5 Ways South Asian Independent Artists Should Prep for Global Publishing Deals

Beat the discovery gap: a practical checklist for South Asian indies before signing global publishing deals

Missing foreign royalty checks, messy split-sheets, fragmented metadata and opaque admin fees are the exact headaches that stop South Asian independent artists from turning streams into steady income. In 2026, with partnerships like Kobalt x Madverse opening international publishing channels, you don’t want to hand over your catalog without a battle-tested prep plan.

Why this matters now (quick take)

Late 2025–early 2026 accelerated two trends that directly affect you: global publishers expanded admin networks into South Asia, and digital platforms tightened metadata and rights checks before paying out. The Kobalt–Madverse collaboration announced in January 2026 is a prime example—Madverse routes South Asian creators to Kobalt’s global publishing infrastructure, meaning more territory collection but also more scrutiny on data, splits and contract terms.

What you’ll get from this article

• A five-point prep checklist tuned to Kobalt-style admin partnerships
• Actionable templates: metadata fields, split-sheet essentials, and negotiation levers
• 2026 trends and red flags so you keep control of royalties and rights

5 Ways South Asian Independent Artists Should Prep for Global Publishing Deals

1. Lock clean, verifiable metadata — your royalty pipeline

Most missed royalties come from bad or missing metadata. When you join a global admin network, accurate fields let PROs, DSPs and collection agents match streams to your publishing shares.

• Mandatory identifiers: ISRC for each recording, ISWC for each composition (if available), UPC for release, and IPI/CAE numbers for songwriters and publishers.
• Essential metadata fields (use this template):
  • Track title (exact casing)
  • Primary artist name (consistent across DSPs)
  • Featured artists / contributors
  • Songwriter(s) — full legal names
  • Composer(s) and Lyricist(s) if different
  • Publisher name and publisher IPI (if you have one)
  • Share splits — percentage to two decimal places (e.g., 50.00%)
  • ISRC, ISWC
  • Release date, label, territory
• Pro tip: store all metadata in a DDEX-ready spreadsheet. Publishers and admins operate on DDEX and CSV files — the cleaner your file, the faster your collections flow.

2. Fix ownership and paperwork — don’t leave splits to memory

Before any publishing conversation, have your rights and splits documented. That single PDF split-sheet removes months of back-and-forth during international registration.

• Split-sheet essentials:
  • Song title and ISWC (if known)
  • Contributor legal names, stage names, and government ID (for IPI/CAE registration)
  • Exact split percentages that add to 100%
  • Signatures (digital or physical) with dates
  • Producer agreements specifying any producer points on the master (separate from publishing splits)
• Register locally before global registration: sign up and register works with your local collection societies (for India: Indian Performing Right Society — IPRS — and phonographic rights through PPL India where applicable). Local registration builds your baseline collection history and validates credentials when global admins register the catalog abroad.
• Copyright filing: in India, registration is not mandatory but it is strong evidence in disputes — consider filing key works with the Copyright Office before wide licensing.

3. Map royalties — know what’s publishing vs. master

Global publishing deals often collect mechanicals, performance and sync income on your behalf — but masters belong to labels or the rights owner. Understand each revenue stream so you don’t confuse admin services with buyouts.

1. Publishing income streams to watch: performance royalties (broadcast, live, radio), mechanicals (streaming downloads), synchronization fees, print and sub-publishing splits.
2. Master/Label income: neighboring rights, streaming royalties on the master (usually collected by labels or rights owners), YouTube Content ID claims (often separate from publishing).
3. Who collects what in a Kobalt-style partnership: an admin partner like Kobalt focuses on publishing admin (songwriter/composer shares) and global registration. Confirm whether neighbor-rights collection or master collections are included via the label/distribution deal (Madverse handles distribution but clarify if neighbor-rights are also chased).

Action step: build a two-column ledger — left: publishing types + PRO to register with, right: master types + label/distributor responsible. Share that ledger with any prospective admin/publisher and ask them to confirm which columns they will serve.

4. Negotiate the deal — key clauses every indie must check

Not all publishing agreements are equal. Here’s a focused negotiation checklist for indie creators entering admin/co-publishing conversations.

• Admin fee & transparency: Typical admin-only fees range from 10–20%. Ask for gross vs. net reporting, and whether sub-publisher fees apply when they place your works in a territory.
• Term & territory: prefer fixed-term with renewal options (e.g., 3–5 years) rather than perpetual grants. Ask for world-wide non-exclusive administration unless you want exclusivity for a premium.
• Audit & statement frequency: quarterly or semi-annual statements are standard. Insist on audit rights (every 2–3 years) and digital access to reporting dashboards.
• Recoupment & advances: if there is an advance, clarify exactly what it recoups (admin costs, advances on future royalties) and the recoupment waterfall. Avoid hidden recoupable costs like metadata setup fees without a cap.
• AI, sampling & new-format clauses: ensure the agreement specifies monetization rules for derivative or AI-assisted works — in 2026 these clauses are increasingly common.
• Sync and sub-license splits: specify sync split (typical: 50/50 between writer and publisher in admin deals unless co-pub negotiated) and the share you retain for direct sync deals you bring in.
• Exit & reversion: include reversion triggers: e.g., if no revenue > X for Y years, rights automatically revert for that territory or song.

5. Monitor, audit and scale — post-signing checklist

Signing is the start, not the finish. Build a routine to verify collections, resolve shortfalls and scale monetization.

