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Music Admin 101: How to Prepare Your Catalog for International Publishing Partners

ppassionate

2026-02-05

10 min read

A practical checklist for songwriters & producers to make catalogs discoverable and royalty-ready for international publishing partners like Kobalt.

Hook: If your songs aren’t getting paid everywhere, it’s not the world — it’s your metadata

Signing with an international publisher or tapping into a global admin network (think Kobalt’s 2026 partnership with India’s Madverse) can unlock new territories and revenue streams. But the single biggest barrier between your catalog and foreign royalty payments is messy, incomplete, or inconsistent catalog data. You can have a hit in Hyderabad or Helsinki waiting to be collected — but if your metadata, identifiers, and registrations aren’t tidy, those payments will either be delayed, misallocated, or never show up.

Why this matters in 2026: bigger opportunity, higher expectations

Late 2025 and early 2026 pushed a new wave of global publishing partnerships — Kobalt’s deal with Madverse is a perfect example of large admin networks expanding into high-growth markets (Variety, Jan 15, 2026). Those deals mean more doors open for independent creators — if you’re discoverable.

Key trend: rights holders and publishers now expect machine-readable, standardized metadata before they onboard or fully activate global royalty collection. Standards (DDEX workflows, RIN-style recording data) and AI-driven matching are accelerating claims — but garbage in still equals garbage out.

What this guide gives you

This is a practical, field-tested checklist for songwriters and producers to make catalogs discoverable and royalty-ready for international partners like Kobalt. Use it before you submit for admin, sign a sub-pub, or sync with a new distributor.

At-a-glance checklist (printable)

Audit & centralize your catalog
Confirm songwriter/producer splits and collect CAE/IPI numbers
Assign and register ISRCs for recordings
Secure or request ISWCs for compositions
Standardize metadata (titles, versions, featured artists, language)
Register works with local collection societies (e.g., IPRS for India)
Upload release-level metadata to DSPs and distributors
Prepare bank, tax and payment routing documents
Create sync cuesheets and sample-clearance dossiers
Set up a rights & reporting folder for audits

Step 1 — Audit & centralize: treat your catalog like inventory

Before approaching a publisher or admin partner, centralize every asset. Use a single spreadsheet, Airtable base, or catalog manager (Songspace, TuneRegistry, or an internal Airtable). The goal: one authoritative source of truth so you don’t send conflicting info across partners.

Essential columns to include (minimum):

Work title (exact title and alternate titles)
Recording title (match release track titles)
ISWC (if assigned)
ISRC
Release UPC/EAN
Writers & producers (legal name, stage name, CAE/IPI numbers)
Publisher name + IPI/Publisher ID
Writer % splits & publisher % splits
Release date, territory, label
Language, genre, BPM, key (for some sync use cases)

Step 2 — Splits: lock them down early and in writing

Nothing slows international royalty collection like disputed splits. Publishers and collection societies rely on percentages submitted at registration.

Best practice in 2026: create a clear split-sheet (digital is fine) and secure all co-writer signatures before onboarding. Store the split sheet in PDF and link it in your central catalog. If you later change splits (e.g., reassign samples or credits), create a documented amendment — publishers will want a trail.

Step 3 — Identifiers: ISRC and ISWC — why they matter now

Identifiers are the plumbing of modern royalty systems. By 2026, automated matching relies heavily on ISRC (recording level) and ISWC (composition level). Publishers and collection societies use these codes to match plays, streams, and broadcast logs to rights holders.

ISRC (International Standard Recording Code)

ISRCs identify sound recordings. Make sure every recording in your catalog has an ISRC assigned through your label or distributor or your national ISRC agency. If you own your masters and distribute independently, get ISRCs yourself and document them in your central catalog. If you capture field stems or quick live takes for releases, tools like the NovaStream Clip and similar portable capture devices make it easier to keep recording metadata consistent from the start.

ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code)

ISWCs identify the musical work (the song/ composition). Publishers and societies register works to obtain ISWCs. If your composition lacks an ISWC, register the work with a publisher or collection society — many publishers will register compositions as part of onboarding, but having this pre-done speeds activation. For sync and transmedia adaptations, consider registering early and documenting registrations alongside any adaptation pipeline (see cloud video workflows that describe how composition identifiers feed downstream licensing).

