Organize the information behind the song.

One song, two copyrights.

Every released song usually involves two different works. The composition is the underlying song: melody and lyrics. The sound recording, often called the master, is the specific recorded performance. They may have different owners, identifiers, registrations, and licensing contacts.

Composition information.

• Official song title and any alternate working title
• Legal name of every writer—not only stage names
• The agreed co-writer split, with the writers’ percentages totaling 100% of the composition
• Each writer’s performing-rights organization
• IPI/CAE number for each writer when available
• Publisher name, publisher information, and publisher IPI when applicable; follow the share-display rules used by the relevant PRO or CMO
• ISWC once the composition has been assigned one
• Split sheet date, signatures, and notes about samples or interpolations
• Lyric sheet and version notes

Sound recording information.

• Exact track title and version name
• Primary artist and featured artist names formatted consistently
• ISRC for the specific recording
• Master owner and authorized licensing contact
• Producer, mixer, mastering engineer, musicians, vocalists, and other credits
• Recording and release dates
• Studio and session notes when relevant
• Explicit-content status and language
• Final audio filename, format, sample rate, and duration

Release information.

• Release title, type, and sequence
• UPC/EAN for the single, EP, or album
• Distributor and delivery date
• Label name only if a real label relationship exists
• Primary genre and appropriate secondary genre
• Territory, copyright lines, and release date
• Artwork file, designer or photographer credit, and approved uses
• Lyrics, clean version, instrumental, and performance track availability
• Live links after release, replacing pre-save and advance links where appropriate

A practical workflow.

1. Create one master record per song. Keep the composition and every recording version connected but clearly separated.
2. Confirm the splits in writing. Do this before registrations and pitches.
3. Use legal names where systems require them. Keep stage names in separate fields.
4. Assign a single person to maintain the record. Everyone can review; one owner updates.
5. Register and deliver from the same facts. Do not retype from memory into every platform.
6. Save supporting evidence. Split sheets, work registrations, distributor confirmations, codes, licenses, and invoices belong with the record.
7. Audit after release. Check public credits, lyrics, links, artwork, artist mapping, and identifiers.

Common metadata problems.

• A writer uses a stage name in one system and a legal name in another with no connection between them.
• The agreed co-writer split is incomplete, or writer and publisher information is recorded as though every system displays shares the same way.
• A remaster, live version, or remix reuses the wrong recording information.
• Featured artists are typed into the track title instead of the proper contributor fields.
• The team cannot identify who controls the master or who can approve a license.
• Release documents describe an independent record as a label release when no label exists.
• Old private, pre-save, or advance links remain in press and radio materials after release.

Your minimum song folder.

Keep the final audio, instrumental, clean version, lyric sheet, credits, composition record, master record, artwork, registrations, split sheet, release links, and pitching notes together. A cloud folder is helpful; a consistent naming system is essential.

This guide is general educational information, not legal, accounting, publishing-administration, PRO, distributor, or royalty-collection advice. Requirements differ by territory, organization, agreement, and release.