Royalty Statements

are recurring payments that distributors receive from businesses and music platforms and pass on to the artists/recording rights owners, in exchange the platforms ability to use the artists music. As a distribution company, Stowaway works to ensure that artists, songwriters, and other performers are paid for their work through having royalty statements with all artists.

You can view your catalog, analytics and royalty statements with our partner eddy. To view these, you will be required to set up an account and sign in to their platform.

ROYALTIES IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS


Whenever a song is written, composed, and produced to be released, there are set “rights holders” to the song. Often, these rights holders are made up of the songwriter, recording artists, and often the recording artist’s representatives (i.e. their label).

These rights holders are the individuals entitled to payout from songs with a royalty statement. A royalty statement outlines an agreement between a songs right's holders and business institutions (often music broadcasters in TV, radio, and more recently tech), providing the business institution with listened use of a specific song provided by the rights holders.

In effect, royalties are payments received by rights holders paid out by institutions that use their music and collected on behalf of rights holders by intermediary bodies — that is where Stowaway comes in.

DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES AND ROYALTIES

As a distribution company focused on putting artists first, and building trusting relationships with clients, Stowaway makes your music available on 150+ streaming and download services worldwide including Spotify, TIDAL, TikTok, meaning however your fans prefer to listen to music, they'll find you.

Stowaway delivers to music services on every continent except Antarctica, so your worldwide releases are playable in every populated region of the world, and offers subscriptions in your local currency, helping you to avoid those annoying FX rates and fees.

ARTIST ROYALTIES CHECKLIST

As a musician, there are several royalty sources you can sign up for to ensure you receive proper compensation for your music. Here are some of the most common royalty sources:

  1. Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) collect royalties on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers for public performances of their music. These include:

    • ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers)

    • BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.)

    • SESAC (Society of European Stage Authors and Composers)

    • SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada)

    • PRS for Music (Performing Right Society) in the UK

    • JACAP (Jamaica Association of Composers, Authors and Publishers)

  2. Mechanical Royalties are paid to songwriters and music publishers for the reproduction and distribution of their music. These royalties are typically paid by record labels, streaming services, and digital retailers. In the US, mechanical royalties are paid through the Harry Fox Agency or the Mechanical Licensing Collective.

  3. Sync Licensing refers to the use of music in films, TV shows, commercials, video games, and other media. Music supervisors and production companies typically obtain sync licenses from music publishers and songwriters. There are also sync licensing agencies that help musicians place their music in various media projects.

  4. SoundExchange collects royalties on behalf of recording artists and record labels for digital performances of their music on satellite radio, internet radio, and streaming services like Spotify and Pandora.

  5. YouTube Content ID If you have music videos or other content on YouTube, you can sign up for YouTube's Content ID program. This program helps you identify when someone else is using your music in their videos and allows you to monetize those uses through advertising revenue.

  6. Performance Royalties from Live Shows If you perform live, you may be entitled to performance royalties from the venue where you perform. In some countries, PROs collect these royalties on behalf of the musicians.

It's important to note that the specific royalty sources available to you may depend on where you live and where your music is being played. Be sure to research the options available in your country and consider signing up for multiple sources to ensure you're receiving all the royalties you're entitled to.