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  • The Gap
  • Your PRO
  • The Numbers
  • Sync Wins
  • FAQ

Your Music Is Working. Are You Getting Paid?

Every stream generates royalties most artists never collect. Tone Tree Publishing makes sure you don't leave money on the table.

The Royalty Gap

Every song has two copyrights — the master recording (what you hear) and the composition (what was written). Most artists focus on the master. The composition generates its own revenue streams that most independent artists miss entirely.

You've spent time mastering your craft, recording vocals, producing beats. You focus on the master recording — the specific version of your song that people hear on Spotify.

Master Recording
1/2

The specific recording. You own this.

Composition
1/2

The song itself. This generates separate royalties.

Your PRO Isn't Collecting Everything

Your PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, PRS) collects performance royalties — when your music is played on radio, TV, or in venues. But streaming generates BOTH performance AND mechanical royalties. PROs do not collect mechanical royalties. Without a publishing administrator, that money sits unclaimed.

The gap between what you should earn and what you actually collect is growing every year.

\$424M
The MLC reported \$424 million in unmatched mechanical royalties in just the first two years. That's money earned by songwriters that went uncollected because they didn't have a publishing administrator.

172 Countries. Dozens of Collection Societies.

Music is streamed worldwide. Each country has its own collection societies and rules. A publisher ensures your royalties are collected globally — not just in your home territory.

Without international publishing infrastructure, you're leaving royalties unclaimed across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and beyond.

Get Your Music in Film, TV & Ads

Sync licensing is one of the most lucrative opportunities for songwriters. But supervisors don't search Spotify — they work with publishers who pitch catalogs. Without a publisher, you're invisible to the sync world.

A sync placement can generate \$5,000 to \$500,000+ per project, plus ongoing streaming royalties. Publishers are the gatekeepers.

This Month's Sync Wins

Real placements. Real artists. Real opportunities.

February 2026
NXDIA
"More!"
Finding Emily (Film Trailer)
MEEK
"Fabulous"
Margo's Got Money Troubles (Television Promo)
Smoke City
"Underwater Love"
Toyota (Advert)

Updated monthly from the Sentric sync pipeline

Live Sync Opportunities

Our sync team actively receives briefs from major brands, platforms, and media companies. Here's a recent example of what lands in the pipeline:

Peloton

Active Brief — Fitness Platform · 5M+ Users Worldwide

Peloton is one of the world's most renowned fitness apps. Music is integral to their user experience, powering genre-themed classes and instructor-curated playlists. They're actively looking for tracks with percussive layering, breakdowns and drops that transition intensity, and euphoric high-energy sections. All genres considered.

This is the kind of opportunity your music gets access to with a publishing administrator.

What a Publishing Administrator Actually Does

Professional management of your musical intellectual property. Here's what's included:

Global Registration

Registers your songs with collection societies worldwide

Mechanical Royalties

Collects mechanical royalties from streaming platforms

Performance Royalties

Collects performance royalties internationally

Sync Pitching

Pitches your catalog for sync placements

Licensing & Permissions

Handles licensing and permissions management

Transparent Reporting

Provides royalty tracking and detailed reporting

Your Publishing Team

Halo Music

"Publishing is complex. Halo makes it simple."

Boutique publishing administration with a personal touch. Direct relationships and transparent communication. Your creative partner, not a faceless corporation.

Sentric Music

"Global infrastructure. Local expertise."

Connected to 80+ collection societies in 172+ countries. Proprietary rights management technology. Part of Believe, one of the world's largest digital music companies. Millions of songs administered worldwide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is music publishing?
▼
The business of managing and monetizing musical compositions (not recordings). Publishing deals with the song itself — the melody, lyrics, and arrangement. It's separate from the master recording copyright.
What's the difference between a master and a composition?
▼
The master is the specific recording — the version of the song you recorded, produced, and mixed. The composition is the underlying song — the melody, chords, lyrics, and structure. Both generate separate royalties from streaming services.
What are mechanical royalties?
▼
Royalties generated when a composition is reproduced — including every stream on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and other platforms. Every time someone streams your song, a mechanical royalty is generated. Your PRO does not collect these.
Why doesn't my PRO collect mechanical royalties?
▼
PROs are specifically set up to collect performance royalties — royalties earned when music is performed publicly on radio, TV, in venues, etc. Mechanical royalties require separate registration with different organizations like the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) in the US.
What is the MLC?
▼
The Mechanical Licensing Collective, established by the Music Modernization Act. It collects mechanical royalties from streaming services in the US and distributes them to songwriters and publishers. Many independent artists don't register with the MLC and lose millions in uncollected royalties.
How does sync licensing work?
▼
Music supervisors receive creative briefs for TV shows, films, advertisements, and games. They work with publishers who pitch suitable tracks from their catalogs. If your music is selected, you earn a sync fee (upfront payment) plus ongoing royalties. Publishers are the intermediaries supervisors work with.
Do I keep my rights?
▼
Yes. Publishing administration is not a transfer of ownership. You retain 100% of your copyright. The administrator collects on your behalf and takes a commission. You remain the owner and copyright holder of your compositions.
How is this different from distribution?
▼
Distribution gets your master recordings onto platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Publishing administration collects the composition royalties those streams generate. They're complementary services. You need both — distribution gets your music heard, publishing ensures you get paid for the compositions.
What territories are covered?
▼
Through Sentric's global network, your songs are registered with collection societies in 172+ countries and territories. This includes all major markets — North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Africa — ensuring worldwide royalty collection.
How do I get started?
▼
Reach out to your Tone Tree representative or contact the Halo team directly. Setup is straightforward and your catalog can be registered quickly. Halo will handle all the heavy lifting — you focus on creating.

Ready to Collect What You're Owed?

Talk to your Tone Tree rep to get started.

Get Started

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