TL;DR: TuneRegistry is a music metadata management tool that helps independent artists organize ISRCs, ISWCs, and registration records. It does not collect royalties — it tracks metadata. This article compares TuneRegistry to other metadata management tools and explains when a publishing administrator covers more ground.
What Is TuneRegistry?
TuneRegistry is a self-service metadata management platform designed for independent artists, labels, and publishers. Its core function is helping rights holders maintain an organized record of their:
- ISRCs (International Standard Recording Codes) for sound recordings
- ISWCs (International Standard Work Codes) for compositions
- PRO registration status for each work
- MLC and SoundExchange registration status
- Co-writer and publisher information
TuneRegistry does not distribute music, does not collect royalties, and does not file on your behalf with CMOs. It is a database and record-keeping tool, not a publishing administrator.
Why Metadata Management Matters
ISRC and ISWC metadata are the matching keys that allow PROs, The MLC, SoundExchange, and international CMOs to connect streaming data to rights holders. When metadata is inconsistent:
- Streaming platform data arrives at ASCAP with an ISRC that doesn't match their records → royalty goes unmatched
- The MLC receives a mechanical royalty report with a song title formatted differently than its registration → royalty enters the suspense pool
- A German CMO receives a royalty distribution with an ISWC that doesn't exist in their system → royalty goes uncollected
The CISAC Global Collections Report 2024 found €12.59B collected globally — but a significant fraction of royalties go unmatched each year due to these metadata failures. In the US alone, The MLC holds over $400M in unmatched blanket and historical royalties.
TuneRegistry Alternatives
1. Manual Spreadsheet Tracking
Best for: Artists with small catalogs (under 20 songs)
A well-organized spreadsheet can track the same information TuneRegistry stores: song title, ISRC, ISWC, PRO registration number, MLC ID, co-writer details, and registration status. This is free and sufficient for most artists just starting out.
Limitation: Spreadsheets don't integrate with PRO or MLC systems, don't alert you to inconsistencies, and don't scale well beyond a few dozen songs.
2. Your PRO's Registration Portal
Best for: US artists focused on domestic performance royalties
ASCAP's ACE (Accessible Copyright Essentials) database and BMI's work registration portal allow you to view and manage your registered works. These are authoritative sources for your PRO-registered catalog and ISWCs assigned by those organizations.
Limitation: PRO portals only show you what's registered at that PRO — they don't show you whether your ISRC in the PRO's system matches what your distributor has, or whether The MLC has matching records.
3. The MLC's Songview
Best for: Checking US mechanical royalty registration status
The MLC's Songview portal allows rights holders to search for their works in The MLC's database and verify registration status. This is a useful complement to your PRO portal.
Limitation: Songview shows MLC records only. It does not show your PRO records, distributor ISRCs, or international CMO status.
4. Reprtoir
Best for: Independent labels and publishers managing larger catalogs
Reprtoir is a music rights management platform with features similar to TuneRegistry but with more sophisticated catalog management tools, royalty accounting, and collaboration features. It is designed for small-to-mid-size labels and publishers rather than individual artists.
Trade-off: Reprtoir is priced for businesses — it is more expensive than TuneRegistry and more complex for solo artists.
5. CreateBase
Best for: Independent artists who want metadata auditing and active royalty recovery, not just record-keeping
CreateBase goes beyond metadata tracking. It cross-references your ISRC and ISWC records across your distributor, your PRO registration, The MLC, and SoundExchange — and identifies specific mismatches that are causing royalties to go uncollected.
The key difference: TuneRegistry helps you organize what you know. CreateBase identifies what you don't know — the discrepancies between systems that are silently blocking your royalties.
When to use it: If you have a catalog with several years of streaming history and suspect royalties are missing due to metadata inconsistencies.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | TuneRegistry | Spreadsheet | PRO Portal | MLC Songview | Reprtoir | CreateBase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISRC tracking | ✅ | ✅ | Partial | Partial | ✅ | ✅ |
| ISWC tracking | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| PRO registration tracking | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| MLC registration tracking | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cross-system mismatch detection | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Partial | ✅ |
| Royalty collection | ❌ | ❌ | Via PRO | Via MLC | Via partners | ✅ |
| SoundExchange tracking | Partial | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Partial | ✅ |
| International CMO filing | ❌ | ❌ | Via reciprocal | ❌ | Via partners | ✅ |
| Cost | Paid | Free | Free | Free | Paid (business) | % of recovered |
When Metadata Tracking Alone Is Not Enough
TuneRegistry and similar tools solve an organizational problem: knowing what you have registered and where. But the deeper problem for most independent artists is not disorganization — it is that their registrations are inconsistent across systems in ways they cannot see.
A correctly formatted spreadsheet tracking your ISRCs is useful. But it does not tell you that your ASCAP registration for "Track 7" uses ISRC US-S1Z-22-00007 while Spotify has it as USS1Z2200007 (no hyphens) and The MLC has it as US-S1Z-22-0007 (one digit short). All three are technically different records. None of them match. Royalties from that track go unmatched at both ASCAP and The MLC.
This kind of inconsistency is common, invisible to the artist, and not resolved by metadata tracking tools — only by active cross-system auditing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does TuneRegistry register works with my PRO? No. TuneRegistry is a record-keeping tool. You still need to register directly with your PRO (ASCAP, BMI, PRS, etc.) and The MLC.
Can TuneRegistry help me find unclaimed royalties? TuneRegistry helps you organize your registration data. It does not audit your records against streaming data or PRO/MLC databases to identify royalties that are sitting uncollected.
Is there a free TuneRegistry alternative? For basic ISRC and ISWC tracking, a spreadsheet is free and adequate for small catalogs. For checking your US registration status, the PRO portals (ASCAP's ACE, BMI's Work Registration) and The MLC's Songview are free.
Sources
- The MLC 2023 Annual Royalty Recap: $400M+ in unmatched royalties; $3B+ distributed since 2021
- CISAC Global Collections Report 2024: €12.59B collected globally by all CMOs
- SoundExchange 2024: $1.05B distributed
- ASCAP 2025 Annual Report: $1.759B distributed (record)