Before release checklist: essential steps for UK musicians

Before release, you need written documentation of: Songwriting splits: Who wrote the song and what percentage each writer owns. This should be recorded on a split sheet signed by all writers. If there are no co-writers, you still benefit from having a record that you are the sole writer. Master ownership: Who owns the sound recording itself? If you self-funded and self-recorded, you likely own the master. If a label or producer funded the recording, they may own it or co-own it with you. Check any agreements you have signed. Producer agreements: If a producer worked on the track, what is the arrangement? Do they have a songwriting share? Do they own a percentage of the master? Do they have a production credit? Get this in writing. Featured artists: If someone features on your track, what is the agreement? Are they entitled to royalties or did they receive a one-time fee? Document it. Do not assume everyone remembers or agrees on what was discussed verbally. Written agreements prevent disputes.

To collect royalties, your songs and recordings need to be registered with the relevant organisations: PRS for Music: If you are a PRS member and you wrote or co-wrote the song, register the work with PRS after release. You will need the song title, all writer details, percentage splits, and any publisher information. PRS cannot pay you royalties for unregistered works. PPL: If you performed on the recording or own the recording, register it with PPL. You will need the ISRC code, track details, all performer credits, and recording ownership information. Your distributor: Your distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, etc.) handles delivery to streaming platforms and pays you the recording royalties from those platforms. However, they do not register your songs with PRS or PPL. That is your responsibility. MCPS: If you are a PRS member, MCPS is usually handled through PRS. They collect mechanical royalties when your music is reproduced (downloads, physical copies, some streaming). Do not wait until after release to think about registrations. Have your PRS and PPL accounts set up and ready to go.

Metadata is the information attached to your release: song titles, artist names, writer credits, ISRC codes, and more. Accurate metadata is essential for royalty tracking. ISRC (International Standard Recording Code): A unique code that identifies a specific recording. Your distributor can generate these, or you can get your own. Every distinct recording needs its own ISRC. If you re-record a song, the new recording gets a new ISRC. ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code): A unique code that identifies the underlying song (composition). This is assigned by your PRO (PRS in the UK) when you register the work. Artist name: Make sure your artist name is spelled consistently everywhere. "John Smith", "John smith", and "johnsmith" may be treated as different artists by some systems. Writer credits: Ensure all writers are credited correctly. Misspelled names or missing credits can cause royalty tracking problems. Your distributor will ask for metadata when you upload your release. Take time to fill it in accurately. Fixing metadata errors after release is difficult.

If your release contains samples or is a cover version, additional steps are required: Samples: If you have sampled another recording, you need clearance from both the recording owner (usually a record label) and the song owner (usually a publisher). Releasing without clearance is copyright infringement and can result in your release being taken down or legal action. Sample clearance can be complex and expensive. Some samples cannot be cleared at all. Cover songs: If you are releasing a cover version of someone else's song, your distributor can usually arrange a mechanical license through services like Loudr or directly with MCPS. This covers the right to reproduce the song. Note that this does not give you the right to sync the cover to video (e.g., for a YouTube music video) - that requires a separate sync license. Interpolations: If you have re-recorded or re-sung parts of another song (not sampled the original recording, but recreated it), you still need permission from the song's publisher. If in doubt about whether you need clearance, seek advice before release.