We realize that the music industry is not an easy jungle to maneuver through. We have created individual Frequently Asked Questions for certain aspects that pertain to the music industry as well as your relationship with us. If you still have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us and we will see to it that your question is answered.

What is the Royalty Portal?

Our Royalty Portal allows you to download your quarterly statements, request payments, store your financial details, calculate your artist royalties, and view quarter to quarter comparisons to track the growth of your record label and its artists. In addition, weekly sales estimates are accessed via the Royalty Portal for the retailers that report them. Access to the Royalty Portal is given to a client via the “Welcome Email”.

How can I get an update as to how my label is selling?

The Royalty Portal provides a weekly sales estimate that is available every single Monday evening. The sales showed are GROSS before our fees, store fees, voided transactions, mechanical withholdings, and any additional processing fees and are only from retailer partners that report the sales in a given week.

Does the Royalty Portal provide real time sales?

Unfortunately, the Royalty Portal does not provide up to the second sales off any retailer. The reason for this is because retailers don’t generally provide this information for us to provide to our clients. We provide Weekly Sales Estimates for labels to view. Not all retailers do provide these estimates and at times, there can be delays in when the weekly sales estimates are provided to us.

When do I get paid for my music?

Symphonic Distribution uploads sales figures to our Royalty Portal for all record labels and artists 35-45 days after a Quarter ends. If your sales reach the threshold that is listed in the agreement you can request payment and you will receive emails acknowledging your request followed by prompt payment. If your label does not reach that threshold, the amount will carry over to following quarter until you reach the threshold that was agreed upon. The Royalty Portal provides spreadsheet data, weekly sales estimates, revenue summaries, and allows you to calculate artist payouts.

Estimated Royalty Posting & Payment Dates:
Q1: May 10-20 / Q2: August 10-20 / Q3: November 10-20 / Q4: February 10-20

Quarter Schedule:
Q1-Jan-Mar / Q2-Apr-Jun / Q3-Jul-Sept / Q4-Oct-Dec

Why does it take 35-45 days to receive payment?

The reason it takes 35-45 days to pay record labels is because many retailers deliver the royalty statements 30+ days after a quarter thus, we need time to organize the data to appropriately format it for labels to claim. In addition, many retailers do not pay us until 45-60 days after a quarter ends making the royalty payouts slightly delayed at times. Many other distributors deal with the same timeframe and some even take longer!

Do you assist in paying artists?

The Royalty Portal has a specific section dedicated to calculating artist payouts. Through this section you can merge royalties to another artist, set a percentage, and export a Excel report to deliver to artists. We can only provide the ability to help you calculate your reports but cannot pay the artists or remixers for you.

Are royalties subject to US tax?

USA based record labels and artists must fill out the W9 Information section located in our distribution agreement. This W9 Information will be used to send you a 1099-MISC form at the end of a calendar year. For record labels and artists based outside of the USA, we do not send a form and these revenues must be tracked and reported by the record label or artist in their respective territory.

What are Voided Transactions?

Voided transactions are songs that individuals choose to not buy, return, and/or are fraudulent transactions that were not valid to begin with. Retailers may show these on every statement and they automatically deducted from payments to record label partners and shown with a minus next to the NET to label amount.

I know I have sold something, why is my account still showing $0?

There are several reasons for this. One is that your music may not have yet generated any sales in a given quarter and/or ever. The other reason is that we have not yet received the relevant sales report from our partners. The last and most rare reason may be that there is a bug pertaining to your account name through the Royalty Portal. Whatever reason it may be, our accounting department can assist you.

How come there is data missing on our reports?

Each and every retailer reports information differently. As a company, we work hard with retailers to ensure that they report all information. Via our royalty portal, we summarize the data and reports to you to better help you and if the information remains missing it is due to the retailer not providing the information you are requesting.

Do stores take care of mechanical royalties?

Yes, stores do in fact pay and take care of mechanical royalties on behalf of labels. If you are not registered with a specific PRO, money will be held by PRO until claimed by the original songwriter/artist. We also provide Publishing to artists if you wish to claim your royalties from the UK, USA, and other regions. For more information, contact us.

Why are there additional fees being deducted from my payment?

If we send money to you via Wire Transfer or Xoom then you will be charged a fee based on the terms of the agreement you signed. We do not charge any other fees unless you use our other services and wish to deduct from your royalties.

How come the NET amounts per sale are different?

Each and every retailer pays out different amounts per sale. Additionally, each territory has different currencies thus, what is paid to us and then paid to you will be different per sale, retailer, and territory. No two amounts will be the same.

What are Previous Quarter Revenue / Withholdings?

Via our Royalty Portal, this is where we list the previous amount(s) you earned if you had not yet made the threshold required for payment. This can include previous revenue and/or voided transactions incurred in a previous quarter from any retailer that listed them. If you did make your threshold of payment, your revenue will roll over until it does.

Why am I being charged for full voided transactions?

Unfortunately, you are charged exactly as to what we receive and are charged for by retailers. We cannot divide the fee as we are receiving the same charge thus nobody wins in regards to a transaction being voided due to fraudelent and/or charged back reasons.

How can I set the different prices for each release?

Unfortunately, each retailer has their own set pricing. In the cases of Beatport, if you have a release of 10+ tracks and the album price is not $8.99 or $9.99 then we can send in a request to change the price. Ultimately, it is up to each and every retailer to select pricing that suits their retailer and fits for the consumers visiting the website. No label or distributor has control over the pricing on each and every retailer.

How can I make more money?

This is a question we get quite a bit. Truly, it’s all about the music. People will buy what sounds good to them and you can do Marketing (which we suggest), however, it doesn’t mean that it will help generate sales. If you want to make more money, one thing you can do is to put out quality music, consistently. In addition, to make it in the top 10 of a retailers’ chart, you need to have some funds to invest into a producer that is well known. Doing this will cost money but may result in bigger returns.