There are issues with my legacy Pro Publishing works registrations

*A note regarding CD Baby Pro Publishing

Registering works with your Performance Rights Organization (PRO) and other collection societies around the world can be a complicated process, but we're here to help you make sense of it! You can contact us to report an issue with your works registrations.

Here's a link for the excel template to use when submitting a request to fix works registration issues: Template

Please read through all the options and make sure you know whether you need to contact your PRO or CD Baby before submitting your support request or contacting your PRO as instructed.

Table of Contents

Should you contact CD Baby or your PRO?

Contacting CD Baby

How to fill out the works registration issues template

Contacting your PRO

You should contact your PRO if:

1. You have any questions or issues regarding your membership/affiliation with the society. This includes but is not limited to:
   • Legal name changes
   • Adding a pseudonym*
   • Creating or changing a publishing affiliation
   • Direct payments from your PRO
     
     *Please note, the pseudonym must be already registered directly at your P.R.O. before CD Baby can update your release/s with the desired name. Also, CD Baby cannot support the delivery of single-name pseudonyms - there must be some text entered in the "First" and "Last" name fields, even if is only initials. 
     
     
2. If you have questions concerning a co-writer's PRO affiliation or works registrations, and that songwriter is signed up as a non-collecting songwriter in your CD Baby account, please contact their PRO or have your co-writer do it for you. 
   
   
3. If you have questions concerning works registrations for songs that have not been signed up for CD Baby Pro Publishing, please contact your PRO.

Contacting CD Baby 

Are all credited songwriters approved?

✅ Step ONE: Please check the Pro Publishing Admin section of your account and confirm that all songwriters credited on the song are in the "Approved" status. If they are, go to Step TWO. If they aren't, follow the instruction below.

Approved Status

Under Review

Pending Status

If a songwriter has been in "Under Review" or "Pending" status for 4+ weeks, that could mean we are waiting for the required information from your PRO. Please contact the CD Baby Artist Services team here for assistance.

Works Registration Issues Help Center request form and template

✅ STEP TWO: Please download the Works Registration Issues Template (a .xls file) at the bottom of this page. You will need to complete this and submit it with your Works Registration Issues form. This link opens in a new tab. We recommend keeping both pages open as you complete the following Steps.

✅ STEP THREE: Fill in the Works Registration Issues Template. If you didn't before, please download this excel template and list all the works you need assistance with. Fill out columns A through G, and provide additional information/context in column F if necessary. 

Here is some information on how to complete the Works Registration Issues template:

Column A: Collection Society

When investigating your works registrations issues we need to keep each collection society separate. In this column, you'll enter the name of the PRO, MRO or CMO where you are noticing an issue with a song. If one of your songs has issues at multiple collection societies, please list the song multiple times so we can investigate each issue separately. 

Column B: Song Title

Please provide the name of the song. 

Column C: UPC

Please enter the UPC/Barcode for the submission that includes this song. Your UPC/barcode is available within your CD Baby account. Having trouble finding it? Check out this Help Center article. 

Column D: Work ID/Song Code

Work IDs/Song Codes are unique identification number assigned to a work registration with a collection society. These numbers are generated/assigned by collection societies when a work is registered with them and are unique to each collection society.

You should be able to locate these in your songwriter account with your PRO. You can leave this column blank if your work have not been registered and/or has not been assigned a work ID/song code. 

Column E: ISWC

An International Standard Music Work Code (ISWC) is a unique, permanent, and internationally recognized reference number for the identification of musical works. These numbers are generated/assigned when a work is registered with your PRO. There should only be one ISWC for each unique composition that is used by all collection societies where a work is registered.

You should be able to locate these in your songwriter account with your PRO. You can leave this column blank if your work have not been registered and/or has not been assigned a work ID/song code. 

Column F: ISRC

Please enter the ISRC for the song in question. Your ISRCs are available within your CD Baby account. Having trouble finding it? Check out this Help Center article. 

Column G: What is the issue? 

Please select an issue from the drop down menu. If one of your song has multiple issues, please list the song multiple times so you can tell us all the issues happening with the song. 

What does each dropdown option mean?

• • • • Song is not registered

Use this option if a song has not been registered with a collection society.

