How to Check If Someone Stole Your Publishing (And What to Do About It)
You finished the session at 4 a.m., shook hands, took the selfie, and agreed it was 50/50. Six months later the song is everywhere… and you’re getting $0 in publishing.
Welcome to the oldest scam in the new music business: the silent 100% registration.
It happens to bedroom producers, featured rappers, background singers, and even established artists who trusted the wrong co-writer. Someone quietly registers the entire song in their name only and pockets every publishing dollar while you’re still waiting on that “we’ll sort the split later” text.
Here’s exactly how to check if it happened to you — and how to fight back before the money disappears forever.
Step 1: Search the Three Places That Actually Matter (Takes 10 Minutes)
Do this for EVERY song you’ve ever touched.
- ASCAP / BMI Repertoire Search (U.S. writers) → Go to ascap.com/repertory or bmi.com/search → Type the exact song title → Look who’s listed and what percentage they claimed Red flag: You’re not there at all, or they gave you 0%.
- SESAC Repertoire (if anyone on the song is SESAC) → sesac.com/repertory Same drill.
- Songtrust / Harry Fox / Music Reports (mechanicals & global) → These feed Spotify, Apple, YouTube, etc. → If you’re not listed here, you’re getting zero mechanicals.
Bonus global check: → songdex.com or soundexchange.com (neighboring rights)
Do it right now. I’ll wait.
Real 2025 Horror Stories (Names changed, receipts real)
- Atlanta producer gave a drill artist a beat + hook → artist registered 100% writer + 100% publisher → producer saw $0 of the $78K BMI check
- UK singer did the reference vocals for a U.S. rapper → song blew up on TikTok → rapper registered her out completely → she only found out when fans tagged her in the video
- Featured rapper was told “50/50 on the song” → headliner registered 75% writer / 100% publisher → feature still waiting two years later
Step 2: Screenshot Everything, Then Confront
If you find you’ve been erased:
- Pull screenshots of the PRO databases showing 100% in their name
- Gather proof of your contribution:
- Pro Tools/FL Studio session files with your name in metadata
- Text messages, emails, voice notes agreeing to splits
- Studio invoices, engineer witness statements
- Original stems with your vocals/melody
- Send a polite but firm email: “Hey, I noticed the registration shows 100% to you. Here’s the proof of our 50/50 agreement and my contribution. Please correct the registration within 14 days or I’ll have to escalate to the PRO and my attorney.”
60% of the time they’ll fix it quietly once they realize you’re not asleep.
Step 3: If They Ghost or Lie → Escalate Fast
- File a formal dispute with the PRO (ASCAP/BMI/SESAC all have dispute forms)
- File with the MLC (Mechanical Licensing Collective) for mechanicals
- Send a cease-and-desist (templates cost $150 on Rocket Lawyer)
- Sue in small claims if it’s under $10K-$20K (no lawyer needed in most states)
One producer won $42,000 in small claims in Georgia last year with nothing but screenshots and text messages.
How to Protect Yourself Starting Today
- Never leave the studio without a one-page split sheet signed by everyone (Google “Exposed Vocals split sheet template” – we made a free one)
- Register your share with your PRO the same week
- Use SessionLink or Discloze to timestamp sessions and agreements on the blockchain (yes, it’s overkill until it saves you $200K)
- Watermark your stems with “DO NOT DISTRIBUTE – 50% PUBLISHING”
- If someone says “we’ll register later,” that’s code for “I’m about to rob you”
The Ugly Truth
Publishing theft is the easiest money in music right now. Most artists never check. PROs don’t verify splits — they just pay whoever registered first.
Don’t be the cautionary tale.
Check your catalog tonight. If someone stole your bag, take it back before the next quarterly check drops.
Drop your own stories below (we’ll keep you anonymous). The more we expose this, the harder it gets to pull off.