Step 4 — Metadata hygiene: names, versions, and transliterations

Make your catalog discoverable across languages and platforms. International partners will search by artist name, alternate spellings, Unicode vs. Romanized strings, and local transliterations.

Consistent artist naming: use the same format across metadata (e.g., "First Last" vs. "LAST, First"). Map stage names to legal names in a separate field.
Version tags: always include version labels in titles (Instrumental, Radio Edit, Remix — include remix credits for accurate splits).
Transliteration: add alternate-language titles if you release in non-Latin scripts (e.g., Devanagari or Hangul).
Featured artists: format as "feat. Name" not in parentheses, and ensure the featured artist’s metadata matches their distributor profile.

Step 5 — Register locally and globally: collection societies and sub-publishers

For international deals, registration with local societies is essential. Kobalt’s partnership with Madverse highlights how a local network feeds a global admin — but the process still depends on accurate society registrations.

Register works with your home society (e.g., ASCAP/BMI/PRS/APRA/SGAC, etc.). If you have songs with activity in South Asia, ensure registration with IPRS (India).
Neighboring rights: if you own master recordings, register with neighboring rights bodies (PPL, SoundExchange, PPL India) where applicable.
Mechanical rights: in some territories mechanicals are managed by separate CMOs or via publishers — confirm who collects mechanicals in each territory you target.

Actionable tip: request a list of territories your prospective publisher will administer. Cross-check that list against where you’ve registered works and where your releases are distributed.

Step 6 — Distributor & DSP metadata: don’t leave gaps

Many DSP-driven matches originate from release metadata. Ensure distributors carry the same canonical metadata you’ve centralized.

Confirm ISRCs and UPCs/EANs are in distributor and DSP records.
Upload accurate composer and publisher credits during distribution. Many aggregators now accept publisher IPI numbers and CAE details.
Use DDEX-compliant fields if your distributor supports them — more accurate machine transfers equal faster matching.

Step 7 — Bank, tax, and payment readiness

International partners will pay once they can match your rights. They also need accurate payout details. Missing or incorrect bank information leads to stalled payments.

Provide IBAN/SWIFT for international payments where required.
Complete tax forms: W-8BEN for non-US payees or W-9 for US payees. Some publishers require local tax residency docs.
Keep company/individual registration numbers and VAT/GST details (if applicable) handy.

If you’re mapping international payout workflows or micro-payout expectations, see guides on cross-border payout models and micro-payments like driver micro-payouts for practical parallels.

Step 8 — Sync & sample documentation

Sync placements in TV, film, or ads generate important royalties and require precise metadata. Build a sync dossier for each track containing:

Cuesheet template with writer and publisher splits
License agreements or sample clearances
Master ownership proof and label agreements
Contact details for clearances

Pro tip: many publishers (and broadcasters) will ask for cuesheets in DDEX or CSV formats for direct ingestion — provide both a human-friendly PDF and a machine-friendly CSV.

Step 9 — Make your catalog machine-readable

In 2026, rights data is increasingly evaluated by algorithms before humans look at it. Publishers run automated matching pipelines. Make your catalog friendly to machines:

Use standardized country codes and ISO language codes.
Avoid special characters in identifier fields; put them in display fields if needed.
Provide structured JSON/CSV exports of your catalog if asked.

Step 10 — Prepare for audit & reconciliation

Publishers and admins regularly audit catalogs. A clean audit history makes you more attractive as a partner.

Keep dated registration confirmations (society receipts, ISWC assignments).
Maintain proof of splits: signed split sheets, email trails, or contract extracts.
Track historical changes in metadata and why they occurred.

Operational playbooks for auditability and decision planes can help you structure an audit-ready folder and reconciliation trail — see resources on edge auditability for similar approaches in cloud teams.

Practical templates & tools you can use right now

Here are practical setups that work for independent creators in 2026.