For example, let's say you are an ASCAP songwriter and you notice that the songs from your last Pro Publishing submission with CD Baby are not showing up in ASCAP's public repertory or your songwriter portal. You would select this option and tell us exactly which songs are missing from ASCAP.

• • • • Song is registered but does not list CD Baby as the publisher

Use this option if a song is registered with a collection society but it does not list CD Baby as the publisher.

• • • • Song is registered twice (duplicate works registration)

Use this option if you see a song has been registered more than once with the same collection society. This can happen if your songs were already registered prior to signing them up for CD Baby Pro Publishing and the metadata you provided us is different than what was previously registered.

If a duplicate works registration exists, we can reach out to the collection society and request that they merge the works registrations.

If applicable, please tell us which works registration is correct in Column F. 

• • • • Missing or incorrect information on works registration

There aren't many instances where you should need to use this option. That said, you may notice that your artist name is missing, the wrong publisher is listed, a songwriter you do not know is credited, or something else is incorrect on a works registration.

Please include additional information/context in column F of the spreadsheet. 

• • • • Other

Are you seeing an issue with a works registration that does not fit under one of the options above? If so, you can select this option.

Please include additional information/context in column F of the spreadsheet. 

Column F: Additional Information/Context

If you select "Song is registered but information is wrong or missing" or "Other" in Column G, please provide additional information/context in this column. 

Do your best to fill out the spreadsheet, but if you find that it is a bit too complicated then you will still be able to submit a request without uploading an attachment. In this case, please provide as much information as you can about your works in the "Description" field of the form. We highly encourage you to include screenshots of your works registrations if you're unable to fill out the spreadsheet. 

✅ STEP FOUR: From the Help Center request form, find the drop-down menu titled "Select what you need assistance with" and choose "Works Registration Issues".

Before choosing this option, please review the other options under the "Select what you need assistance with" drop-down menu on the CD Baby Pro Publishing Help Center request form; there may be an option on the form that addresses your specific needs.

✅ STEP FIVE: Complete the Help Center request form.

PRO, songwriter, and publisher information (required field)

In these fields, please select the name of the PRO you are affiliated with as a songwriter. Then, enter your songwriter name and songwriter IPI/CAE number as they appear with your PRO. If you have a self-owned publishing entity with your PRO, please provide the name and IPI.

My submissions have been "Delivered" to CD Baby Publishing for 6+ months, but I am seeing issues with one or more of my works registrations. (required checkbox)

You can check this box once you follow the steps below to confirm the delivery date of a submission to CD Baby Publishing:

1. Login to your account at cdbaby.com
2. From your Account Dashboard, click on the "Albums & Singles" tab
3. Scroll down to the submission you want to look at and click on the gray "View/Edit" button on the right-hand side of the screen
4. From your Title Overview, scroll down and click on the "Distribution" header
5. Click on "Partner Delivery"
6. Scroll down until you see "CD Baby Publishing" and you will see the delivery date

If it has been over 6 months since the delivery date and you are still noticing issues with your works registrations, you may check this box and continue filling out the form.

If it has been less than 6 months, then we ask that you please wait a full 6 months from the delivery date before submitting your request. It can take up to 6 months to register works with your PRO and collection societies around the world.

If works are already registered, choose one or more of the options below (optional drop-down list)

If the works registrations you need help with were registered BEFORE you signed them up for CD Baby Pro Publishing please choose the correct option from the list.

Confirm you have read this article (required checkbox)

Check this box at the end of the form to confirm that you read this article.

✅ STEP SIX: Attach the spreadsheet to your support request and click submit.

Will issues with my works registrations affect my distribution? 

No.

Distribution and Pro Publishing are separate processes. The Pro Publishing Administration section of your account and the registration of your works with collection societies, will not have any impact on the status or timeline of your digital distribution, nor will it impede our ability to collect sales revenue for your music generated from streams and downloads.

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*The CD Baby Pro Publishing service was discontinued as of August 8th, 2023. Any paid release which was signed up for CD Baby Pro Publishing prior to August 8th, 2023 is considered a legacy Pro release and will continue to receive Pro Publishing services. CD Baby now offers a new expanded suite of revenue amplifiers called “CDB Boost” instead.

Works Registration Issues Template