an MVP that will allow artists and rightsholders to track their royalties and registrations in one place. This upcoming platform will connect directly to our publishing administration system, giving creators access to global payment data, registration status, and pending claims.
With this tool, African and Nigerian artists will be able to monitor their earnings and view reconciled reports clearly and easily, making royalty tracking as transparent as their streaming analytics.
9. Ensure transparency and regular payouts
Royalty payments arrive on different schedules depending on each society and platform. Afro Soundtrack consolidates all incoming payments, applies agreed administrative fees, and provides detailed, easy-to-read royalty statements. We issue payouts on a quarterly basis, ensuring artists receive their income regularly and predictably.
Each payment cycle includes a full breakdown showing where income came from, how it was earned, and which territories generated the royalties.
Artists can easily review their performance data and understand their earnings without confusion or delay. Afro Soundtrack’s focus on transparency means artists always know what has been collected, what is pending, and when their next payout will arrive.
Pre-Agreement Checklist to Sign up with Us
Before entering into a publishing administration with Afro Soundtrack, have ready:
- Signed split sheets. You can download our Split sheet template here.
- Copies of government ID and bank or payment details for receiving royalties.
- ISRCs for masters and clear metadata.
- PRO affiliation information, if you already have one.
- Final masters and any stems needed for sync placements.
The Role of a Music Publisher
A music publisher like Afro Soundtrack performs four core roles:
- Registration: Ensuring works are registered globally with societies, platforms, and rights institutions
- Licensing: Issuing licenses (mechanical, sync, direct) for lawful use of works
- Royalty Collection: Tracking use across formats and territories and collecting payments
- Distribution & Administration: Distributing royalties to creators, resolving disputes, managing metadata and audits
What Afro Soundtrack guarantees for African and Nigerian artists
- We register and administer your publishing rights so performance and mechanical royalties are collected globally
- We handle metadata distribution so matches are faster and more accurate
- We have a framework that allows us to collect multi territory online royalties to ensure you don’t miss out from any territory
- We clear and license sync and master uses that fall outside society systems
- We provide transparent statements and reliable payouts on a predictable schedule
This systemical approach is how music moves from a play on the radio in one country into a verified payment in another country.
When ownership is clear, metadata is perfect, and a publisher has the right global relationships, collecting royalties in 120-plus countries becomes a practical outcome rather than an aspiration.
Afro Soundtrack runs that system so artists, Producers, session musicians and songwriters can focus on making music while we make sure that music is claimed and paid around the world.
Realistic Timeline & Expectations
- Registration & metadata setup: Usually immediate to 1 month, depending on codes and paperwork
- Foreign royalty flows: Expect the first international collections to begin after 6 to 9 months. Some territory income comes in faster than the other but within a year 80% of the territories are within a year. This variation is standard across the global system
- Industry context: Global royalty collections reached a new high of €13.1 billion in 2023, growing 7.6% year over year. This shows increasing opportunities for artists worldwide.
If you are an African or Nigerian artist, producer or composer who wants full publishing administration, sync licensing and global royalty collection, AfroSoundtrack is set up to register your works, manage metadata and reach the world’s collection systems on your behalf. Start here: sign up for publishing administration or speak with our music publishing team.
Comments
This post currently has no comments.