Can I Use Songtrust If I Already Have a Distributor Like Distrokid Or CD Baby?

You probably need both.

There are two kinds of ownership when it comes to music: the recording/master side, and the composition/publishing side. They’re traditionally split up and handled separately by labels (recording) and publishers (composition). But now that the music industry is dominated by digital music, independent creators are able to oversee both sides themselves.

Labels and distributors like Distrokid and CD Baby make sure your music is available on popular DSPs like Spotify and Apple Music. Unless you’ve reached a publishing agreement with them, distributors typically pay royalties based on your ownership of a recording, not the composition itself.

Songtrust is not a distributor. It’s a publishing administrator — a one-stop shop for monetizing your publishing rights and meeting your royalty collection needs when it comes to compositions.

For more on how mechanical royalties differ from performance royalties, check out our mini-crash course, our blog post breakdown or complete list of mechanical royalty sources.

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