Your royalty payments are collected each month and paid through NRT Music vis direct deposit or eCheck.
Monthly reports are finalized by the 20th of each month and will be uploaded to the “/_Reports” folder in your NRT Music Google Drive account. You will receive an email notification when the reports are finalized and ready for you. Reports are not final and in process until this email is received.
You’ll find a few tabs in each monthly report:
STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT
This details the NET AMOUNT DUE after gross distribution fees, gross sync fees, and any additional costs. You will be emailed the final monthly statement as a PDF. Click here for an example.
There are two income methods: Main Distribution and Sync. Depending on your agreement, different royalty percentages are applied, so these numbers are calculated separately.
Main Distribution represents regular Digital Service Provider (DSP) stream royalties (i.e. Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, etc.)
Sync Distribution represents both Sync/Licensing deals as well as Microsynch Licensing. Microsynch refers to royalties generated from the synchronization of music with video or images on online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, particularly in user-generated content. Rather than issuing individual licenses, platforms typically secure blanket agreements with Syntax, allowing users to incorporate music in videos for personal, social, and non-commercial use. Depending on the platform and rights arrangements, these uses can generate performance royalties and, in some cases, mechanical royalties, along with additional revenues for rights holders and, in some instances, video creators.
- Sales (Gross) – This number is pulled from the “Detailed Report” tab under “Gross Amount.”
- Distribution Fees (Syntax) – This is the amount paid to Syntax Distribution.
- Distribution Fees (NRT Music) – This is the amount paid to NRT Music.
- Costs – This is any additional costs billed (UPC Codes, Accounting Fees, etc.
DETAILED REPORT
This displays all the DSP financial details from Syntax. Numbers are tabulated at the top. The number that’s used on the Statement of Account is GROSS AMOUNT, which is highlighted in GREEN.
DETAILED REPORT – SYNC
This displays all the sync and microsync financial details from Syntax. Numbers are tabulated at the top. The number that’s used on the Statement of Account is GROSS AMOUNT which is highlighted in GREEN.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. My Spotify payouts are less than expected.
A. This could be due to a few things. Spotify will no longer submit royalty payouts for tracks with less than 1,000 streams in a 12-month period. Your track may also be part of their Discovery program, resulting in a reduced royalty percentage in exchange for more streams (in theory).
Q. I’m confused about the payout dates.
A. DSPs are typically 4 months behind, so February 2025 will be calculated from streams during October 2024. This is reflected on your Statement of Account as well as your detailed reports.
