Royalty statements and reconciliation
Distributors and labels issue statements monthly or quarterly, with payment following weeks later, and the splits have to be checked against what was actually released.
For musicians
The administrative year of a working musician
Playing is the easy part; the year is spent keeping registrations, statements, tour cover and foreign permits in order so the money and the dates arrive.
No account needed to see the proposed desk.
The recurring work
What musicians have to keep on top of
Every one of these has a date attached, a document behind it, and somebody who notices when it slips. This is what goes on the desk.
Registration of new works
Every released song must be registered with the performing rights organisation, PRS in the UK or ASCAP and BMI in America, so royalties attach to the right writers.
Neighbouring rights and session claims
Session and performance royalties are claimed separately from airplay and public performance, with their own claim windows and evidence requirements each year.
Publishing splits documented
Writers and band members agree a percentage split per song before release, which publishers require in writing before they can pay anyone.
Visa and work permits for foreign dates
Touring abroad requires permits and visa applications with long lead times, and each country requires different evidence of earnings, sponsorship and onward travel.
Venue and equipment cover
Public liability per venue and instrument cover are renewed ahead of each tour, because promoters and venues require evidence before confirming a date.
VAT and withholding on income
Streaming income, live fees and merchandise cross tax borders, so VAT registration and withholding forms have to be filed on the correct cycles.
Tour vehicle and trailer checks
Vehicle tax, MOT, insurance and trailer checks fall due on the road, and a missed renewal grounds the tour with no time to recover the dates.
Instrument valuations
Cover levels depend on current valuations of instruments and backline, which need updating as gear is bought, sold or replaced.
Tax residency position
Days spent in each country change tax residency and treaty relief, so travel records and residence evidence have to be kept for each tax year.
What it costs to carry it
A working musician carries five calendars at once: distributors, societies, insurers, tax authorities and promoters, and each one keeps its own dates and its own evidence requirements. The failure mode is silence: a split sheet never signed, a claim window closed in a month nobody was watching, a venue cover note that expired between tours: each one is small, and each one takes money that cannot be recovered by playing more shows. Chasing it after the fact means competing against published deadlines, which usually means writing the sum off entirely.
What the desk takes over
The desk works this list to its own schedule and reports what it did.
Statement collection and matching
The desk gathers statements from each distributor and label, matches them against registered works, and lists the lines that do not reconcile.
Work registration
New releases are captured from the release schedule and filed with the right performing rights organisation, with splits recorded once co-writers confirm them.
Claims and follow-ups
Neighbouring rights and session claims are tracked per society, and follow-up messages to societies and distributors are prepared when a claim goes quiet.
Renewal dates watched
Venue cover, equipment cover and vehicle checks are held as dated items, with evidence requested before each tour and an alert if a document lapses.
Visa evidence assembled
Tour dates are turned into a permit schedule, the supporting evidence is collected, and any step needing a personal appointment or a one-time code is handed back.
What stays with the musician
The music stays with the musician: writing, recording, performing and deciding which offers to accept. The desk holds the dates and the paperwork around them. That split matters because a missed deadline is recoverable and a bad creative decision is not.
Questions
Can the desk handle royalty statements from several distributors at once?
Yes: statements are collected from each distributor and label and checked against registered works, with the lines that do not reconcile listed for attention. The desk prepares the query; it does not pay anything out.
How early should tour visas be started before a foreign run of dates?
Months rather than weeks, because each country sets its own evidence rules and processing times. The desk builds the permit schedule from the tour dates and collects the supporting documents, then stops where a personal appointment or a one-time code is needed.
What happens if a venue cover note lapses mid-tour?
The date can be pulled, because promoters and venues require current evidence before the show goes ahead. The desk watches each document against the tour calendar and raises the renewal before the expiry date arrives.
Put the musician's recurring work on the desk
Start with a name, a website and one sentence about what the business does. The desk proposes the list; the musician corrects it.