In general, how long it takes, and the current status of your works registrations doesn't affect our ability to collect publishing royalties your music earns before the registration is complete.
Collection societies sit on royalties if works are registered incorrectly, are missing important songwriter/publisher information, or they are unable to match them to a copyright owner. These are referred to as retroactive or unmatched/unclaimed royalties. Once we register and claim your works, your Performance Rights Organization (PRO) and the other collection societies should be able to pay these royalties out.
Collection societies will generally sit on these royalties for up to 2-3 years, though that timeline varies depending on the societies. We cannot make any guarantees about retroactive royalty payouts because it depends on what the individual societies have collected and are sitting on.
The most effective way to earn retroactive royalties is to sign up for CD Baby Pro Publishing with the correct co-writers and songwriter splits, ISRCs, and song titles. If you have registered your works prior to signing them up with CD Baby pro Publishing, it is important that the metadata you provided us matches what is registered with your PRO. Inconsistencies can lead to delays in works registration and royalty collection.
If we successfully collect your retroactive royalties, this payment will most likely come two or three calendar quarters after your first royalty statement from CD Baby. For example, if your first royalty statement from CD Baby was in the first calendar quarter, then you can expect to see retroactive royalties to start coming in during the second and third calendar quarter of the year.
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