Royalty coverage
Does SoundExchange collect songwriter performance royalties?
Does not
Explicit and unambiguous in its own FAQ: SoundExchange does not collect or distribute royalties for songwriters or publishers.
What this stream is. Paid when the composition is performed or broadcast. Split into a writer share and a publisher share, and those two halves can be collected by different parties.
Worth knowing about SoundExchange
- ★ The 45% featured-artist share is paid DIRECT to the artist and is legally unreachable by labels, distributors and aggregators. No distributor can collect it for you, by design.
- You are not auto-registered. Artists and recording owners MUST register to receive anything.
- Unclaimed royalties EXPIRE after three years.
- Nothing on on-demand Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube generates SoundExchange income. Artists routinely misattribute their streaming income here.
Read from SoundExchange's own documentation on 2026-08-13. Check it yourself — and if it has changed, tell us.