Monetize › Rights & royalties admin
Kobalt
A global independent music publisher and rights administrator. Kobalt registers compositions, manages metadata and licensing, collects publishing royalties and gives clients detailed reporting through its proprietary portal. It is a selective, relationship-based service rather than a DIY administrator.
- Best for
- Writers with meaningful streaming royalties already flowing. Established songwriters, producers, artists and publishers with meaningful catalog activity who want global collections, transparent reporting and hands-on sync or creative support.
- Skip if
- Early catalogs — Songtrust tier first. You are early-stage with little publishing income, want instant open enrollment or fixed public pricing, or primarily need music distribution and master-recording royalty collection.
- First move
- Apply via KOSIGN once royalties justify commission. Prepare your catalog, ownership splits, PRO and royalty statements, streaming history and upcoming release pipeline. Seek an introduction through your manager, attorney or industry network, then compare Kobalt’s proposed scope and commission with other publishing administrators.
- Watch out
- Terms are customized, so scrutinize exclusivity, territory, catalog versus future works, commission, advance recoupment, sync approval, post-term collections and audit rights. Confirm exactly which rights Kobalt will administer and avoid overlap with an existing publisher, PRO or administrator.
- Reach
- Industry-wide
- When
- Worth it once you are building a team.
- Based in
- United Kingdom