Rights, Royalties and Global Admin: Practical Exercises for Musicians from Kobalt’s Deal

Feeling lost every time a royalty report lands in your inbox? You’re not alone.

Musicians, creators and indie publishers tell us the same things: international royalty flows feel opaque, admin is time-consuming, and contracts read like legal riddles. In 2026 the landscape is changing fast — major publishers are partnering regionally (see Kobalt and Madverse), metadata standards are tightening, and new revenue streams (neighboring rights, sync, micro-licensing, AI-use payments) are emerging. That means more opportunities — and more complexity.

The context you need in 2026: why Kobalt’s Madverse deal matters

Partnerships like Kobalt’s January 2026 deal with India’s Madverse show a clear industry trend: global admin companies are building local partnerships to capture growth in South Asia, LATAM and Africa. That expands collection coverage but also layers in sub-publisher commissions, local withholding taxes, and fragmentation of reporting formats.

“Kobalt has formed a worldwide partnership with Madverse Music Group,” enabling Madverse’s community to access Kobalt’s publishing admin network (Variety, Jan 15, 2026).

Translation for creators: you can get better reach, but you must be proactive about metadata, registration, and contract terms to make sure that expanded reach actually translates to cash in your account.

How to use this article

This is an exercise library — not a legal template. Each section includes hands-on tasks you can run solo or in a 60–90 minute workshop with collaborators. Download or recreate the simple spreadsheets and mock clauses we describe, work through the numbers, then bring findings to your admin or lawyer.

Exercise 1 — Contract Redline: A practical mock-admin deal

Objective: Learn to spot revenue-impacting clauses and negotiate admin and sub-publishing terms with confidence.

Setup

1. Create a two-column doc. Left column: Original Clause. Right column: Redline + Notes.
2. Use this mock clause set below. Timebox to 45–60 minutes.

Sample mock clauses (paste into your doc)

Grant of Rights: “Publisher shall administer, license and collect royalties for the Compositions worldwide for the Term.”

Commission: “Publisher shall retain a commission of 20% of Gross Receipts.”

Sub-Publishing: “Publisher may appoint sub-publishers and shall be entitled to retain up to 5% of receipts as sub-publisher recovery.”

Accounting & Audit: “Publisher will render statements semi-annually and allow audit every 36 months at Licensee’s expense.”

Metadata & Reporting: “Licensee will make reasonable efforts to provide metadata conforming to industry standards.”

AI & Training Data: “Publisher may license compositions for machine training for any fee deemed appropriate.”

What to flag and suggested redlines

• “Worldwide” without carve-outs: Ask for territories to be listed and exclude direct sync rights in certain territories if you plan to license directly. Redline: “Publisher shall administer worldwide EXCEPT for [listed territories] which are reserved to the Writer for direct sync licensing.”
• Commission level: 20% admin is common, but if there is a sub-publishing layer, your net may be much lower. Redline: “Commission of 15% on directly collected receipts; 20% on receipts collected by sub-publishers.”
• Sub-publishing markups: Remove blanket retention clauses. Redline: “Publisher shall not retain additional sub-publisher markups without prior written consent; actual sub-publisher fees will be passed through and documented.”
• Accounting cadence: Quarterly is preferable to semi-annually. Redline: “Statements to be rendered quarterly with line-item detail by territory and source.”
• Audit rights: 36 months may be fine, but cap the audit frequency and limit auditor scope. Redline: “One audit every 24 months; scope limited to the specific accounting period under dispute; publisher bears audit costs if underpayment >3%.”
• Metadata obligations: Change “reasonable efforts” to clear obligations. Redline: “Publisher will use DDEX-compliant reporting and will include ISWC, ISRC, split %s, songwriter IPI/CAE, and territory codes on every statement.”
• AI clause: If you want to keep training uses, add a fee split or exclusion. Redline: “Licenses for machine training require express written consent and a separate fee split of 50/50.”

Redline exercise deliverable

Produce a one-page executive summary listing the top 5 negotiated wins (e.g., lower commission, quarterly statements, forced pass-throughs on sub-publisher fees, audit cost-shift, AI carve-out). This list is your talking points for negotiation.

