Author's IPI and Tracks ISWC on Elements

Envato Authors Elements Authors
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I summon @BenLeong and @KingDog for this one! :man_mage:
Hope u’re doing great. :slight_smile:

I wanted to know if, currently, is there a way for Elements subscribers to know an author’s IPI number and, ideally, the ISWC code of our tracks. Obviously, WITHOUT HAVING TO CHECK IT ON AUDIOJUNGLE, as 99% of them just won’t and there are no links leading them there, either.

Simple as that. I really think this info should be easily available for subscribers. Additionaly:

  • Are we allowed to include a PDF in the ZIP file with the track’s information (PRO, Title and Alternative Title, Author’s name, IPI Number and ISWC?

Thanks a bunch! :slight_smile:

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Hi @WormwoodMusic! I don’t think there’s currently a way to show this on Elements, but I’ve seen some versions of an updated Music item page that include this from the existing item metadata - I know that it’s currently part of the Audio category update works, though I’m not sure which stage the new item pages are scheduled for.

In the meantime, you can definitely include a PDF with all the relevant track information in your item ZIP.

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Yep, @WormwoodMusic is right. Showing clients this info is more than crucial for our PRO earnings. In other words - without that, our chances to get royalties are very, very low.

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Hi guys! I guess I’ll have to summon @RedOctopus and @gballx here. Sorry to bother again!

So, I’m still struggling to properly manage my PRO registrations in a somewhat organized way, but honestly, it feels impossible. Like I wasn’t made for this at all.

Here’s the situation: I have a modest career as a songwriter and performer, but mostly composing for local films, short films, video games, and theater plays. 90% of that work is local, so I’ve always relied on my country’s PRO (AGADU), and it’s worked very well so far because they’re efficient at tracking those kinds of uses.

Thing is that since I’ve started working with RF music, I’ve hit a wall. AGADU doesn’t really cover this area properly, and when I reached out to BMI, they told me that if I’m already a member of another PRO, I’d have to terminate that relationship before joining them, which is definitely not an option as I still plan to keep composing custom music for local projects.

I’m not sure if PRS in the UK also requires exclusivity, but if they do, I guess I’ll have to stick with AGADU, even though they’re not exactly RF-friendly, and just manually report any broadcast usages I come across (which is pretty much the opposite from ideal).

I’ve also reached out to SoundMouse, but I don’t fully understand how their system works or whether they report to AGADU or directly to me.

This whole process is taking forever to figure out. CID was so much easier…

So, summing up:

  • Do all PROs that work efficiently with RF music require exclusivity?
  • How exactly does SoundMouse track music usages? Do they report to composers directly, or do they only communicate with PROs?

I’d really appreciate any insights because I feel completely lost here…

Thx so much in advance.

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I do not know if you can only register with one PRO but my guess is that only one is allowed because of the administration. I went with PRS because they are really helpful (thanks to @criskcracker recommending them) and that at £99 to join it was a no brainer.
They are Royalty-Free friendly and have had no problems registering tracks, Soundmouse is free to PRS members and I uploaded an MP3 no-watermark with them as well.
CID is with AdRev and since Elements payouts have been very good!
So far PRO earnings are good and getting better which has allowed me to enhance my equipment somewhat with some of my tracks featuring on Spotify playlists (I am not a member on this platform whatsoever) and 1 tracks that has been playlisted has brought in about 10k in earnings so far!

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As far as I know any PRO requires exclusivity. It doesn’t matter if it’s rf music or not, you can only be a member of one PRO at a time. Before moving to another PRO you need to terminate relationship with the previous one, that’s right.
I would add that in the case of SOCAN they don’t operate in the USA directly, they use BMI and ASCAP.
In my SOCAN composition registry says so, “US representation: BMI” and in some cases “ASCAP”.
I also see fees from other countries’ PROs in the statements, PRS is often glimpsed in the reports.

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Thanks, everyone! I appreciate the insights.

Yeah, exclusivity in copyright administration makes total sense. Since most of my non-RF work (film scoring, series, etc.) is primarily local, I’ll stick with my country’s PRO and make the best of it.

Do you know exactly how SoundMouse works? What’s their relationship with broadcast networks, authors, and PROs? Is tracking “globally” our music one of their goals?

Thanks again, folks! Just trying to navigate this personal labyrinth.

Cheers!

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Hi Wormwood, I feel you man, it is a pain in the arse trying to collate all the information needed to make informed decisions on this stuff. Copyright as a topic is a complicated and bloated minefield of stitched-together ideas with multiple entities each having their own idea about how the system should work!
PROs represent you exclusively, so yes, you would have to end your agreement with AGADU before you were to sign up with the PRS. The PRS have done well for me, collecting my royalties from YouTube and streaming platforms globally, though I don’t have much experience with TV broadcasts, since it’s very rare that my music is used on TV.
I’ve contacted the PRS twice for information and both times I was able to speak directly to a very patient person who was happy to explain stuff and answer all my questions. I know it’s an international phone call for you but I would recommend calling them on +44(0)20 3741 4848 and explaining your situation to see if they can help you. If you do end up signing with the PRS, I would also recommend signing with the MCPS, which is the UK’s mechanical royalty collecting agency.

