What Information Do I Need to Register My Song with BeatStars Publishing?

Title of the track

This may seem obvious, but it’s extremely important that we know the exact name of the song to get you paid. Our publishing portal pulls from Spotify to automatically fill in information like the genre, song length, and the ISRC code (which is basically like a unique digital barcode that identifies a specific song). So, as long as the song is on Spotify, it will show up in our system as a song you can register.

• What if my song isn’t on Spotify? If your song is not on Spotify, please email our support team at publishing@beatstars.com to have your track manually registered. 
• What if my song title is in a different language and is rejected? If any of your tracks are in a different language and are rejected, please reach out to publishing@beatstars.com. 

Legal names (including suffixes) of every songwriter involved 

This seems like another obvious item, but it’s extremely crucial to have all of the legal names of every songwriter to get you paid without delay. Be sure to list any suffixes (“Jr.’s or Sr.’s”) in the names as well. some text

• Why? This ensures that the correct song is being credited to the right person AND that money will flow to you and not someone else with the same name. Also, having all of the legal information will ensure you get paid on time or even quicker. 
• Keep in mind: When submitting names to BeatStars Publishing, there is a 20-character limit. 
• If you don’t have all the legal names available, try the below: some textsome text
  • Spotify credits – You can find a list of songwriters by searching the song on Spotify, clicking the three dots on the far right side of the song, and clicking “Show credits.”

• Muso.ai – This is an easy-to-use platform to search for credits by artist name, track title, and album name.‍
• Genius.com – Once you search a song on Genius, you may find the artist’s legal name when hovering over their artist name. ‍
• Google search – Though this may seem obvious, sometimes a quick Google search may pull up the artist name you’re looking for. Use this specific link to start your search. Google phrases like “Legal name for [artist]” or “Legal name for [artist name] and [song name].”‍
• BMI Repertoire – This platform allows you to search song titles and artist/songwriter/producer names from BMI and ASCAP.

If you have exhausted all of these options and still cannot find their legal name, list their artist/producer name. Do not leave the name blank and do not put “Unknown” or “N/A.” 

Proper splits

Splits are the percentages of ownership that each songwriter has. For example, let’s say you produced a beat, then an artist rapped over it and is planning on releasing it. You and the artist would negotiate your songwriting splits – you would get 50% and the artist would own 50%). some text

• What if I have collaborators? If you collaborated with other creators to make the beat, then you and your collaborators will split the 50%. some textsome text
  • You can all split the percentage equally or split it based on the level of each person’s contribution. For example, if you laid the drums, piano, and kick, and your collaborator only added a snare, then you may negotiate 40% for yourself and 10% for your collaborator.

Splits are usually found in the contract that either 1) you gave to the artist via your BeatStars contract or 2) the record label or artist sent to you. If you do not have the proper splits in a document that has been agreed to by both you and the other songwriters involved, consider using our CRA service. We can help you generate the proper paperwork needed to register your song.  some text

• Keep in mind: If there is a sample that needs to be cleared and the releasing party (aka the artist or their label) has yet to clear it, hold off on registering since you will not know your true publishing splits until the sample is cleared. 

• Keep in mind that the percentages MUST equal 100% when all are added together.
  • Why? Any songs submitted with splits that add up to more or less than 100% will be rejected in our portal.

If there are multiple songwriters involved and you do not know their percentages, that’s OK. All you need to do is subtract your percentage from 100%. Then, divide the remaining percentage by the number of other songwriters there are. Once you register, our team will be able to verify the proper splits for the other songwriters.some text

• Here’s an example: Let’s say you’re a producer by the name of Cold Beats. Four rappers named Yung Rap, Blue Box, Hot Bars, and Lil Green hopped on your beat and are planning on releasing. You begin filling out a split sheet to secure your publishing but don’t know how much of the publishing the rappers own. Since you were the only producer, you know that you get 50%. Since there’s only 50% of the song left to split, divide 50% by 4 (since there are four rappers) and it equals 12.5%. Now, on your split sheet, you’ll list the following and submit via the BeatStars Publishing Portal. some textsome text
  • Your legal name; Producer; 50% 
  • Yung Rap’s legal name; Vocalist; 12.5%
  • Blue Box’s legal name; Vocalist; 12.5% 
  • Hot Bars’ legal name; Vocalist; 12.5% 
  • Lil Green’s legal name; Vocalist; 12.5%

• Here’s another example: Let’s pretend you’re a producer and collaborate with another producer named Mateo Made It. Two rappers named Webb Flows and T. Rampe hopped on the beat you and Mateo Made It created. You and Mateo Made It would split 50% of the song (25%) each, and the rest of the rappers would split the remaining 50%. See how the split sheet should read below.some textsome text
  • Your legal name; Producer 25%
  • Mateo Made It’s legal name; Producer; 25%
  • Webb Flow’s legal name; Vocalist; 25%
  • T. Rampe’s legal name; Vocalist; 25%

BEST PRACTICE TO GET YOU PAID QUICKER: Always have these three items ready to go and in order before submitting your songs. Any missing information will delay your payments.