Lock In Your Rights Before the World Finds You
This page is the armor around your catalog. It connects your masters, publishing, name, and brand into one protection system.
Every section below explains what to do, why it matters, and how it ties back to your Profile, Works, Contracts, and Documents Vault.
Any highlighted word is tappable — click it to see a plain‑language definition from the Protection Glossary overlay, then dive deeper in the full Royalty Runner Glossary.
PROs, Publishing, and Your Songwriting Money
Your songs generate two main streams: the composition (songwriting) and the master (recording). This section is about the composition side — the part that PROs and publishers handle.
A Performing Rights Organization tracks performance royalties: radio, live shows, TV, streaming performances, and more. Your publisher or admin partner helps you collect worldwide and chase down money you’d never see on your own.
Royalty Runner uses your Profile (legal name, stage name, PRO, IPI, publisher) and your Works (titles, writers, splits) to auto‑fill registration forms and contract templates.
Your PRO Game Plan
- Pick one PRO in your country (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, PRS, SOCAN, etc.).
- Register as a writer and, if needed, as a publisher entity.
- Register every released song with correct splits and titles.
Quick Actions
Use these after your Profile and Works are filled out.
Streams, Downloads, and Mechanical Money
Every time your song is streamed or downloaded, it generates mechanical royalties on the composition side. In the U.S., a big piece of this is handled by digital mechanical agencies like The MLC for eligible services.
Your distributor collects money for the masters, but mechanicals for the composition often flow through different pipes. If you don’t register properly, that money can sit in “black box” pools and eventually get paid out to the wrong people.
Royalty Runner’s Royalties and Rights Directory pages show you which organizations handle which royalties and how to line them up with your catalog.
Mechanical Checklist
- Confirm your distributor is delivering correct metadata to DSPs.
- Register compositions with mechanical agencies where required.
- Match ISRCs and ISWCs in your Works page for clean tracking.
Quick Actions
Owning the Work on Paper
Copyright exists the moment you create an original work, but formal registration gives you legal teeth: statutory damages, attorney’s fees, and a clear public record of ownership.
For key releases, you should consider registering both the sound recording and the composition where available. Royalty Runner doesn’t file for you, but it prepares everything: titles, release dates, splits, and contributor info.
Your Documents Vault is where you keep: registration confirmations, dated exports of your catalog, split sheets, and contracts. Together, they form a timeline of proof if anyone ever challenges your ownership.
Proof Package Ideas
- Export of your Works catalog with timestamps.
- Signed split sheets and producer agreements.
- Copyright registration receipts.
- Emails confirming splits or approvals.
Quick Actions
Protecting Your Artist Identity
Your artist name, logo, and brand visuals can be protected through trademark and related rights. Before you invest in merch, branding, and marketing, you want to know that your name is clear — and ideally, that you can lock it down.
Royalty Runner doesn’t file trademarks, but it helps you track searches, screenshots, and legal opinions in your Documents Vault. That way, you have a record of when you started using the name and what you checked.
Name Safety Steps
- Search streaming platforms for your artist name.
- Search social media handles and domains.
- Search official trademark databases in your country.
- Save screenshots and search results to your Vault.
Quick Actions
Money from Broadcasts and Public Play
Neighboring rights are royalties paid to performers and master owners when recordings are played publicly (radio, TV, some streaming, venues), especially outside the U.S.
If you’re a featured performer or own your masters, you may be entitled to this money through organizations like SoundExchange and international neighboring rights societies.
Royalty Runner helps by keeping your performer credits, ISRCs, and release data clean in Works, and by giving you a place to store your registrations and statements in the Documents Vault.
Neighboring Rights Checklist
- Register as a featured performer where available.
- Register as a rights owner if you own the masters.
- Keep ISRCs and performer credits accurate in your catalog.
Quick Actions
Turning Your Art into a Business
At some point, you stop being “just an artist” and become a business. That might mean forming an LLC, opening a business bank account, and separating personal and music finances.
A basic entity can help with taxes, liability, and clarity when you sign deals, hire people, or bring in partners. Royalty Runner doesn’t replace an accountant or lawyer, but it gives you a place to track every agreement and document that touches your business.
Business Moves
- Decide on a simple entity structure (LLC, etc.).
- Open a dedicated business bank account.
- Route contracts and payments through the entity.
- Store all formation documents in your Vault.
Quick Actions
Your Protection Checklist
Click to mark items complete. Your progress stays on this device.