The royalty nobody collected

How we work

Why we explain it before signing anything

Ask a new artist who collects their royalties and you will usually get one name. There are two. The song as written is one copyright, the recording of it is another, and British law treats them as separate property that can belong to different people. Performing and mechanical income on the song is collected through PRS for Music and MCPS. Income from the use of the recording is collected through PPL. Registering with one does nothing for the other.

The consequence is money that exists and never arrives. A track getting played has generated income under both copyrights; if the artist has joined one society only, or if the metadata on the release credits the wrong people, the royalty is sitting somewhere with no route to its owner. This is dull administrative work and it is worth more to most artists than any amount of promotion.

The same instinct applies to contracts. An assignment of copyright is only valid in writing and signed, so there is no verbal publishing deal, whatever anybody remembers agreeing. An advance is recoupable against future royalties and not a fee. And we never charge an artist to be considered or to have work found for them — the Conduct Regulations restrict it, and a company paid upfront has no reason to be straight with someone about their chances.