Songwriters Can Now Manage Their Catalog with TIDAL

Rhea-AI Summary

TIDAL has launched new tools for US songwriters to manage their catalogs and royalties. The platform now allows songwriters to:

• Claim and manage their works
• Organize IPI, PRO, and publisher information
• Sign up for the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC)
• Register with AllTrack PRO
• View and categorize their works
• Use collaborative split sheets
• Invite team members to help manage works
• Manage credits and metadata

This comprehensive approach aims to simplify the complex process of royalty collection and catalog management, addressing the challenges songwriters face in the current music industry landscape.

Positive

• TIDAL introduces new tools for songwriters to manage their catalogs and royalties
• Platform simplifies the process of royalty collection and rights management for songwriters
• Collaboration with AllTrack PRO to streamline registration for performing rights
• Introduction of collaborative split sheets for better rightsholder tracking
• Improved metadata management for accurate crediting and royalty collection

Negative

• None.

Insights

Music Industry Analyst

TIDAL's new songwriter tools represent a significant step towards streamlining royalty management for songwriters. This move addresses a critical gap in the music industry ecosystem, potentially improving income stability for creators. By centralizing catalog management, rights organization registration and metadata handling, TIDAL is positioning itself as a one-stop solution in a fragmented landscape.

The integration with AllTrack for PRO registration and the emphasis on proper metadata management could lead to more accurate royalty distributions. This may result in increased earnings for songwriters, particularly those early in their careers or self-managed. However, the true impact will depend on TIDAL's market penetration and the willingness of songwriters to adopt yet another platform in their workflow.

While this development is positive for the music industry, its direct impact on TIDAL's business model and revenue is less clear. It could potentially attract more artists to the platform, indirectly boosting TIDAL's streaming catalog and subscriber base. Investors should monitor adoption rates and any subsequent changes in TIDAL's market share to gauge the long-term value of this initiative.

Copyright Law Expert

TIDAL's new tools address several key legal and administrative challenges in music copyright management. By facilitating easier registration with the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) and PROs like AllTrack, TIDAL is helping songwriters comply with copyright law requirements more efficiently. This could lead to fewer instances of unclaimed royalties and reduce the risk of copyright infringement disputes.

The collaborative split sheets feature is particularly noteworthy from a legal perspective. It provides a more robust system for documenting ownership shares, which can be important in resolving disputes and ensuring proper royalty distribution. This digital paper trail could potentially reduce litigation in the music industry, which often stems from unclear ownership claims.

However, songwriters and their legal representatives should carefully review the terms of service for these new tools. It's important to understand how TIDAL will use and protect the sensitive copyright information being stored on their platform and what rights, if any, TIDAL may claim over this data.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Beginning today, US songwriters can claim and manage their works catalog with TIDAL’s new songwriter tools. Songwriters play an integral part in every track made and shared, but until now, no platforms served songwriters throughout the full writing career cycle. Now with TIDAL, songwriters can make sure their royalties, including mechanical royalties, are correctly identified, attributed, and collected.

Introducing songwriter tools on TIDAL (Graphic: Business Wire)

"As a songwriter who produces my own music, the new TIDAL songwriter tool makes a noticeable difference by giving me a straight-forward look at my catalog to make sure I'm getting accurate royalties," said singer-songwriter Sabrina Song. "The ability to manage my works in one place really allows me to focus more on making music."

Getting organized to get paid properly

Songwriters juggle a mix of collection societies, publishing platforms, royalty management services, streaming services, and single-purpose apps to manage their royalties, careers, and catalog. With these new tools, songwriters can sign up for TIDAL Artist Home and organize their IPI, PRO, and publisher information in one place. Songwriters will also be prompted to sign up for the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC). Artists who are registering with a PRO for the first time can sign up with the PRO AllTrack.

“To begin collecting royalties on their songs, creators need to sign up with the proper rights organizations—altogether a confusing process for most,” explains AllTrack Founder and CEO Hayden Bower. “We are proud to partner with TIDAL to introduce new AllTrack technology that makes registering for performing rights and getting paid as simple as possible for creators.”

