Due Diligence

We don't own anything you build or submit here or on music.hrdrv.com. This is a free resource provided by Mickey Shiloh.

Why? Because middlemen that don't do anything for you should not be profiting from your art.

Some links on this page may be referral links that, at no extra cost to you, help support this work.

If you're on streaming platforms AND your own platform

  • Register with a PRO (ASCAP/BMI — free for songwriters) to collect performance royalties
  • Register with SoundExchange (free) if your music ends up on Pandora, SiriusXM, or internet radio
  • Get ISRCs for your tracks (most distributors automatically assign ISRCs and you don't need to purchase them yourself, but you can own your own codes if you prefer)
  • Make sure you have split agreements in writing with your collaborators. That means defining who owns what percent of each song.
  • Build a way to track and pay collaborators their share from sales on your platform (mechanical royalties, production splits, etc.)
  • If you sell a download for $1.99, the songwriter/co-writer is legally owed roughly $0.09 from that sale (the "mechanical royalty"). If there are multiple co-writers, split that $0.09 based on ownership percentages.

If you're only on your own platform

  • You still need to track who owns what on each song — get agreements in writing with all of your collaborators.
  • Build a split calculator in your app so you know what to pay producers, co-writers, and collaborators. Here's a prompt you can use in Lovable: "Create a split calculator where I can input a sale amount, list my collaborators and their ownership percentages, and it automatically calculates how much each person gets paid."
  • It's up to you whether to register with PROs/SoundExchange, but you're not required to
  • You own 100% of the revenue, which means you're also responsible for paying collaborators their share

In both cases: make sure everyone has agreements in writing. No handshakes. Define percentages, payment terms, and dispute resolution upfront.

The reality

Most artists starting out will have a handful of fans listening. Maybe 5, maybe 50, maybe 100. That's okay. All of this — the split agreements, the ISRCs, the royalty tracking — matters more as you grow. Start simple. Get the essentials in writing. Build what you need when you need it. We hope you grow, and if you do, you'll be ready.

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