TL;DR
Kobalt's KOSIGN service is a publishing administration platform that charges 20% of all publishing royalties it collects — including royalties from registrations you already have and royalties that would have flowed to you without any intervention. CreateBase charges $200/year plus a performance share only on new royalties it actively recovers. For independent artists with an established publishing setup who want to address specific gaps, CreateBase's model costs significantly less. For artists building publishing infrastructure from scratch who want a well-resourced platform, KOSIGN's depth is worth evaluating.
Pricing and feature information is based on publicly available sources as of March 2026. Verify current details at each company's website.
Understanding Kobalt and KOSIGN
Kobalt Music is one of the most significant companies in the independent music industry. Its technology platform and publishing administration infrastructure are genuinely excellent — Kobalt has built some of the best royalty tracking and collection systems in the business, and major artists rely on it.
KOSIGN is Kobalt's self-service publishing administration tier, aimed at independent artists who want access to Kobalt's technology and collection network without signing a traditional publishing deal.
The comparison between KOSIGN and CreateBase is a comparison of different models for different use cases — not a comparison of equally positioned services.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | CreateBase | Kobalt KOSIGN |
|---|---|---|
| Free royalty gap audit | Yes (48 hrs) | No |
| Pricing model | $200/yr + share of recoveries | 20% of all royalties collected |
| Minimum catalog size | None | None |
| ASCAP/BMI registration | Yes | Yes |
| MLC registration & claims | Yes | Yes |
| SoundExchange registration | Yes | No |
| ISRC reconciliation (distributor ↔ PRO) | Yes | No |
| International neighboring rights | Yes | Limited |
| CWR international CMO filings | Yes | Yes (Kobalt's proprietary system) |
| Technology platform / dashboard | Audit-focused | Full streaming dashboard |
| Kobalt brand credibility | — | Yes |
The Pricing Difference
This is the core comparison for most independent artists.
Kobalt KOSIGN charges 20% of all publishing royalties collected through the service. This includes royalties from:
- Songs you already have registered at ASCAP or BMI
- Mechanical royalties from The MLC
- Any royalties that would have flowed to you regardless of KOSIGN
If you're collecting $500/month in publishing royalties and those royalties would flow to you with or without KOSIGN, enrolling in KOSIGN costs you $100/month — $1,200/year — for Kobalt's administration infrastructure.
CreateBase charges $200/year plus a performance share only on new royalties that CreateBase actively recovers. Royalties already flowing through your existing registrations are not subject to CreateBase's percentage. If CreateBase finds and recovers $1,000 in new royalties, you pay the performance share on that $1,000 — not on your entire royalty income.
For artists who already have solid existing royalty flows but want specific gaps addressed, the cost differential is significant.
Where Kobalt KOSIGN Genuinely Wins
Depth of technology. Kobalt has invested heavily in proprietary royalty tracking technology. KOSIGN gives artists access to that platform — detailed royalty reporting, granular breakdowns by territory and source, and transparency into collection status that's genuinely useful.
Brand recognition. Being a Kobalt/KOSIGN artist carries credibility in the industry. If sync licensing, label relationships, or industry positioning matter to your strategy, the Kobalt name has weight.
International collection infrastructure. Kobalt's international collection system is sophisticated and well-resourced. For artists with significant international catalog exposure across many territories, Kobalt's established relationships with foreign CMOs are a meaningful advantage.
Catalog-level administration. KOSIGN is well-suited to artists who want a full publishing administration partner for their entire catalog, not just targeted gap recovery.
Where CreateBase Solves the Specific Problem
ISRC reconciliation. KOSIGN doesn't audit the alignment between your distributor's ISRCs and your PRO/MLC registrations. This ISRC mismatch is the single most common cause of unmatched royalties, according to industry data from The MLC. If you have ISRC mismatches, KOSIGN won't find them.
SoundExchange. KOSIGN's scope is publishing royalties — composition performance and mechanicals. SoundExchange digital performance royalties (for recordings played on Pandora, SiriusXM, internet radio) are entirely outside KOSIGN's coverage. This is a separate, meaningful royalty stream that KOSIGN doesn't address.