Minimalist Airtable schema (fields)

Track ID (internal)
Work Title
Recording Title
ISWC
ISRC
UPC
Writers (linked table with CAE/IPI and email)
Publisher (linked table with IPI)
Splits (writer % / publisher %)
Release Date / Territory
Distributor / DSP links
Docs (split sheet, registration receipts)

Tools that speed the process

Songspace or TuneRegistry — catalog management
Songtrust, Sentric, or local CMOs — publishing admin or registration help
Airtable or Google Sheets — central catalog
DDEX documentation & RIN export (if your distributor supports it)
Banking: Wise or Revolut business for multi-currency receipts
For creators building community and prepping for in-person activation, frameworks on creator communities and micro-events help connect catalog readiness to on-the-ground opportunities.

Case study: A hypothetical Madverse-Kobalt scenario

Imagine you’re a Mumbai-based producer whose songs are gaining traction on South Asian streaming playlists. Madverse offers a pathway into Kobalt’s global admin network (the real-world partnership announced in January 2026). To be fully onboarded and paid for plays in Europe and North America, you’ll need:

Registered works with IPRS and matched ISWCs
ISRCs attached to every recording and distributed through a verified distributor
Clean splits with CAE/IPI numbers so Kobalt’s systems can route publisher shares
Banking and tax forms for cross-border payroll

Creators who completed those steps saw their claims activated faster and received retroactive payments sooner. The administrative lift upfront paid off — sometimes in four to six weeks — when systems matched play data to the newly standardized metadata.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Multiple artist names: one canonical name across platforms avoids split royalties.
Missing CAE/IPI numbers: collect them from co-writers early (societies can often help).
Unregistered samples: clear samples before publishing to avoid blocked claims.
No bank/tax details: publishers will withhold payments if forms are missing or mismatched.

Advanced strategies (for creators scaling internationally)

Once your base catalog hygiene is solid, adopt these advanced moves to optimize earnings:

Localized metadata: add translated titles and local metadata for high-value regions.
Micro-sub-publishing: consider short-term sub-pub deals for specific territories where you lack representation.
Rights unbundling: explicitly separate sync, mechanical, and performance rights in negotiations to retain leverage.
Automated reconciliation: use tools that match payments to your central catalog to speed dispute resolution — approaches used in media and video teams (edge-assisted collaboration) are increasingly relevant for rights reconciliation.

"Partnerships like Kobalt and Madverse are expanding routes to collection — but the creator who wins is the one who shows up with clean, machine-readable metadata."

Quick timeline: How long to prep a catalog

Approximate times for an independent creator cleaning up 50–200 tracks:

Centralize & audit: 2–7 days
Gather CAE/IPI & signed splits: 1–3 weeks (depends on co-writers)
Register ISRCs & ISWCs: 1–4 weeks (can be faster if the publisher handles ISWC assignment)
Distributor/DSP metadata sync: 1–2 weeks
Full publisher activation into international admin networks: 4–12 weeks (varies by partner)

Checklist recap: 10 actions to complete today

Create one canonical catalog (Airtable/Google Sheet).
Confirm or collect CAE/IPI numbers for everyone on each song.
Sign and store split sheets for each track.
Assign and document ISRCs for recordings.
Register compositions to obtain ISWCs (or confirm publisher will do so).
Ensure distributor metadata matches your catalog (ISRC/UPC/credits).
Register with home and relevant foreign societies (e.g., IPRS for India).
Provide correct bank & tax documents to prospective publishers.
Build sync dossiers and cuesheets for pitch-ready tracks.
Export machine-readable catalog files (CSV/JSON) for admin ingestion.

Final thoughts: prepare once, collect forever

Global publishing deals are increasingly accessible to independent creators — partnerships like Kobalt + Madverse lower geographic barriers. But the onus is still on creators to be discoverable. Clean metadata, proper identifiers, and good admin hygiene aren’t sexy, but they’re the difference between a tracked stream and a paid stream.

Call-to-action

Ready to turn your catalog into a royalty machine? Download the free Catalog Prep Checklist (Airtable + CSV templates) and join our January 2026 live workshop for songwriters & producers preparing for international admin. Get practical templates, a live Q&A, and sample split-sheet reviews. Sign up now — places are limited.

passionate

Contributor

Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.