The other thing that you could look into would be collecting the publisher’s share of performance royalties. This requires you to become a music publishing company. I did this with ASCAP because I thought they might have a better handle on the US market, where most of my music is used/consumed. Truth is, the PRS collects far and away more royalties for me from the US than ASCAP have done in the last three years, so I wish that I had signed with the PRS as both a writer and a publisher now. I might make that swap when the next ASCAP exit window comes around, although the PRS publisher criteria is stricter.

Soundmouse works similarly to content ID, whereby you upload a recording and supply all the information about it and they monitor all the common platforms for plays of that track and then report that directly to the PROs. They also have a cue sheet service where they collect music usage data directly from television networks.

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Hi Wormwood, yep, I always include a .txt file in my zips, with my PRS details, and the tunecode for the track, and a reminder that the info should be passed along in (broadcast) instances where cue sheets are required, and I can confirm that this remains in the download via Elements.

My routine is that I wait 'til I have a batch of files finished, register them on PRS, and then when I get the tunecodes back I create my .txt file for the zip. I use Phrase Express to create my .txt files and upload folder contents, triggered by a button on Elgato Stream Deck, after first copying my track title, tunecode, and length into the clipboard.

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Thx, Andy!

Yup, that’s exactly what I was planning to do. I decided not to change my PRO by now (I have tons of stuff already there and it would be quite a headache to move everything, aside from the fact that they work VERY well nation-wise), so, as you mention, I’ll be registring batches, getting my ISWC and everything and start adding PDFs or TXTs.

BTW, I’m talking with SoundMouse right now to see if they are able to report to my local PRO. Any other similar service out there to connect usages tracking with us or our PROs?

Thx everyone! :slight_smile:

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Hey fellas, me again with yet another question about PROs:

We all know Envato’s SEO is still pretty “track name” based so we all have to deal with “For That Inspiring Uplift Is”, “In The Powerful Stomp” and all that. Honestly, it’s a bit embarassing registring works with that names in a PRO (despite the alternative name field), but well, what option do we have? This also leads many of us to some re-naming following the trends: like a track named “Spring” could be “Autumn” in a few months.

Doesn’t this renaming messes with services like SoundMouse, responsible customers filling Cue Sheets and all that? I know the ISWC, IPI and PRO will remain the same, but still… should I say good bye to renaming?

Anyway, appreciate your insights. @RedOctopus @gballx @criskcracker @jackk44
Thanks in advance! :slight_smile:

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I only use (or try) 1 name title for tracks as I simply cannot be bothered with different names. It makes registering items much easier with PRS and Content ID as there is no ambiguity with titles. Is this the right way - probaby not - but This, That etc is really sad to see.
I know authors can register alternative titles in a PRO but I don’t.

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Yep. Or/and say hello to adding alternative titles after the registration.

However one title is much safer for collecting royalties.

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So you too avoid seasonal name changing? Most of my tracks have more “normal/artistic” alternative titles already and the plan was to include that info in the PDFs, but man… I have SOOO much paper work to do…

Oh, and BTW I found a service like SoundMouse that I heard that works really well, tracks world-wide, and has a partnership with my PRO so I guess I’ll work with them. It’s called BMAT. They were super helpful with the support and have both free and paid plans.

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I give my tracks a dignified name when registering them with PRS, and I upload them to AJ with that name, but then I usually change them to try to have more chance of being found in search.

In my Important Cue Sheet Notice.txt file that I place in the zip, which contains my PRSdetails, and tunecode for the track, I also explain to buyers that they should use the track title as it is written in the .txt file, as I sometimes change track titles on the site, in order to have a chance of being found in search.

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I get it. That would be the way to keep my current approach if I feel I eventually need to rename a track to boost its visibility. Short example: currently I renamed a lo-fi track with female voice chops, named it “Women’s Day” and it went up to the ceiling all March and still working.

Have you ever experienced any confussion due to this method?

Cause, man, it would be so embarassing to send my PRO a pack of registration forms with my current names…

Anyway, things are on its way. Thanks everybody! Your help has been HUGE throughout this process.

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Don’t worry about it. They don’t have anyone sitting around and passing judgement on the ridiculousness of track titles. Just get them in the system.

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Just register your tracks as soon as possible as it takes time to collect royalties from around the world!

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Well… I finally managed to registrer a batch of tracks in my PRO and signed up with B-MAT, a service that scans and reports to my local organization. I have to say it was quite time consuming and I’m talking about a handful of tracks. The idea is to keep doing this daily and I guess in about 3 weeks I should have everything running (tracks registred both in my PRO and B-Mat, and a PDF added to the ZIP files).

I’m aware PROs eventual incomes (at least mine) take quite some time to arrive so I’m not expecting any surprises in the short-run.

I just wanted to keep you posted as everyone here has been of great help (@RedOctopus and @gballx deserve a special mention here).

And just to honor the subject of this topic, I’ll bring it up again: adding author’s IPI and track ISWC in Elements is, IMO, a must.

Thx again people! :slight_smile:

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It really is worth it registering your tracks with a PRO. Elements has been a real success in terms of using the platform to spread the exposure of my tracks to the world, this QI on PRS has seen a payout last month of £9600 (streaming only) and excluding television residuals which were delayed for a month and payable this month (May).
I have only recently updated my portfolio with my composer number (IPI) which I wish I had done sooner but hopefully will help in the near future. Really should do the ISWC for each track - too much hassle at the moment!

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