📌 Introduction
Soundreef distributes royalties analytically, accounting for every last
cent of each use. We guarantee quarterly pay days and
detailed reports.
Royalties accrue based on the use of your music and are distributed by Soundreef with different timings depending on the rights category.
Below is a summary of how and when your royalties are accrued, and where you can check them in your account.
1️⃣ 🎸 Public Performances (Live & DJ Set): When and how do royalties accrue?
✔ How does the collection work?
Soundreef directly licenses Live events in Italy, both for live performances and for uses with mechanical supports (DJ sets and other events with pre-recorded music sets).
Organizers are legally required to request and pay for a Soundreef license to use the music we manage.
Authors/Publishers can also report their Live events in their account to facilitate cross-checking with the Licensing team.
✔ When are royalties accrued and reported?
The reporting of Live events is quarterly and always available in the account: Royalties → Public Performances.
In particular:
Live events and DJ Sets with daily licenses → Reported quarterly.
Live events and DJ Sets with periodic subscription licenses → Reported semi-annually at most.
📌 Note: Reporting Live events in the account is not mandatory, but it can be useful for double-checking with the Licensing team.
📌 Additional Note: For events held outside of Italy, royalties are collected by local collecting societies under reciprocal agreements. These royalties are then transferred to Soundreef, which is responsible for distributing them to the rights holders. In these cases, the timelines for reporting and payment are determined by the local societies and are not managed by Soundreef.
2️⃣ 🌐 Online: When and how do royalties accrue?
✔ How does the collection work?
Soundreef collects royalties for the use of your music on all major digital platforms, including:
Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, SoundCloud, Beatport, Vevo, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok.
YouTube included → If your track is used in videos, we collect royalties generated from views.
✔ When are royalties reported?
Starting 6 months after the end of the music usage quarter.
Example: Uses on Spotify in the first quarter of the year (January-March) are reported starting from the Pay Day on October 30th of the same year.
For YouTube specifically: reporting is quarterly.
3️⃣ 📡 Radio/TV: When and how do royalties accrue?
✔ How does the collection work?
In addition to receiving usage reports from Radio/TV broadcasters, Soundreef also offers a free and integrated monitoring service that detects radio and TV broadcasts in real-time.
The broadcasts are published in your Soundreef profile in the Monitoring section, starting 24 hours after detection.
✔ When are royalties reported?
Radio/TV broadcasters provide their reports once a year, generally between April and June, for the previous year's uses.
The reporting of royalties consequently occurs between the pay day on July 30th and that on October 30th of the year, for the previous year's uses.
Example: Between July and October 2024, we reported all Radio/TV uses from 2023.
📌 Note: Reporting times depend on the data provided by the broadcasters.
📌 Additional Note:
For broadcasts abroad, royalty collection is handled by local collecting societies under reciprocal agreements. The corresponding royalties are then transferred to Soundreef for distribution to the rights holders. In these cases, reporting and payment timelines are determined by the local societies and are not managed by Soundreef.
4️⃣ 💿 Mechanical Rights: When and how do royalties accrue?
✔ How does the collection work?
Soundreef collects mechanical rights for each pressing of your music on physical media (CD, vinyl, DVD, etc.), whether made by a Major or another external producer.
You can also report a mechanical product to our support to allow the Licensing team to perform a cross-check.
✔ When are royalties reported?
Mechanical products distributed by Majors → Reported semi-annually at most.
Mechanical products distributed by other external producers → Reported quarterly.
📌 Additional Note:
In the case of printings or distributions outside of Italy, royalty collection is handled by local collecting societies through reciprocal agreements. The corresponding royalties are then transferred to Soundreef for distribution to the rights holders. In these cases, reporting and payment timelines are determined by the local societies and are not managed by Soundreef.
5️⃣ Where and when can I check my royalties in the account?
✔ Accrued royalties are published in the "Royalties" section of your Soundreef account.
✔ You can check:
The royalties accrued for each quarter.
Your quarterly royalty trend.
The accrual for each track and by country of use.
The royalties for specific types of use.
📌 FAQ
❓ When will I see my royalties in the account?
✔ It depends on the rights category:
🎸 Public Performances → Quarterly, semi-annually at most for subscriptions.
🌐 Online → Starting 6 months after the end of the usage quarter, and quarterly for YouTube uses.
📡 Radio/TV → Reported between July and October for the previous year's uses.
💿 Mechanical Rights → Semi-annually for Majors, quarterly for other producers.
📌 Additional Note:
These timelines apply to usages made and collected in Italy (and across Europe for online usage). In the case of uses abroad, royalties are collected by local collecting societies under reciprocal agreements. The corresponding royalties are then transferred to Soundreef for distribution to the rights holders. In such cases, reporting and payment timelines are determined by the local societies and are not managed by Soundreef.
❓ What are the Soundreef pay days?
April 30th → distribution of royalties accrued in Q1 of the year.
July 30th → distribution of royalties accrued in Q2 of the year.
October 30th → distribution of royalties accrued in Q3 of the year.
January 30th (following year) → distribution of royalties accrued in Q4 of the previous year.
❓ If my track has been used, when will I see the royalties credited?
✔ After reporting, the royalties will be available in the account and can be withdrawn according to the established payment windows.
📌 Conclusion
Soundreef distributes royalties according to different reporting timings, based on the rights category and type of use.
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