Use Cases

RosterRoyalties is used by record labels, music publishers, distributors, and management companies to handle royalty accounting at any scale. This page covers how each type of business uses the platform.

Record Labels

RosterRoyalties was built with record labels in mind. Whether you have 5 artists or 500, the platform scales to your roster and handles the entire royalty accounting workflow in one place.

Key capabilities for record labels include:

• Automated royalty calculations for your entire catalog
• White-label artist portals with your branding
• Bulk statement generation and distribution
• Multi-currency international settlements
• Recoupment management for artist advances
• Role-based access for bookkeepers and managers
• Full accounting ledger with audit trails

Recommended setup

1. Configure your business profile — Set your company name, logo, and base currency in Settings → Business Profile.
2. Set up white-label branding — Add your domain, logo, and brand colours for artist portals at Settings → White Label.
3. Add your artists — Import all artist profiles via CSV bulk upload or add individually. Include payment details for each artist.
4. Configure royalty rules — Set default split percentages (e.g. 80/20 artist/label), then override per artist or per deal as needed.
5. Upload your first DSP report — Import monthly data from your DSP aggregator or individual platforms.
6. Generate and distribute statements — Produce branded statements for all artists in one bulk operation.

Monthly workflow

Most labels run RosterRoyalties on a monthly accounting cycle. A typical month looks like:

1. Receive DSP royalty reports (usually 2–3 months in arrears from major platforms).
2. Upload reports to RosterRoyalties via CSV Upload.
3. RosterRoyalties processes the data and flags any errors (unmatched ISRCs, missing artist mappings).
4. Review and resolve any flags.
5. Run bulk statement generation for the period. Review statements for any anomalies.
6. Approve and distribute statements to artists.
7. Artists review statements, raise invoices if enabled, and you process payment.
8. Mark invoices as paid. Ledger updates automatically.

White-label portals

Every artist in your account gets access to a branded artist portal where they can view their statements and invoices. The portal URL, logo, colours, and company name all reflect your brand. See White Label Portals for setup instructions.

Music Publishers

RosterRoyalties is built to handle the complexity of publishing royalty administration — from multiple writer splits on a single composition to territory-specific collection society statements.

The typical publishing workflow in RosterRoyalties is:

1. Add writers and their IPI numbers as artists in your account.
2. Create compositions and link them to their writers with their respective splits.
3. Import royalty statements from collection societies (PRS, ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN, etc.) via CSV.
4. RosterRoyalties applies the correct writer splits to each statement line automatically.
5. Generate individual writer statements for each accounting period.
6. Distribute statements via email or the writer portal.

Writer splits and co-publishing

Each composition in RosterRoyalties can have multiple writer entries, each with a percentage share. Co-publishing arrangements are handled by adding the co-publisher as a separate party with their share of the publisher's portion.

For example, a 50/50 co-publishing deal where the writer also holds a publisher share:

• Writer (writer share): 50%
• Publisher A (your company): 25%
• Publisher B (co-publisher): 25%

Performance royalties

Performance royalties from collection societies typically arrive as CSV or PDF statements. Upload the CSV to RosterRoyalties using the CSV upload tool. RosterRoyalties maps each line to the relevant composition using ISWC codes or title matching.

Sync licensing

Sync fees can be added as one-off royalty entries against a composition. Use the manual ledger entry or the "Add custom royalty" option on the composition page. Include the licensee name, fee amount, and territory for your records.

Collection society imports

RosterRoyalties supports CSV imports from the following societies out of the box:

• PRS for Music (UK)
• ASCAP, BMI, SESAC (US)
• SOCAN (Canada)
• APRA AMCOS (Australia / New Zealand)
• GEMA (Germany)
• SACEM (France)
• STIM (Sweden)

For societies not listed, use the CSV upload guide to create a custom import template.

Music Distributors

Distribution companies using RosterRoyalties manage royalty accounting for multiple label clients simultaneously, with separate reporting, branding, and portal access for each label.

1. Create a separate sub-account or workspace for each label client.
2. Import DSP statements for all labels each period using bulk import.
3. RosterRoyalties splits royalties per label based on each label's configured rules.
4. Generate per-label royalty reports for your clients.
5. Optionally, each label gets a white label portal with their own branding.

Managing multiple labels

RosterRoyalties supports multi-label management through the Labels module. Each label is a separate entity with its own:

• Artist roster
• Royalty rules and deal structures
• Statement templates and branding
• User access permissions
• Accounting ledger

As a distributor admin, you have visibility across all labels. Individual label managers can be given access to only their label's data.

DSP statement imports

Import your aggregated DSP statements once and RosterRoyalties routes each line to the correct label based on UPC/ISRC matching. Alternatively, import separately per label if your DSP provides per-label files. See CSV Upload guide for the full list of supported platforms.

Label payouts

The Payout Report in Accounting → Reports shows net amounts payable to each label after your distribution fee is deducted. Distribution fees are configured as a royalty rule deduction at the label level.

Provide each label client with their own branded portal where they can view statements, download reports, and access their roster — all without seeing your other clients' data. See the White Label guide for setup instructions.

Management Companies

Artist management companies use RosterRoyalties to track client earnings across all revenue streams, calculate management commission, and give clients transparent access to their financial data through the artist portal.

1. Add each managed artist to your RosterRoyalties account.
2. Configure royalty rules to reflect each artist's deal structure and your management commission rate.
3. Import earnings statements from labels, distributors, and collection societies each period.
4. Generate statements that show gross earnings, management commission, and net artist income.
5. Share statements with artists via the portal or email.

Commission tracking

Management commission is modelled as a royalty rule deduction. For example, a 20% commission on all earnings is configured as:

• Artist net: 80%
• Management commission: 20%

The management's commission is tracked separately in the ledger, giving you a clear picture of your earned fees for the period. This feeds directly into the management company's own invoicing if you use RosterRoyalties for internal accounting.

Artist transparency

Artists and their representatives can be given read-only portal access to view their earnings in real time. The portal shows gross income, commission deductions, and net payable without exposing any other client's data or internal business information.

See the Artist Portals guide for how to set up and customise portal access.

Managing multiple artists

The RosterRoyalties dashboard gives management companies a consolidated view of all clients — total earnings across the roster, upcoming statement deadlines, and outstanding invoices. Filter by artist at any time to drill into an individual client's financials.