SoundExchange Registration 2026: Claim Both Sides

If you've ever released music that plays on Pandora, SiriusXM, or internet radio, there's a check with your name on it somewhere, and it only reaches you if you register the right way. Most independent artists who sign up with SoundExchange do it halfway: they create one account, assume the money will find them, and never learn that there are two separate sides of the payment. This guide walks through SoundExchange registration in 2026, step by step, so you collect both.

Why SoundExchange Registration Is Where Most Indie Artists Get It Wrong

SoundExchange is the nonprofit that collects digital performance royalties for sound recordings under the statutory license. That covers non-interactive streaming: webcasters, Pandora's non-interactive tiers, SiriusXM, and simulcast of AM/FM radio online. It does not cover on-demand streaming like Spotify or Apple Music. That money goes through your distributor (the master side) and the MLC (the mechanical side).

SoundExchange says it has now distributed more than $13 billion since 2003, with nearly 500,000 artists and rights owners registered. In 2025 it paid out about $991.5 million, down roughly 5.9% from 2024. The organization pointed to fewer settlements and lower SiriusXM reported revenue, plus its ongoing lawsuit over SiriusXM underpayment. Translation: the pool is big, but it isn't growing on autopilot, and every dollar you don't claim goes back into a system where someone else eventually does.

The core problem is simple. SoundExchange pays by ISRC (the unique code for each recording), and it splits each payment into three buckets:

• 50% to the rights owner (the label or whoever owns the master)
• 45% to the featured artist
• 5% to non-featured performers (paid through the AFM & SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund)

If you're a self-released artist, you're usually both the rights owner and the featured artist. That means you need to register in both roles, or you're leaving half your money on the table. We've covered the split for session players and features separately. This post is the registration walkthrough.

The Two Roles You Need to Register For

Rights Owner (the 50%)

The rights owner is the entity that owns the sound recording copyright. For most independent artists, that's you (or your LLC or label imprint). If you signed to a label or a distributor with label services, the label may be the rights owner and would collect this side. Check your contract before assuming.

Featured Artist (the 45%)

The featured artist is the performer credited on the recording. Even when a label is the rights owner, you can register directly as the featured artist and get paid your 45% straight from SoundExchange, no label in between. Many artists don't realize this and wait on label statements that never include it.

Comparison: Who Registers as What

The 95% figure is why self-released artists who register in only one role get frustrated. It's the same recordings, the same plays, and half the payout.

Step-by-Step: How to Register With SoundExchange in 2026

Registration is free. Don't pay anyone to do this for you unless you're getting real work in return.

Step 1: Gather your catalog data first

Before you open the sign-up page, pull together a spreadsheet with the following for every recording:

1. Track title and version
2. ISRC for each recording (your distributor lists them in your dashboard)
3. Release date and album or single title
4. Featured artist name(s), spelled exactly as they appear on DSPs
5. Label or copyright owner name (the "P line")
6. Any producers, and whether they have a letter of direction

Getting the ISRC list right is the whole game. A mismatched or missing ISRC is the number one reason registered artists see no money.

Step 2: Create your SoundExchange account

Create an account at SoundExchange and choose the role that matches your situation. Set up the account type carefully: an individual, a business (an LLC or label name), or both. If you have an LLC that owns your masters, register the LLC as the rights owner and yourself as the featured artist. Use the same legal name and tax information you'll use everywhere else.

Step 3: Register as a rights owner and add your recordings

Add your recordings to your repertoire. You can upload a spreadsheet of ISRCs or enter them one by one. This is where your catalog spreadsheet pays off. SoundExchange matches this repertoire against the play data that webcasters and SiriusXM report to it.

Step 4: Register separately as a featured artist

This is the step people skip. Create or claim your featured artist profile and link it to your recordings. If you're both the rights owner and the featured artist, you'll have two roles in one place, and both can be paid to the same bank account.

Step 5: Set up payment and tax details

Add your direct deposit information and complete the tax forms (W-9 for US persons, W-8BEN for foreign persons). SoundExchange won't pay out without this. See our royalty tax guide for what shows up on a 1099 and how to handle it.

Step 6: Add your producers' letters of direction, if any

If a producer is owed a percentage of your royalties, you file a letter of direction (LOD) that tells SoundExchange to pay them directly out of your share. No LOD means no payment to the producer, and disputes later. See our producer points guide.

When and How You Get Paid

SoundExchange's own payment schedule has a few details worth knowing:

• Direct deposit: monthly distributions, once you have at least $100 in royalties due, or quarterly with a $10 minimum.
• Check: quarterly distributions at the end of March, June, September, and December, with a $100 minimum.

