What Tools Help Independent Artists Track Royalties and Metadata?
You cannot rely on a single app to manage your entire music business. You need a specialized ecosystem: a Centralized Database for your credits (Metadata), a Distributor for your audio files (Masters), and an Administrator, like Audiobulb, for your rights (Publishing). 1. Metadata Management: Your Digital Fingerprint Metadata is the “SEO” for your music. If […]
Can I Register an AI-Generated Song with a PRO?
You cannot register a song that is 100% generated by AI (where a machine created the lyrics, melody, and arrangement based on a prompt). However, in a major 2025 policy shift, PROs like ASCAP, BMI, and SOCAN now officially accept registrations for “Partially AI-Generated” works. This means if you used AI as a tool but […]
Who Owns the Copyright in AI-Assisted Music?
Under current global law, copyright can only be granted to human beings. If you use AI to assist your process—such as for mixing, mastering, or generating a baseline—you own the copyright only to the portions you creatively controlled. If the AI generates the lyrics and melody entirely on its own, those elements are uncopyrightable and […]
How are AI-Generated Songs Treated in Publishing?
Under current laws (including the US Copyright Office and global standards), AI cannot be an author. Only works created by human beings are eligible for copyright protection. This means if a song is 100% AI-generated, it effectively belongs to the public domain and cannot generate publishing royalties. However, if a human uses AI as a […]
How Do I Add Songwriter Credits on Spotify or Apple Music?
You cannot add credits directly through Spotify for Artists or Apple Music for Artists. Credits are delivered as metadata by your music distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, etc.). To add them, you must enter the full legal names of all contributors into the “Songwriter” or “Composer” fields during the upload process. As of 2025, Spotify […]
How Do I Make Sure My Publishing Credits Show Up Correctly?
Credits on streaming platforms are pulled directly from the metadata you provide to your distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore, etc.) during the upload process. To ensure they show up correctly, you must use full legal names (not stage names) in the “Songwriter” and “Composer” fields. Once the song is live, Spotify and Apple Music “map” these names […]
How Do I Reclaim Rights to My Old Music?
Reclaiming your music depends on your location and the type of contract you signed. In the United States, Section 203 allows you to terminate a grant of rights after 35 years by filing a formal notice. In India, Section 19 of the Copyright Act states that if a publisher doesn’t use your music within one […]
Can a Publisher Own My Songs Forever?
In most cases, “forever” means the Life of the Copyright. In the US and UK, this is typically the life of the author plus 70 years (in India, it is life plus 60 years). While many traditional contracts grant rights “in perpetuity,” the law provides a “safety valve.” In the US, for example, you have […]
What Happens if Two People Upload the Same Song to Different Distributors?
The Bottom Line Up Front: When the same song is uploaded to different distributors, streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music use the ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) to identify the duplicate. If the ISRC is the same, the platforms will attempt to “link” the tracks to preserve play counts. However, if two different people […]
How Do I Handle Copyrights for Collaborations?
When two or more people create a song together with the intent to merge their work, it is legally considered a “Joint Work.” By default, in many jurisdictions (including the US), all collaborators own an equal share of the song—even if one person wrote 90% of it—unless there is a written agreement stating otherwise. To […]