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Checklist: Preparing Your Music Catalog for International Publishing Deals

rrunaways

2026-01-27

10 min read

Practical pre-deal checklist for music creators: metadata, ISRC/ISWC, splits, registrations, clearances, and negotiation tips for international publishing.

Hook: Stop losing paychecks on day one — get your catalog deal-ready

If you’re a creator negotiating an international publishing deal, the most expensive mistakes are usually invisible: missing metadata, mismatched royalty splits, broken ISRCs/ISWCs, or un-cleared samples that block collections in key territories. Those errors don't just delay payments — they reduce your leverage at signing and cost you future income streams. This checklist is a tactical, 2026-ready guide to get your catalog clean, transparent, and negotiation-ready before you say "yes" to any publisher, sub-publisher, or administration partner.

Why this matters in 2026 — trends shaping international publishing

Late 2025 and early 2026 saw a flurry of cross-border publishing partnerships — a notable example is the Jan 2026 Kobalt–Madverse agreement that opened Madverse’s South Asian creator base to Kobalt’s global publishing administration network. Partnerships like this are accelerating collections in territories that used to be administratively complex, but they also raise the bar for data quality. Global administrators now expect machine-readable, validated metadata and airtight rights documentation at ingestion.

Two trends compound the need for a pre-deal checklist:

Automated collection networks: DSPs, CMOs, and ISPs use automated matching and fingerprinting; poor metadata lowers match rates.
Regulatory & tech complexity: Universal adoption of DDEX messaging, stricter anti-money-laundering checks, and increased demand for transparency in royalty reporting.

How to use this article

Think of this as two things: a practical pre-deal checklist to complete before signing, and a short negotiation playbook highlighting clauses that matter when your catalog crosses borders. Follow the checklist in order; use the negotiation points to protect value in conversations with publishers and partners like Kobalt or regional sub-publishers.

Quick, printable checklist (summary)

Consolidate master files and a metadata master spreadsheet
Verify and assign ISRCs for each track
Confirm ISWCs for compositions, or register them
Lock down royalty splits and collect CAE/IPI data
Register works with relevant societies and digital rights services
Clear samples and secure master/composition permissions
Prepare streaming/hosting integration details (APIs, CDNs, DDEX ERN)
Gather contractual proof of ownership and pre-existing licenses
Set reporting & audit expectations and request historical royalty exports
Negotiate sub-publishing scope, territories, reversion, and fees

Deep dive checklist — step-by-step

1. Build a single source of truth: the metadata master

Create one master spreadsheet (CSV/Excel) that will travel with your catalog. Accuracy here saves weeks of forensic work later. Minimum columns:

Track Title
Primary Artist / Featured Artists
Release Title
ISRC
ISWC (if available)
UPC / EAN
Duration
Release/First Release Date
Label / Registrant
Composer / Lyricist / Publisher / Publisher IPI / CAE
Percent Splits per Contributor
Master Owner
Existing Licenses (sync, samples) with copies
Notes / Territory Restrictions

Validate this file against DDEX ERN fields where possible — most modern publishers ingest ERN-style data directly.

2. Verify and assign ISRCs (track identifiers)

ISRC is the foundational recording ID used by DSPs and collection agencies for sound recording payouts. Common problems: multiple ISRCs for the same master, or tracks without ISRCs.

Export a list of every track and confirm the ISRC exists and is consistent across distributor dashboards, DSP releases, and your master spreadsheet.
If you need to assign or change an ISRC, do it through your national ISRC agency or your distributor. Note that changing an ISRC mid-life can fragment royalty histories — avoid it unless necessary.
Embed ISRCs into the audio files and distribution metadata. Quick example using ffmpeg to add an ISRC to a WAV file:
ffmpeg -i input.wav -metadata ISRC=USABC1234567 -c copy output.wav

3. Confirm ISWC (composition identifier) and register works

The ISWC identifies the composition (lyrics + melody). Administration partners and societies use it to avoid duplicate registrations. If your compositions don’t have ISWCs yet, register them with a publisher or directly through your collecting society.

