How Long Does It Take To Start Collecting Royalties?

It can take up to a year for royalties to start coming in.

Songtrust collects royalties from numerous pay sources for many difference usage types, with each source following its own timeline. It will generally take an average of 9-12 months before you see your first royalty payment. This timeline is based on full global registration taking up to six months, and payments coming in on varying pay cycles.

Once registration is complete, we can start to receive and process payments from various societies throughout the world. Once Songtrust receives royalties for your registered musical works, you will receive these earnings at the end of the quarter — so long as you accumulate enough royalties to make the $25 minimum payout.

It is important to note that some societies prioritize based on total earnings; the higher earners will be paid out faster. Also: Don’t forget to add International Standard Recording Codes (ISRCs) to your songs. They can speed up the collection process considerably, especially when it comes to mechanical royalties - and there are many sources we cannot collect from at all without associated ISRCs.

If you have a significant amount of streams and don't think you are receiving the correct amount of royalties, please use our Support Form to submit a ticket and reach our Client Services Team. You can find this form by logging into your account and finding the link on your client dashboard. We'd be happy to take a closer look at your catalog.

Interested in learning more? Check out our Blog post on the registration process and timeline.

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