Exercise 2 — Royalty Calculator: Build it yourself (spreadsheet)

Objective: Translate raw statements into real money in your currency using a repeatable calculator you can run monthly.

Spreadsheet setup (columns)

1. Track ID (ISWC / ISRC)
2. Title / Release
3. Territory
4. Source (DSP / Radio / TV / Sync)
5. Gross Receipts (local currency)
6. Sub-publisher fee (%)
7. Admin commission (%)
8. Withholding tax (%)
9. Currency FX rate to your currency
10. Net to Writer
11. Writer split (%)
12. Writer amount (final)

Key formulas (spreadsheet-friendly)

• Net after sub-pub = Gross * (1 - SubPub%)
• Net after commission = NetAfterSubPub * (1 - Admin%)
• After withholding = NetAfterCommission * (1 - Withholding%)
• Converted to home currency = AfterWithholding * FXRate
• Writer amount = Converted * WriterSplit%

Worked example (mock numbers)

Imagine a South Asian DSP report shows Gross Receipts: 100,000 INR for a track.

1. Sub-pub fee = 10% ➜ 100,000 * (1 - 0.10) = 90,000 INR
2. Admin commission = 15% ➜ 90,000 * (1 - 0.15) = 76,500 INR
3. Withholding tax (local) = 10% ➜ 76,500 * (1 - 0.10) = 68,850 INR
4. FX to USD (assume 0.012) = 68,850 * 0.012 = $826.20
5. Writer split 50% = $413.10

Result: that 100,000 INR statement becomes ~$413 to the songwriter after all layers. Use the spreadsheet to identify where value is leaking.

Calculator exercise deliverable

• Create the sheet, paste three real or mock statement lines from different territories (e.g., EU, India, US), and calculate final writer payments.
• Highlight the largest deductions. Which territory has the biggest loss? Why?

Exercise 3 — Catalog Audit: Find missed money

Objective: A 60–90 minute audit to find registration gaps, metadata errors, and unclaimed collections.

Audit checklist (high priority)

• Ownership & splits: Confirm ISWC records match your split sheet and PRO registrations.
• ISRC presence & master recordings: All master recordings must have ISRCs; missing codes block mechanical claims.
• PRO registration: Writers registered in every market where your music is exploited (or with global collection via admin).
• Mechanical registration: In the US, ensure songs are in MLC database; in the UK check MCPS (PRS) or equivalents; in India, check local mechanical agencies or publisher registrations.
• Neighboring rights: Register performances and recordings with local neighboring rights societies to collect public performance and broadcast payments.
• Metadata consistency: Titles, co-writers, splits, ISWC, ISRC, and publisher IPI must match across DSPs, registries, and your admin portal.
• Split sheets: Signed, dated, stored as PDFs accessible to your admin; missing split sheets cause denied claims.
• Sync licenses & retained rights: Track sync deals separately and ensure admin hasn’t licensed syncs without your approval.

Audit spreadsheet columns (practical)

1. Track Title
2. ISRC
3. ISWC
4. Writers (with IPI/CAE)
5. Publisher name & IPI
6. Registered with PRO (Y/N)
7. Registered date
8. Mechanical registered (Y/N)
9. Neighboring rights registered (Y/N)
10. Notes / Action items

30/60/90 day prioritized action plan

1. Days 1–30: Fix top 10 revenue tracks — ensure ISRC, ISWC, splits and PRO registrations are correct.
2. Days 31–60: Register remaining catalogue in mechanical agencies and neighboring rights societies; request missing payments from admin (look back 3 years).
3. Days 61–90: Run a metadata reconciliation across DSPs and admin portals; implement a straight-line process for all future releases.

Workshop format: Run this in 90 minutes

Facilitator goal: get each musician to leave with one redlined clause, one completed royalty calc row, and one actioned metadata fix.