If you work with a publisher, they will usually request ISWC assignment; otherwise, register via your local society.
Keep composer IPI/CAE numbers and national IDs ready — administrators need these to allocate splits correctly.

4. Nail down royalty splits and documentation

Ambiguous splits are the single biggest source of delayed payments. Get splits agreed and documented before ingestion.

Create a split sheet for every composition and master. Each entry should include contributor name, role, share (percentage), and legal identifier (IPI/CAE or national equivalent).
Use digital split services (Splits.io, Stem, etc.) or generate PDF split sheets signed by all parties. Many administrators now accept digital signatures.
Consider how to represent producer points, sample writers, and publishing shares. Make the mechanical/performing shares explicit.

5. Register with societies and digital services

Performing rights: PRS (UK), ASCAP/BMI/SESAC (US), PPL (neighboring rights UK), GEMA (Germany), etc.
Neighboring rights and master collections: SoundExchange (US), PPL, local neighboring-right societies.

Make sure your publisher or admin has access to these registrations or is listed as the publisher where appropriate. Where sub-publishers are involved, confirm who will register works in each territory.

6. Clear samples, interpolations, and third-party elements

Samples are a deal-killer. Before any international admin agreement:

Identify all samples in a track and document both master and composition owners.
Secure written clearance for every sample, including territory scope and duration.
If a sample is uncleared, either remove it or be prepared to negotiate limited territory/non-digital exclusion clauses with the publisher.

7. Prove ownership of masters and existing licenses

Publishers will ask for chain-of-title documents. Prepare:

Contracts proving master ownership — producer agreements, work-for-hire, or transfers.
Pre-existing sync licenses, releases, exclusivity terms, or platform-only deals (e.g., limited exclusives with a DSP) that might restrict territories.
Evidence of prior royalty statements and exports from distributors to show historical earnings.

8. Technical readiness: hosting, streaming, APIs, and CDNs

International publishers and DSPs value catalogs that are technically ready for fast ingestion and delivery. Verify these elements:

High-quality masters: 24-bit/44.1 or better, stems if requested for remixes or localization.
CDN strategy: If you host your own assets, ensure a global CDN (e.g., Cloudflare, AWS CloudFront) is in place to minimize delivery latency.
API access: Provide API or SFTP credentials for automated ingestion where possible. Support for DDEX ERN and App2App metadata is a plus.
Metadata locking: Ensure your hosting or CMS supports locking fields (ISRC, ISWC) so partners can’t inadvertently overwrite IDs.
Embeddable previews: 30–90 second high-quality previews help DSP editorial and sub-publishers evaluate tracks quickly.

9. Reporting, audit rights, and historical accounting

Before signing, request the publisher provide:

Sample royalty statements format and frequency
Audit clause that allows you to audit the publisher’s books within a defined window
Data export rights (CSV/JSON) so you can reconcile statements using your own tools

10. Negotiation points to protect value — lessons from Kobalt–Madverse

The Kobalt–Madverse partnership (Jan 2026) is a useful case: it shows how regional expertise plus global collection infrastructure multiplies collections — but only for catalogs with clean data. Use these negotiation levers:

Scope vs. Exclusivity: Ask for a carve-out that allows you to keep control of sync rights or exclusive campaigns for specific markets or time periods.
Sub-publishing clarity: Define territories, commission rates, and responsibilities for local registration and collection. Require the publisher to present a sub-publisher list and reporting cadence.
Data delivery SLA: Insist on service-level guarantees for metadata ingestion and reconciliation, plus remediation timelines for mismatches.
Reversion & Term: Negotiate reversion triggers (e.g., inactivity, failure to collect) and avoid overly long automatic extensions.
Audit & Transparency: Preserve the right to run independent audits, and demand machine-readable statements (CSV/JSON) for automated reconciliation.
Advance structure & recoupment: If you accept an advance, clarify exactly what royalties are recoupable (mechanical vs. performance) and the waterfall structure.

