DistroKid has launched DistroKid Publishing, a publishing administration service for independent songwriters run in partnership with Kobalt, Music Business Worldwide reported on November 11. Eligible DistroKid members can now collect mechanical and public performance royalties from their DistroKid dashboard, with payouts sent to their DistroKid Bank accounts. The service carries a one-time setup fee, songwriters receive 80% of the publishing royalties collected on their behalf, and there is no long-term commitment. DistroKid President Phil Bauer said help collecting publishing revenue has been the top request from members, noting that it “has historically been very difficult for independent artists.”
To qualify, artists need at least one release on DistroKid and a minimum level of streaming revenue over the past 12 months. Only original songs are eligible, including co-writes and songs in which the artist owns only a share; covers, remixes, mash-ups and fully AI-generated tracks are excluded. The first royalty payment arrives roughly six to nine months after publishing earnings pass a minimum threshold, with quarterly payments after that. Kobalt, now owned by Primary Wave, launched its own KOSIGN platform for emerging songwriters in February 2025 and has estimated that a substantial amount of publishing royalties goes uncollected each year.
Read the original article: “DistroKid launches music publishing service powered by Kobalt” by Murray Stassen, Music Business Worldwide