1. 00:00–10: Setting the scene & trends (Kobalt/Madverse example)
2. 10:–35: Contract redline breakouts (pairs)
3. 35:–60: Royalty calculator demo & hands-on (use shared spreadsheet)
4. 60:–80: Catalog audit sprint (identify top 3 fixes for your catalog)
5. 80:–90: Share-outs, next steps, and accountability assignments

Advanced strategies & 2026 trends to apply

These are the moves that separate passive creators from financially resilient ones in 2026.

• Local partnerships matter: Global admin firms are building regional partnerships (Kobalt + Madverse). Use these to gain access to localized collection while demanding pass-through transparency on sub-publisher fees. For playbook-level coordination between local activation and collections, see micro-events to revenue guides.
• Metadata-first releases: DSPs and CMOs are enforcing stricter metadata. Prioritize DDEX-compliant delivery — it reduces rejections and speeds collections.
• Neighboring rights tracking: Non-traditional markets (India, Brazil, Nigeria) are improving collections. Register your recordings locally or use an admin with proven local reach; consider tools and kits used by local fan-engagement teams to evidence use.
• AI usage clauses: As AI licensing becomes common, protect future value by carving out or pricing training rights explicitly. See discussions on AI policy and licensing approaches.
• Currency & tax planning: Large growth markets often have withholding taxes — model these in your calculator and explore double-tax treaties or local tax reclaim processes.
• Direct deals for sync and brand uses: Retain sync rights where possible; monetize directly or via curated micro-licensing platforms for better splits. For creatives building transmedia value and pitching IP, study transmedia case studies.

Case study (mini): What a successful admin partnership looks like

In early 2026, an indie composer in Mumbai gained access to Kobalt’s admin network via a regional partner. By fixing metadata, re-registering 12 key songs with accurate ISWCs and splits, and negotiating a pass-through on sub-publisher fees, they increased collections by 40% within a year. The key moves were:

1. Audit top-earning tracks and correct ISWC/ISRC mismatches.
2. Negotiate quarterly reporting and clear line-item statements.
3. Retain direct sync rights for commercials in their home market.

Checklist: Quick wins (do these in one week)

• Locate split sheets for your top 10 tracks and upload to your admin portal.
• Confirm ISWC and ISRC for top 20 streamed tracks.
• Build the royalty calculator and run three sample territories.
• Redline 2 admin clauses you care about (commission & accounting).

Common pitfalls & how to avoid them

• Accepting vague reporting: Always insist on line-item statements by territory and source.
• Overlooking sub-publisher layers: A 20% commission can become 35%+ once sub-pub fees stack. Demand transparency.
• Ignoring local collections: If your music is played heavily in a region, not registering locally is lost revenue.
• Not modeling taxes and FX: Always run final amounts after withholding and conversion to avoid surprises.

Actionable takeaways (do these now)

1. Create your royal­ty calculator and run three territories. Highlight the biggest deduction and ask your admin for a line‑by‑line explanation.
2. Redline commission and sub-pub clauses in your admin contract. Ask for quarterly statements and clear DDEX-compliant metadata requirements.
3. Run a one‑week catalog sprint to fix ISRC/ISWC/splits for your top 20 tracks and submit any missing registrations to PROs and mechanical agencies.
4. Reserve sync rights in growing markets and craft an AI-data-use clause that protects future value.

Next steps & resources

If you want the templates used in these exercises — including a sample redline, a royalty calculator spreadsheet, and a catalog audit CSV — sign up for our on-demand exercise pack or bring this curriculum to your next co‑writing session.

Final note — why doing this work pays off

Deals like Kobalt’s with Madverse accelerate global reach, but reach alone doesn’t guarantee income. The musicians who win in 2026 are those who combine global admin access with tidy metadata, assertive contract terms, and repeatable financial modeling. Do the math, do the paperwork, and you’ll convert more plays into real dollars.

Call to action

Ready to stop guessing and start collecting? Download the free exercise bundle (royalty calculator, mock contract, catalog audit template) and join our next live workshop for step‑by‑step coaching. Sign up now to claim your spot and bring one real statement to unravel during the session.

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