"Madverse’s community of independent songwriters, composers and producers will gain access to Kobalt’s publishing administration network." — Kobalt/Madverse Jan 2026 coverage

That quote highlights the benefit: global reach + local knowledge. Your job is to make your catalog tappable for that network — and this checklist is how.

Practical templates & technical examples

Metadata master sample (column headings)

Use these headings in your master sheet to avoid repeated questions:

track_id, track_title, artist_name, featuring, isrc, iswc, upc, release_date, duration_seconds, master_owner, composition_owner, composer_IPI, publisher_name, publisher_IPI, split_percent, sample_clearance_Y/N, previous_release_note

FFmpeg example to embed ISRC (again)

To add an ISRC without changing audio quality:

ffmpeg -i input.wav -metadata ISRC=USABC1234567 -c:a pcm_s16le output.wav

Automated reconciliation tips

Pull CSV/JSON statements monthly and reconcile by ISRC/ISWC matching; flag tracks with >3% mismatch for manual review.
Set up automated alerts when a track's reported territory payouts include a country where you have no distribution or registration.

Case study: Preparing a 100-track indie catalog for the Kobalt–Madverse lane

Hypothetical: A South Asian indie collective wants Kobalt-level administration via a Madverse-style partner. Practical steps we’d run through in two weeks:

Day 1–2: Export all distributor metadata and create the master CSV.
Day 3–5: Verify ISRC/ISWC, add missing ISRCs, and register ISWCs via local society or a small publishing admin like Songtrust where needed.
Day 6–8: Generate split sheets, collect digital signatures, and cross-verify IPI/CAE numbers.
Day 9–10: Audit sample usage and clear any contested samples (or schedule removals).
Day 11–12: Prepare API/SFTP credentials and deliver a DDEX ERN bundle for the catalog ingestion test.
Day 13–14: Run a test ingestion with the publishing partner, validate statements, and lock the contract language on audit and reversion terms.

Outcome: cleaner ingestion, faster collections, stronger negotiation leverage for advance/commission terms.

Common pitfalls — and how to avoid them

Accepting a publisher without API or ERN support — avoid manual-only ingestion unless the catalog is tiny.
Signing a global exclusive without granular territory carve-outs for sync or local markets you know well.
Assuming your distributor's ISRCs are always correct — double-check them.
Not capturing producer/beat-seller splits in writing — always document split points upfront.

Future predictions: 2026–2028 (what to prepare for now)

Expect these developments and prepare accordingly:

Increased automation of cross-border collections: Publishers who can accept ERN and granular split metadata will collect more accurately and faster. Read more about the implications for machine-readable delivery here.
AI-driven matching and dispute tools: DSPs and CMOs will deploy better audio fingerprinting, reducing reliance on manual metadata — but only if audio and metadata are clean.
More regionally-focused global partnerships: Models like Kobalt–Madverse will expand; creators with clean data will be prioritized for fast onboarding.
Blockchain/ledger pilots for provenance: A few pilots will go live for provenance, but traditional societies and publishers will remain primary for collections through 2028.

Actionable next steps (48-hour playbook)

Export metadata from every distributor and DSP you use into one CSV.
Run a duplicate-check on ISRCs and track titles — fix duplicates or map legacy ISRCs.
Create split sheets for your top 25 revenue-generating tracks and get signatures.
Register any unregistered compositions with your collecting society.
Prepare a one-page dossier for each track with ownership proof, sample clearances, and license history to share with prospective publishers.

Final thoughts

Signing an international publishing deal is about two things: access and readiness. Partnerships like Kobalt–Madverse open access — but you only benefit if your catalog is ready to be plugged into global collection networks. The checklist above focuses on fixing the invisible leaks in metadata and rights so your income scales internationally, not just locally.

Call to action

Ready to prepare your catalog for international administration? Download the free metadata master template, ISRC/ISWC checklist, and a negotiation clause crib sheet at runaways.cloud/tools — or book a 20-minute review with our publishing checklist experts to get a prioritized action list tailored to your catalog.

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