Free audit first. CreateBase delivers a free personalized gap report within 48 hours before you pay anything. KOSIGN requires enrollment before any analysis of your specific situation.
Pricing on recovery, not on all royalties. If your goal is to address specific gaps rather than hand over ongoing administration of all royalties, CreateBase's model costs substantially less.
Which Is Right for You?
Choose CreateBase if:
- You already have some royalty registrations in place and want to close specific gaps
- You want to know exactly what's missing before committing to any service
- You're paying attention to the cost difference between 20% of all royalties vs. a performance share on new recoveries
- SoundExchange and international neighboring rights are part of your uncollected royalty picture
- You want ISRC reconciliation specifically
Consider Kobalt KOSIGN if:
- You want a comprehensive publishing administration partner with a strong technology platform
- You're building publishing infrastructure from scratch and want to use Kobalt's full system
- Industry brand credibility matters to your strategy
- You have complex, multi-territory catalog with significant existing royalty flows and the technology is worth the 20%
- You prefer a single-platform experience over targeted gap recovery
What CreateBase Does Specifically
- Free 48-hour royalty gap report with specific estimates for each royalty stream
- Full ISRC reconciliation between your distributor records and ASCAP, BMI, and MLC
- Registration and unmatched royalty claims at The MLC
- SoundExchange registration as featured artist and sound recording copyright owner
- CWR international filings for GEMA, PRS, SOCAN, and other key CMOs
- Neighboring rights registration with PPL, GVL, and SENA
- Ongoing monitoring of catalog royalty flows
Get your free royalty gap report → CreateBase identifies every gap in your royalty stack within 48 hours. Free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is KOSIGN and is it different from Kobalt's full publishing service?
A: KOSIGN is Kobalt's self-service publishing administration tier for independent artists. Kobalt also offers traditional publishing deals for established artists with larger catalogs, which involve different terms and artist services. KOSIGN is the self-service product most independent artists would use, which is what this comparison covers.
Q: Does KOSIGN cover SoundExchange?
A: No. KOSIGN's scope is publishing royalties — performance royalties from PROs (ASCAP, BMI) and mechanical royalties from The MLC. SoundExchange collects digital performance royalties for sound recordings from non-interactive services like Pandora and SiriusXM, which is a separate royalty type that publishing administration services don't cover. SoundExchange registration must be done separately.
Q: If I'm already on KOSIGN, can CreateBase also help me?
A: If you're already enrolled in KOSIGN and satisfied with its publishing administration, CreateBase can still address the gaps KOSIGN doesn't cover: SoundExchange registration, ISRC reconciliation, and international neighboring rights. These are separate royalty streams outside KOSIGN's scope. Contact CreateBase for a free audit to see what KOSIGN is leaving uncollected.
Q: How does Kobalt's technology compare to CreateBase's audit?
A: Kobalt/KOSIGN provides a comprehensive technology platform for ongoing royalty reporting and administration — it's built for full catalog management. CreateBase's focus is a targeted audit identifying what's missing and why, then recovering it. They serve different parts of the process: Kobalt is an ongoing administration platform; CreateBase is a gap identification and recovery service.
Q: Is 20% of royalties a typical rate for publishing administration?
A: Publishing administration rates in the industry range from 10–25% depending on the service provider and services included. Songtrust charges 15%, TuneCore Publishing charges 20%, and KOSIGN charges 20%. These percentage fees apply to all royalties collected through the service — including royalties that would flow to you without any intervention. CreateBase's performance share model, which applies only to new recoveries, is structurally different from these administration percentages.
Sources
- The MLC 2023 Annual Royalty Recap — Over $400M in US unmatched mechanicals; $3B+ distributed since 2021
- Kobalt / KOSIGN — Current pricing and feature information
- CISAC Global Collections Report 2024 — €12.59 billion in global royalty collections in 2024
- SoundExchange — Digital performance royalties outside publishing administration scope