• First 90 days: confirm that the publisher has registered your works with major PROs (BMI/ASCAP/PRS/SGAC equivalents) and uploaded accurate metadata to DDEX feeds.
• Quarterly checks: reconcile DSP reports against publisher statements. Focus on high-volume territories first — UK, US, EU, and the top three streaming markets for your genre.
• Annual audit: exercise your audit rights if discrepancies exceed a threshold (e.g., 5–10%). Use independent auditors familiar with digital royalty accounting.
• Scale opportunities: get the admin to provide a territory-by-territory plan for sync pitching, film/TV placements, and local sub-publisher relationships. Expect the fastest wins in markets where your language or vibe is trending.

Practical templates & micro-checklists

Pre-deal 10-point quick checklist

1. Finalize split-sheets and convert to signed PDF
2. Assign ISRCs to all masters and keep a master list
3. Secure songwriter/composer IPI/CAE numbers
4. Register core works with local PROs (IPRS / PPL India)
5. Create a DDEX-ready metadata spreadsheet
6. Map publishing vs. master ownership in a one-page ledger
7. Request sample statements from the publisher and compare formats
8. Confirm admin fee percentages, advances, and recoupment rules in writing
9. Check for AI and derivative-works clauses
10. Set calendar reminders for 30/90/180-day follow-ups post-signing

Metadata sample (single line example)

Track: "Monsoon Drive" | Artist: "Asha Rao" | Contributors: "Asha Rao (50.00%), Rahul Verma (50.00%)" | ISRC: IN-ABC-21-00001 | ISWC: T-123.456.789-0 | UPC: 123456789012 | Publisher: "Asha Rao Publishing" (IPI: 000000000)

2026 trends every South Asian indie should factor into negotiations

• Expanded publishing admin into South Asia: Major admins are deepening footprints via local partners (see Kobalt x Madverse). That increases collection efficiency but raises expectations for clean data.
• Faster metadata-driven payouts: DSPs and PROs now enforce stricter metadata validations — incomplete metadata causes pay-holds or delayed splits.
• AI & derivative monetization: Rights frameworks for AI-assisted creation are evolving; publishers are adding clauses to clarify revenue on AI-derived works.
• Neighboring rights and direct claims: Some distributors now offer neighboring-rights collection services; confirm whether your deal covers this or if you’ll need a separate claim via PPL or a neighboring-rights aggregator.

Red flags & what to avoid

• Perpetual, world-wide exclusive grants without reversion triggers — avoid or shorten term length
• Lack of audit rights — if you can’t audit, you can’t verify payments
• Ambiguous recoupment clauses — watch for itemized costs that can be charged back to you
• Missing metadata support — if the publisher can’t show a metadata onboarding plan, walk away
• No dashboard or access to statements — transparency is non-negotiable in 2026

“Global reach is fantastic, but most missed rupees come not from bad deals but from sloppy metadata and unsigned split-sheets.” — a checklist distilled from dozens of South Asian indie consultations, 2024–2026

Tools, partners and local places to register

• Local PROs: Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS), PPL India for neighboring rights — register compositions and recordings early.
• Metadata & ISRC providers: local ISRC agencies, distribution partners (Madverse for distribution metadata), or your label/distributor if they manage ISRC assignment.
• Royalty admin & aggregator tools: consider SongTrust-style services for basic global mechanical collection, while using a premium admin (Kobalt via Madverse) for higher-value, active catalog management.
• Audit & analytics: look for publishers who provide per-stream revenue breakdowns and raw DDEX files on request.

Example: a short case workflow (how the checklist works in practice)

Example workflow for a 2026 single aiming for global admin:

1. Before release: get ISRCs, finalize split-sheet, register with IPRS & PPL India.
2. Upload release via Madverse distribution with DDEX metadata filled from your template.
3. Madverse offers Kobalt admin access — you confirm admin fee, term and audit clause, and sign the admin agreement.
4. Within 90 days: Kobalt registers the work with international PROs; you verify registration IDs and request initial statement sample.
5. Ongoing: quarterly reconciliation, annual audit window reserved, and a sync pitching roadmap delivered by the publisher.

Actionable takeaways — a compact summary

• Get metadata right first — ISRCs, ISWC, IPI numbers and signed split-sheets are the minimum.
• Register locally with IPRS / PPL India before relying on global admin.
• Negotiate term, transparency and audit — avoid perpetual exclusives without reversion.
• Map revenues (publishing vs. master) so you know who collects what.
• Build post-signing routines for reconciliation and audits — signing is the beginning of income, not the end.

Final checklist (one-minute scan)

• Split-sheet: signed and PDF-ready
• ISRC, UPC, ISWC (where available)
• IPI/CAE numbers for all writers
• Local PRO registration (IPRS / PPL India)
• Metadata spreadsheet DDEX-ready
• Confirm admin fee, term, audit clause, reversion triggers in writing

Call to action

If you’re ready to turn streams into transparent, recurring income, start with the checklist above. Download our printable metadata & split-sheet template, join the greatest.live creator community for direct peer reviews of publisher offers, and bring your dossier to your next conversation with Madverse or any global admin. The world is open — but in 2026 it pays only when your paperwork, splits and metadata are ready.

Get the checklist: visit greatest.live/checklists to download the metadata CSV and split-sheet PDF, and submit one song dossier for a free review by our publishing specialists.

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