How to Correct a Songwriter Share After Registration

Your song is already out. On the split sheet, one co-writer has 40 percent. In the royalty portal, that name shows 25. What now? Don't register the song again. That won't repair the entry, and BMI says a duplicate registration is rejected (BMI's existing-work update FAQ). Find the record that's wrong and who can change it.

A release can pass through a distributor, a publisher, a PRO, and The MLC. The same split might show up in more than one place. Updating one entry won't rewrite the others.

The agreement comes before the request

Pull the written agreement first. Compare the signed split sheet, publishing agreement, or later amendment the collaborators approved with the entry on screen. Check the names, percentages, publisher information, and song title. A portal shows what someone filed. It can't tell you what everyone agreed to.

Treat the entry like a form, not a verdict. If a later amendment changed the split, date the document you rely on and keep the earlier version too. That gives the person reviewing your request a clear record of the change.

Check the work number, too. Similar titles can make a typo look like an ownership problem; the identifier in the account helps you match the request to the existing work. No guesswork.

ASCAP encourages writers to agree on royalty shares before registration and recommends putting those numbers in writing. It also says a work title should be registered once, with the entitled parties listed on the initial entry. See ASCAP's work-registration guidance.

Then write the correction in one sentence: the current entry lists A at 25 percent; the signed agreement lists A at 40 percent and B at 60 percent. Use numbers only when your documents support them. If the right share isn't clear, resolve that first. A database can't choose a winner.

If an amendment changed the split after the original sheet, put that signed amendment beside the first agreement. Tell the administrator which document came later and which one the collaborators approved. Don't send two competing versions and ask a portal to sort them out.

Check the record, then compare it elsewhere

A song can have more than one royalty record. A PRO tracks performance royalties on compositions (ASCAP's work-registration guidance). The MLC collects and distributes mechanical royalties from digital music services under the United States blanket license, and keeps its own musical-works database (The MLC's registration overview). Those records serve different jobs, so check both when both list the work.

The MLC work record is separate from a federal copyright registration. One doesn't update the other. If the error is in a federal copyright record, the royalty-database steps below won't change it; The MLC explains the difference.

A streaming-service credit or distributor form is another layer. Our music credit correction guide covers delivery metadata. For a composition share, contact the organization holding that work entry, not the service where you first spotted the mismatch.

At both a PRO and The MLC, note the identifier and percentage shown in each account before contacting support. A clean update in one place can leave the other record untouched. Two records. Two requests.

Make the comparison before opening a ticket: write down the title, work number, current share, and requested share from each account. BMI specifically asks for its work number, while The MLC ties an edit to the work you select in Member Hub (BMI's update instructions; The MLC's editing instructions).

For ASCAP, work from the existing entry

Open the work in ASCAP Member Access and compare it with your agreement. ASCAP's public guidance says titles should be registered once. Its publisher primer points members to Add/Edit in the Works module. For difficulties with online title registration, it directs members to send a Member Inquiry to the Repertory Department.

That isn't a guaranteed split-correction form. A publisher or administrator may have filed the work for you. Ask that party to verify the change against the agreement. When you contact ASCAP, send the work title, any visible identifier, the current entry, the requested shares, and the document that supports the correction. Ask which route to use before filing anything again. Start with ASCAP's Member Access support information.

ASCAP's public pages don't list a universal email or promise a specific result for share corrections. Tell the Repertory Department exactly which entry you mean, then ask which amendment route applies to your case.

For a song that appears in several accounts, follow each system's channel: ASCAP routes title-registration trouble through Member Inquiry, BMI takes an email for an existing-work change, and The MLC separates routine edits from conflicting shares (ASCAP, BMI, The MLC). Three separate paths.

BMI wants a revision, not a new registration

BMI's route is direct. Email the update request for an already registered work to [email protected]. Include the work title, work number, and a clear description of the revision. BMI reviews it and will contact you if it needs supporting documentation. The exact instructions are in BMI's existing-work update FAQ.

That's the only way BMI lists for changing an existing work. A new registration of the same song isn't allowed and will be rejected automatically (BMI's existing-work update FAQ). Keep the original work number in your request, then save the email beside the agreement you relied on.

Put the current and requested shares in the same note, and copy the work number exactly as it appears in your account. That leaves less room for the wrong entry to be changed.

You don't need to write a long case history. Name the song, state what the record shows, give the requested revision, and keep the supporting agreement ready in case BMI asks for it.

The MLC draws a line between edits and claims

The MLC uses two different workflows. For an ordinary edit, sign in to Member Hub, locate the work, choose Edit, and update the sections the interface allows. Each section opens separately. Finish with Submit, then Confirm.

Submitted isn't finished. Watch Registration History until the status changes to Accepted; at that point the catalog shows the updated information and the earlier submission stays marked Superseded (The MLC's editing instructions). Button clicked isn't the same as correction complete.

Some fields are yours to change. Others aren't. The MLC's editing chart allows members to add a writer, for example, but existing writer details and conflicting shares require contacting support.

An ordinary edit screen can't decide a dispute between co-writers. If the shares conflict, stop and use the route The MLC lists for conflicting shares rather than trying random changes in the work editor.

An overclaim is different. It means multiple claimants report shares that total more than 100 percent (The MLC's overclaim definition). The Overclaims Tool lets claimants contact one another, amend a Collection Share, or provide documents that support their claims. The MLC says an amended share should appear in the catalog within 1 to 3 weeks (The MLC's overclaim instructions).

The MLC emails the copyright contacts on file when a work enters overclaim status. You can reply to that message or use Email All Claimants inside the tool to contact the other parties. It includes the song title and an overclaim ID, giving everyone one starting point for the discussion. Keep the email with the written split record (The MLC's overclaim instructions).

The automated message comes from [email protected], with a subject line that identifies the work and overclaim ID. Keep everyone in the same thread; that is easier to track than starting separate conversations. (The MLC's overclaim instructions)

Think twice before choosing Relinquish Shares. That option removes all of your shares on the work, not only the disputed portion (The MLC's overclaim instructions).

Keep one correction trail

Keep one factual record for each organization:

• The agreement or split sheet that supports the requested change.
• The exact title, alternate title, work number, and any identifier shown in the account.
• The current share and requested share for each writer or publisher involved.
• The email, Member Inquiry, or portal submission, plus any files sent.
• The confirmation and later catalog view showing the accepted change.

After that, compare the entry with your agreement again. A sent request is only a request. Keep it open until the catalog shows the accepted names and shares, then save the final view with the date. Don't close the task when you hit Send. Check the catalog.

A disagreement over the signed split is a stop sign. Don't change another person's share. The MLC's overclaim process asks claimants to resolve the conflict or provide documentation (The MLC's Overclaims Tool); it doesn't decide a contract dispute. For an actual ownership dispute, get qualified legal help before submitting a new claim.

A corrected royalty record isn't a new song. It's the same work, with the right people attached and a paper trail strong enough to keep it that way.

Sources: ASCAP work-registration guidance; ASCAP Member Access support information; ASCAP publisher primer; BMI existing-work update FAQ; The MLC editing instructions; The MLC Overclaims Tool; The MLC and U.S. Copyright Office.