Managing works

Works registration is essential for songwriters to earn and maximize royalties from their catalog. On TIDAL, songwriters can view their works categorized into three groups: Completed Works, Works Without Recordings, and Unmatched Recordings. With collaborative split sheets, songwriters can unlock better rightsholder tracking and invite collaborators to sign off on their shares, enabling better documentation of ownership. Songwriters with teams can invite their managers and publishers to help manage their works with the team roles tool.

Making sense of metadata

Music metadata determines who gets credited and paid from a track or album. But the existing process is complicated and broken, impacting the accuracy of royalty collection. As principal contributors, songwriters deserve to be recognized for their music. Songwriters can easily view and manage their credits and metadata in TIDAL Artist Home to ensure their works are correctly matched and registered, helping them earn money.

“Creating music sustainably in today’s world is difficult, especially for songwriters who need to establish and manage their identities in order to receive recognition and fulfill their earning potential,” said Agustina Sacerdote, Global Head of Product at TIDAL. “At TIDAL we’re committed to supporting early stage and self-managed songwriters with handling their careers independently. For songwriters, a TIDAL profile is a simpler way to understand and confidently manage their credits to get compensated correctly.”

US based songwriters can claim a songwriter profile at tidal.com/forsongwriters.

About TIDAL

TIDAL is a global music platform that empowers artists to thrive as entrepreneurs while connecting them more deeply with fans through streaming and beyond.

TIDAL was founded for artists, by artists as the next innovative streaming platform to bring value back to the music industry. We empower artists with the products, resources, services, and content required to take control of their careers and connect more deeply with fans. Available in over 60 countries, TIDAL continues to help artists break down economic barriers to keep creating what’s next in culture. TIDAL is part of Block, Inc. (NYSE: SQ), a global technology company with a focus on financial services.

For more information, please visit www.tidal.com.

About AllTrack

Founded in 2017, AllTrack is the only full-service global performing rights organization (PRO) established specifically to serve the independent music sector. AllTrack collects performance royalties on behalf of its creator and publisher members by licensing their music to millions of businesses around the world. AllTrack’s members are compensated as their songs are played by streaming services, on TV, cable, and radio, by local businesses, and as their songs are performed live. An AllTrack blanket license is a simple and affordable solution for businesses to obtain the permission they require to play all of the music represented by AllTrack, both ethically and in compliance with copyright law. Through the ongoing development and use of cutting-edge technology that eliminates inefficiencies, AllTrack is committed to providing a near-effortless copyright compliance and administration solution for businesses and copyright holders alike, resulting in a fair and hyper-efficient marketplace for all. AllTrack is headquartered in Los Angeles, with additional offices in Nashville and New York. Please visit alltrack.com to learn more.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240826206749/en/

press@tidal.com

Source: TIDAL

FAQ

What new features has TIDAL introduced for songwriters in 2024?

TIDAL has introduced tools for US songwriters to claim and manage their works catalog, organize IPI, PRO, and publisher information, sign up for the Mechanical Licensing Collective, register with AllTrack PRO, view and categorize their works, use collaborative split sheets, invite team members to help manage works, and manage credits and metadata.

How does TIDAL's new songwriter tool help with royalty collection?

TIDAL's new songwriter tool helps with royalty collection by allowing songwriters to organize their IPI, PRO, and publisher information in one place, sign up for the Mechanical Licensing Collective, and manage their works and metadata to ensure accurate crediting and royalty attribution.

Can songwriters invite collaborators to manage their works on TIDAL?

Yes, songwriters can invite collaborators to sign off on their shares using collaborative split sheets, and can also invite managers and publishers to help manage their works using the team roles tool on TIDAL.

What partnership has TIDAL formed to help songwriters register for performing rights?

TIDAL has partnered with AllTrack, a PRO, to introduce new technology that simplifies the process of registering for performing rights and getting paid for songwriters.