{"id":224660,"date":"2025-02-25T14:30:31","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T14:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/?p=224660"},"modified":"2025-02-25T16:06:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T16:06:05","slug":"kobalt-estimates-1bn-in-publishing-royalties-go-uncollected-each-year-it-just-launched-a-new-platform-called-kosign-to-help-indie-songwriters-collect-their-share12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/kobalt-estimates-1bn-in-publishing-royalties-go-uncollected-each-year-it-just-launched-a-new-platform-called-kosign-to-help-indie-songwriters-collect-their-share12\/","title":{"rendered":"Kobalt estimates $1bn+ in publishing royalties go uncollected each year. Its new platform, KOSIGN, helps indie songwriters collect their share."},"content":{"rendered":"

Kobalt says it represents, on average, over 35% of the top 100 songs and albums in the US and the UK.<\/p>\n

The company serves over 700,000<\/strong> songs <\/strong>from a roster of superstar songwriters that includes Max Martin, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, Childish Gambino, Karol G, Bon Iver, and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today (February 25), Kobalt has launched a new publishing platform called KOSIGN<\/a> aimed at emerging<\/em> artists and songwriters.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s accessible by invite or application only \u2013 and the company says<\/a> the platform uses the same royalty collection system “trusted” by the superstars listed above.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div> <\/div> \n

Kobalt estimates over $1 billion<\/strong> in publishing royalties goes uncollected every year. It says its new KOSIGN platform was built to help independent artists, songwriters, and producers collect their share of this uncollected publishing royalty pool.<\/p>\n

The company previously pioneered an invite-only services platform for independent recording artists with AWAL<\/strong>, which sold to Sony Music<\/a> for $430 million in 2021.<\/p>\n

Now, with the new KOSIGN platform, which offers publishing<\/strong> admin services, Kobalt claims that it can offer a “frictionless alternative to traditional publishing deals”.<\/p>\n

According to the KOSIGN FAQs, members get access “to top-tier licensing and registration systems, plus cutting-edge royalty matching and collection technology at both Kobalt and amra<\/a>“.<\/p>\n

<\/div> <\/div> <\/p>\n

\u201cFor too long, talented emerging artists have struggled to navigate the complexities of music publishing and collect the royalties they\u2019ve rightfully earned,\u201d said Laurent Hubert, CEO of Kobalt.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\u201cKOSIGN removes those barriers, giving songwriters a clear, accessible path to manage their publishing with the same power and sophistication previously reserved for major artists and songwriters.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Laurent Hubert, Kobalt<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Added Hubert: \u201cKOSIGN removes those barriers, giving songwriters a clear, accessible path to manage their publishing with the same power and sophistication previously reserved for major artists and songwriters.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div> <\/div> \n

The new KOSIGN platform, which began accepting applications today, licenses music publishing rights directly with major and emerging digital platforms worldwide including Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, YouTube, and more.<\/p>\n

According to the platform’s FAQs, it uses Kobalt’s “industry-leading technology to find your song plays, streams & views” and collects royalties “typically within three months, not the usual year or more”.<\/p>\n

It also lets members manage registrations with Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) and Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) globally via the KOSIGN<\/strong> portal (see below), to collect royalties from radio, TV, and live performances.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n
\n

Kobalt says that KOSIGN offers “one streamlined interface to submit songs for global registration, handled by Kobalt\u2019s expert admin team”.<\/p>\n

According to the KOSIGN website<\/a>, contracts run on a rolling term with an 80\/20 split in the member’s favor on royalties collected. Songwriters keep 100% of their copyrights.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n
\n

The platform lets members track earnings by territory, platform, and song.<\/p>\n

\u201cKOSIGN is more than just a platform \u2014 it\u2019s a movement,” said Jeannette Perez, President & Chief Commercial Officer of Kobalt.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>

“Whether you\u2019re an emerging artist building your career or an established songwriter looking for more flexibility, KOSIGN gives you the tools, transparency, and expertise to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeannette Perez, Kobalt<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Added Perez: \u201cIt\u2019s about giving artists and songwriters the freedom and support they deserve to thrive in today\u2019s music industry.<\/p>\n

“Whether you\u2019re an emerging artist building your career or an established songwriter looking for more flexibility, KOSIGN gives you the tools, transparency, and expertise to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Applications for KOSIGN membership are now open. KOSIGN says<\/a> it will make a decision on applications within 1-2 business days.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kobalt claims that it can offer a “frictionless alternative to traditional publishing deals”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":224779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-224660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}