Our affiliations

Rightstune registers your songs directly with a focused set of collection societies. These six partners cover performance, US mechanicals, global digital streaming, global physical, Canada, and niche licensing — without waiting on slow reciprocal chains.

  1. Why only six sources?
  2. How direct collection speeds up payouts
  3. 1. Your PRO (ASCAP / BMI / SOCAN via MusicMark)
  4. 2. HFA / The MLC
  5. 3. IMPEL
  6. 4. PRS / MCPS
  7. 5. CMRRA
  8. 6. MRI (Music Reports)
The strategy

Why only six sources?

There are hundreds of collection societies worldwide. Many publishing admins lean on reciprocal societies — one society collects in its home territory, then slowly passes money through a chain of partner societies until it finally reaches you. That model is common (Songtrust relies on it heavily), but it is also slow: royalties can take 9–12 months to surface after a stream or play happens.

Rightstune takes a different approach. We register you directly with the societies that already sit at the source of the money for each major royalty type:

Together, these six cover the streams that matter for independent songwriters today. We do not need to wait for dozens of distant reciprocal partners to trickle money home — and we can expand further later if a new territory or platform requires its own direct affiliation.

Bottom line: six direct affiliations beat a long reciprocal chain. You get broader coverage where the money actually originates, and you get paid sooner.
Payout timing

How direct collection speeds up payouts

Speed is not just about when Rightstune pays you — it starts with when the societies themselves release funds. Our core partners are among the fastest in the industry:

Because we collect from societies that already settle on a quarterly cycle — instead of waiting 9–12 months for reciprocal societies to reconcile across borders — we can turn those statements around and get money to you quickly. That is a major reason Rightstune can pay out so fast compared to admins that depend on slow international pass-throughs.

Affiliation 1

Your PRO (ASCAP / BMI / SOCAN via MusicMark)

Performance

Performance royalties are owed whenever your composition is played publicly: radio, TV, live venues, bars and restaurants, and the “performance slice” of music streaming. In the US and Canada, those royalties are collected by Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) such as ASCAP, BMI, or SOCAN.

What it collects

Rightstune registers your songs through MusicMark so they land directly at your PRO. Performance income splits 50/50: your PRO pays you the writer half in your PRO account, and Rightstune collects the publisher half and pays it out here.

Why we use it

You should already be affiliated with a PRO as a writer (see our PRO directory). We handle the publisher-side registration so you do not have to file works twice — and so the publisher share is not left uncollected. BMI and ASCAP also pay within roughly one quarter, which keeps US performance income moving quickly.

Affiliation 2

HFA / The MLC

US Mechanical

Mechanical royalties are owed when your composition is reproduced — streamed, downloaded, or pressed to physical formats. In the United States, the primary collector for interactive streaming mechanicals is The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC), working alongside the Harry Fox Agency (HFA).

What it collects

Registering with HFA / The MLC covers your US mechanical royalties from streaming, downloads, TikTok, YouTube, and physical sales. One registration reaches both organizations.

Why we use it

The MLC is the direct US source for digital mechanicals under the Music Modernization Act. Collecting here — rather than waiting for foreign societies to send US money back through reciprocal channels — is how we keep US streaming mechanicals on a fast, predictable cycle. The MLC pays within about one quarter.

Affiliation 3

IMPEL

Global Digital

IMPEL is the most important affiliation for international streaming. It collects your publishing royalties from digital service providers almost everywhere outside the United States and Canada — directly, at the source.

What it collects

IMPEL collects mechanicals and the publisher share (50%) of your performance PRO income internationally. Your PRO still pays your writer share directly. Registering with IMPEL also helps your PRO avoid missing international royalties.

Coverage note: IMPEL does not collect in the US or Canada for any platform (those are handled by The MLC / HFA and CMRRA). Japan, Mexico, and South Korea may also have limited or no collection depending on the app.

Why we use it — and why we do not rely on reciprocal societies

Some publishing admins (including Songtrust’s model) depend on reciprocal societies to gather international digital royalties country by country. That money can take 9–12 months to filter back. IMPEL already collects global digital royalties directly from the platforms, so we do not fall back on that slow chain.

IMPEL also pays within about one quarter — which is a big part of why Rightstune can get international streaming money to you so much faster.

Affiliation 4

PRS / MCPS

Performance & Mechanical · Global Physical

MCPS (Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society), paired with PRS for Music in the UK, is how we collect physical royalties from around the world — plus UK and international uses that sit outside pure digital streaming apps.

What it collects

When your song is pressed to CD or vinyl, used by physical media manufacturers, or plays on UK radio and TV (BBC, Netflix UK, Sky, and similar), MCPS / PRS is where those royalties are claimed. Think of this as the physical (and UK broadcast) counterpart to IMPEL’s global digital lane.

Why we use it

Digital streaming is huge, but physical and UK broadcast uses still generate real money — and they are easy to miss if you only register with digital-focused societies. MCPS collects physical from the world so that lane is covered without adding dozens of local reciprocal partners.

Affiliation 5

CMRRA

Canada Mechanical

Canada is a special case in our digital map. IMPEL does not collect mechanicals in Canada, so we register with the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA) to close that gap.

What it collects

CMRRA collects mechanical royalties when your music is streamed, sold, or broadcast in Canada — including CD and vinyl sales and the private copying fund. It is also where we notify record labels that your share exists, which can surface additional money tied to Canadian releases and beyond.

Why we use it

Without CMRRA, Canadian mechanicals would either go unclaimed or fall into a slower reciprocal path. Direct CMRRA registration keeps Canada covered alongside IMPEL’s rest-of-world digital collection.

Affiliation 6

MRI (Music Reports)

Licensing / Admin

Not every use of your music shows up at a traditional PRO or mechanical society. MRI (Music Reports) pays for usage on apps and services that most societies skip — often platforms that settled licensing after being sued for using music without permission.

What it collects

Think fitness apps, social platforms, karaoke and learning tools, and similar niche services. These companies frequently send royalties to MRI so publishers can claim them.

Why we use it

MRI catches money that would otherwise never appear in a PRO or MLC statement. It is a smaller slice than IMPEL or The MLC for most writers, but it is money you would miss entirely without a direct affiliation here.

Putting it together

Six sources. Full coverage. Faster money.

Your PRO handles performance. The MLC / HFA handles US mechanicals. IMPEL handles global digital directly (so we skip 9–12 month reciprocal delays). MCPS handles physical from around the world. CMRRA covers Canada. MRI picks up the niche platforms everyone else skips.

That focused set is why we only need six affiliations for now — and why IMPEL, The MLC, and BMI/ASCAP paying within one quarter lets Rightstune pay you so quickly.

Want the product walkthrough of how registration works day to day? Start with What is Publishing Administration? Then see How to Sign Up.

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