Running Royalty Accounting and Administration for Multiple Labels and Publishers
In short: The Noctil Platform lets organizations that manage several labels, publishers or client companies run each one in its own workspace. Each workspace keeps its metadata, assets, contracts, royalty accounting and statements separate, with its own permissions, so staff for a given label, publishing division or client see only their own data and financial information. Organizations can run every workspace from one account, or set up fully separate accounts where complete separation is required.
Run every label, publisher or client in its own secure workspace, on one platform. For label groups, publishing companies, publishing administrators, distributors and royalty accounting firms managing several labels, publishers or clients.
The Situation
Many music businesses run more than one catalog. Label groups operate several labels and imprints. Publishing companies run separate divisions or acquired catalogs. Publishing administrators manage works and royalties for many client publishers. Distributors and royalty accounting firms process income and statements for dozens or hundreds of client labels.
Each of these labels, publishers or clients has its own repertoire, contracts, rightsholders and finances, and expects them to be kept confidential. The organization still needs to run all of them efficiently, with shared processes and one set of tools.
The Problem
Managing several labels, publishers or clients at once creates problems that single-company tools aren’t built for:
- Data that must stay separate. Each label’s or publisher’s metadata, assets, contracts and royalty figures must be kept apart, so one client never sees another’s catalog or earnings.
- Different teams, different access. Staff for one label, publishing department or client should see only their own data, while central finance and operations teams may need to work across all of them.
- Duplicated tools and processes. Running a separate system for each label or client multiplies licensing, setup and maintenance effort, and makes processes inconsistent.
- Income that must stay with the right catalog. Royalty income and statements for one label, publisher or client must never be mixed with another’s, and must be calculated under that catalog’s own contracts.
- Onboarding new clients or acquisitions. Adding a new label, publisher or acquired catalog should be quick, without rebuilding the setup each time.
- Group-level reporting. Management needs a combined view across labels, divisions or clients, without breaking confidentiality underneath.
The Solution
The Noctil Platform supports many labels, publishers or clients from one platform, each kept separate and secure.
- A workspace for each label, publisher or client. Each workspace holds its own metadata, assets, contracts, rightsholders, royalty accounting and statements, separate from every other workspace.
- Permissions per workspace with OrgLink. Access is set for each workspace, down to the record and attribute level. A label’s or publishing department’s staff see only their own catalog and financial information, while authorized central teams can work across workspaces.
- Income processed in each workspace. Royalty and usage reports from DSPs, distributors and societies are ingested into each workspace with DataFort, and MatchIQ matches every line to that workspace’s recordings or works, so income and statements stay with the right label, publisher or client.
- Consistent processes with ProcessEngine. The same accounting-period workflows, approvals and statement runs can be applied across every workspace, or adjusted for a specific label, publisher or client.
- Fast onboarding. New labels, publishers, clients or acquired catalogs are added as new workspaces without rebuilding the setup.
- Group-level reporting. Results roll up across workspaces for management reporting, while each workspace’s detail stays restricted to the people allowed to see it.
Two ways to set it up
| Workspaces in one account | Separate accounts | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Label groups, publishing companies with several divisions, administrators and accounting firms that run clients centrally | Clients or companies that need full independence, such as their own administrators, contracts or system ownership |
| Data separation | Each workspace’s data is kept separate and protected by permissions | Each account is completely independent |
| Shared processes and reporting | Shared workflows and combined reporting across workspaces | Run independently in each account |
| Licensing | Covered by one account | Each account is licensed separately |
The Result
- One platform for every label, publisher or client, without separate systems to license and maintain
- Confidential by design, with each workspace’s catalog and finances visible only to the people allowed to see them
- Consistent, efficient processes across every label, division or client
- Income and statements kept separate, with each workspace’s reports processed and matched within that workspace
- Fast growth, with new clients, labels and acquired catalogs added as new workspaces
- A choice of setup, from workspaces in one account to fully separate accounts
Frequently Asked Questions
We do royalty accounting for several record labels. Can we run each client from one account?
Yes. Each label runs in its own workspace inside one Noctil account, with its own metadata, contracts, accounting and statements, and its own access permissions.
Can publishing administrators manage many client publishers on one platform?
Yes. Each client publisher gets its own workspace for works, shares, agreements, registrations and royalties, while the administrator runs shared processes across all of them.
Can staff see only their own label's or division's data?
Yes. Permissions are set per workspace, down to the record and attribute level, so staff see only the catalogs and financial information they are allowed to see.
How is income processed for each label or publisher?
Income reports are ingested into each label's or publisher's own workspace, where every line is matched to that workspace's recordings or works and calculated under its contracts.
Can we see results across all our labels or divisions?
Yes. Authorized users can view combined reporting across workspaces, while the detail underneath stays restricted.
What is the difference between workspaces and separate accounts?
Workspaces share one account, processes and reporting, with data kept separate by permissions. Separate accounts are completely independent and licensed individually, for clients that need full separation.
Who is this for?
Label groups, publishing companies with several divisions or catalogs, publishing administrators, distributors and royalty accounting firms.