TIMELINE
Everything has a right moment. Here they all are.
The paperwork that protects a release is cheap and quick when it's done on time, and painful when it's not. Tick items off — progress saves on this device.
THE DAY A SONG IS FINISHED
01
Sign a split sheet with every co-writer
Who owns what percentage, in writing, while everyone still agrees. Without it, PROs and publishers can't confirm ownership and may simply not pay anyone. Solo writer? You own 100% — skip ahead. The generator below makes a signable document in seconds.
BEFORE RELEASE
02
Consider registering the copyright while it’s still unpublished
Up to 10 unpublished works fit one $85 group filing — the cheapest protection you'll ever buy, and it makes the 3-month post-release deadline irrelevant. The copyright wizard sorts your songs into the right filings.
03
Join a PRO if you haven’t (BMI is free; ASCAP ~$50)
This gets you an IPI number — the global songwriter ID everything else keys off. Membership alone pays nothing; per-work registration (below) is what opens the tap.
04
Settle your ISRC strategy
Your distributor assigns ISRCs free — fine for most artists. Releasing often, or running a label? Your own registrant code from usisrc.org is $95 once and the codes are yours for life, across any distributor.
AT RELEASE
05
Register each song with your PRO
In your ASCAP/BMI member portal: title, writers, splits from the split sheet. This is the step most people think the distributor does. It doesn't.
06
Register each song with the MLC
Mechanical royalties for US streams. Free member account at portal.themlc.com; the scanner generates a bulk CWR file if you have several works.
07
Register with SoundExchange — as artist AND rights owner
Digital-radio money for the recording. If you own your masters, register both roles or you collect only half the check. Walkthrough here.
WITHIN 3 MONTHS OF RELEASE
08
File the copyright registration if you didn’t pre-register
The statutory-damages window: register within 3 months of release (or before an infringement starts) and the law's full enforcement toolkit applies. The wizard computes your exact deadline per release.
AFTER RELEASE
09
If you opted into Content ID, whitelist your own channels
Otherwise your distributor's Content ID will claim your own music videos. One support ticket now saves a copyright-claim headache later.
§ GENERATOR · SPLIT SHEET
print to PDF · sign · everyone keeps a copy| Writer | Contribution | Share % | PRO | IPI | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
add a song title and writers
The generated sheet records ownership so societies can pay everyone — it deliberately does not grant anyone the right to license or release the song alone, and it says so on its face. Nothing you type here leaves this device.