If you registered but haven't seen any money, the most common reason is that your balance is below the threshold. That's normal. It's not an error, just your royalties waiting until they reach the minimum.

The second most common reason is that nothing has matched yet. Play data has to be reported by the services, processed, and matched to your ISRCs. That takes time, and there's often a lag of months before you see your first payment.

Common reasons registered artists get $0

• ISRC mismatch or missing ISRC: The recording isn't in your repertoire under the code that was reported.
• Wrong role: You registered as the artist but not the rights owner (or vice versa), so only half the money can reach you.
• Duplicate ISRCs across versions: Your distributor gave the remix, the radio edit, and the album cut different codes, and only one is in your repertoire.
• No plays on covered services: Your music might stream on Spotify all day but have no play on Pandora or SiriusXM.
• Payment information incomplete: Tax form or bank details missing.
• Conflicting ownership claims: Someone else, like a former label or distributor, has also registered the same recordings.

Unclaimed Royalties: Why Registering Late Still Matters

If your music has been on Pandora or webcasters for years and you're only registering now, don't assume it's too late. SoundExchange holds royalties for unregistered recordings for a period of time before they can be redistributed. Our black box royalties post covers the mechanics and the three-year window in more detail. The short version is that the sooner you register, the more of your back catalog you can claim.

Best Practices for Keeping SoundExchange Clean

1. Register every new release. Add new ISRCs to your repertoire as soon as you release. Don't do it once and forget.
2. Keep names consistent. The artist name in your distributor dashboard, on DSPs, and in SoundExchange should match exactly.
3. Update after a distributor switch. If you move to a new distributor, ISRCs may change or stay the same depending on the setup. Check that your repertoire still matches.
4. Audit twice a year. Compare your SoundExchange repertoire to your master ISRC list and look for gaps.
5. Document your splits. Band members, producers, and features all need to be written down, ideally before release. See our guide on featured artist royalties.

Where RoyaltyCoPilot.ai Fits In

Doing this by hand is a spreadsheet problem, and spreadsheets break at scale. If you have 200 tracks across multiple distributors, checking every ISRC against SoundExchange, the MLC, and your PRO is the kind of grind that nobody finishes. That's the problem RoyaltyCoPilot.ai was built for. Its free catalog audit compares your recordings across the platforms that owe you money and flags where something is missing, mismatched, or unclaimed, so you know where to look before you spend a weekend clicking through portals.

A useful way to think about it: SoundExchange pays for the master performance. The MLC pays the mechanical side of streaming. Your PRO pays the songwriting performance side. Three systems, three registrations, and gaps in any of them cost you money. RoyaltyCoPilot.ai gives you one place to see all three. If you're not sure where to begin, run a free audit at RoyaltyCoPilot.ai and use the report as your registration checklist.

Your SoundExchange Registration Checklist

Use this list to make sure you're covered:

1. Export a full ISRC list from every distributor you've ever used.
2. Create a SoundExchange account for you and, if you have one, your LLC or label.
3. Register as rights owner and add every ISRC to your repertoire.
4. Register as featured artist and link the same recordings.
5. Add direct deposit and tax forms.
6. File letters of direction for any producers owed a share.
7. Confirm your band or collaborator splits are on record.
8. Set a calendar reminder to add new releases and audit twice a year.
9. Cross-check the same recordings against your MLC and PRO registrations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SoundExchange registration free?

Yes. Registering as a rights owner or featured artist doesn't cost anything, and SoundExchange takes an administrative fee out of collected royalties rather than charging you to sign up.

Does SoundExchange pay for Spotify streams?

No. Spotify is an interactive service, so master-side money goes through your distributor and the mechanical side goes through the MLC. SoundExchange covers non-interactive digital services like Pandora's radio tiers, SiriusXM, and internet radio.

I self-release. Do I really need two registrations?

If you own your masters, yes. The rights owner side is 50% and the featured artist side is 45%. Registering as only one leaves the other half unclaimed.

How long until I see my first payment?

It varies. Play data has to be reported, processed, and matched, and payments only go out once your balance meets the minimum. Plan on months, not weeks, for a first payment.

What if my distributor says they handle SoundExchange?

Some distributors offer SoundExchange collection as an add-on service and take a cut. You can still register directly for free. Make sure you're not registered in two places for the same recordings, which can cause conflicting claims.

The Bottom Line

SoundExchange registration takes an afternoon and can quietly pay you for years, but only if you register both roles, get your ISRCs right, and keep the repertoire current. Don't leave half the payment on the table. Start with your ISRC list, register as the rights owner and the featured artist, and then check the other two legs of the stool (MLC and PRO) so nothing else slips through.