If you write your own songs, releasing them is only half of the job. The recording earns money through your distributor, but the song itself, the melody and the lyrics, earns separate royalties that are usually collected by a different kind of organisation: a collecting society. Writers who never join one often leave part of their income uncollected without knowing it.
What a collecting society does
A collecting society, often called a performing rights organisation, represents songwriters and publishers. It licenses the public use of music: radio and TV, concerts, bars, shops, gyms and, in many countries, streaming services. It collects fees from these users, matches what was played to the songs registered with it, and pays its members.
There are two main kinds of songwriting income:
- Performance royalties, paid when a song is played in public or broadcast.
- Mechanical royalties, paid when a song is reproduced, which today includes many streams and downloads.
In some countries one society handles both. In others they are split between organisations. There is also a third system, often called neighbouring rights, which pays performers and recording owners when recordings are played on radio or in public. It is separate again, so check what applies where you live.
Keep the difference clear: a distributor delivers your recording and deals with income from the recording. Registering the composition with a society is a separate step that you, or your publisher, take care of.
Writer share and publisher share
Many societies split performance income into a writer's share and a publisher's share. The writer's share is always paid to the writers. The publisher's share goes to a publisher if you have signed with one.
If you have no publisher, societies handle this differently. Some let you register as your own publisher, some pay the full amount to writers in certain cases, and some have other rules. Ask your society directly how it treats works without a publisher, rather than assuming.
Between co-writers, agree the split in writing before you register. Suppose Nadia Bloom wrote the lyrics and the topline, and Leo Grant wrote the music and the beat. They might agree 50/50, or another split that reflects their work. A one-page split sheet signed by both, listing the song, the writers and their percentages, prevents most later arguments.
How registration works
The details differ by country, but the process usually looks like this:
- Join as a writer member. You fill in an application, confirm your identity, give bank details and sometimes pay a membership fee.
- Register each song. You enter the title, every writer with their share, any publisher, and often the duration and alternative titles.
- Link it to the recording. If the society asks for the ISRC of your recording, add it. The ISRC identifies the recording, while the society may give the composition its own code, called an ISWC.
- Match the names. Writer names should match the credits on your release exactly. In the CULT portal you add credits when you prepare the release, so use the same spelling in both places.
- Report live shows. Some societies let you report concerts where you performed your own songs, which can bring additional royalties.
Register as soon as the song is finished and the split is agreed, ideally before the release date.
Getting paid from abroad
Societies sign agreements with each other. Your home society collects from foreign societies for your songs played in their territories, and foreign writers are paid in your country the same way. This is why most writers join only one society for performance rights.
International money moves slowly and through several hands, so it often arrives long after the use. Clean data makes the biggest difference: correct titles, correct writer names and correct shares. Errors are the most common reason foreign royalties never arrive.
Which society depends on where you live
Each country has its own system. A few well-known examples: in Türkiye, songwriters usually join MESAM or MSG. In Russia, authors' rights are collected by RAO. In the United Kingdom there is PRS for Music, in Germany GEMA, in France SACEM, and in the United States writers choose between organisations such as ASCAP and BMI.
In some countries, including parts of the Arab world and the Caucasus, the system is smaller or still developing. Ask your national intellectual property authority which organisation represents songwriters, what it collects, and which foreign societies it works with. Some writers in that situation join a society abroad that accepts foreign members. Check the rules carefully before you decide.
Common questions
Do I need this if I only release on streaming platforms?
In many countries streaming services pay societies for the composition side, so yes, registering still matters.
Can I register songs released years ago?
Usually yes. Some societies limit how far back unpaid royalties can be claimed, so don't wait.
Does it cost anything?
Some societies charge a joining fee, some don't, and most keep a commission from what they collect. Ask before you join.