Music rights audit: prepare an exploitable catalogue

Music rights audit here refers to a concrete process: identifying the correct rights holders, defining the intended use or evidence required, formalising decisions and keeping the elements that will help understand the agreement later. This method avoids vague promises and reduces misunderstandings between artists, producers, labels, publishers, and users.

TuneLockr helps creators organise their files, evidence, and permissions. The tool does not replace a collecting society or personalised legal advice. The information below is educational and should be tailored to the project, territory, and any existing contracts.

Music rights audit: the four key decisions

Implement a music rights audit, step by step

1. Map out the people and assets

Start by naming the work, the recording, the exact version, and the relevant files. Add the authors, composers, performers, producers, publishers, or relevant representatives. This mapping prevents a decision made about the master from being mistakenly applied to the composition, or vice versa.

2. Describe the requirement using verifiable parameters

Replace general wording with observable parameters: uses, media, territory, duration, exclusivity, volumes, permitted modifications, recipients, and termination conditions. When the project changes, create a new version of the agreement or the record instead of quietly altering the history.

3. Check existing documents

Review contracts, mandates, licences, split sheets, statements, invoices, and relevant exchanges. Prior authorisation, management mandates, or exclusivity may affect your room for manoeuvre. Where important stakes are involved, a professional analysis ensures a reliable interpretation.

4. Keep an accessible record

Archive the final version, attachments, date, identity of the people who validated, and the corresponding files. Use a consistent naming convention and save everything in a location separate from the place of creation.

Integrate the music rights audit into a release cycle

Before finalisation

Gather the relevant people while creative and commercial choices are still easy to explain. For the ‘asset inventory’, assign a person in charge and set a validation date. This early stage takes less time than searching for documents a few months after release.

Upon delivery

Create a reference folder containing the approved export, metadata, agreements, contact details, and a summary of decisions taken. Do not overwrite old versions: archive them with a clear status. This will allow you to show which file was delivered, when, and under what conditions.

During use

Monitor any divergence between the intended scope and the actual use. A campaign might extend, a video may be re-edited, a partner may change, or a new platform might arise. The aim is not to block all change but to identify when a new approval or extension becomes necessary.

At closure or renewal

Note the definitive end, the files returned or deleted, the amounts paid, and any possible extensions. A brief review creates a reliable record and improves future agreements. For a catalogue, apply the same framework to each title in order to make decisions comparable.

How to assess the quality of the mechanism?

For a music rights audit, a good file is understandable by someone who was not involved in the discussions, traceable thanks to consistent files and dates, proportionate to the value of the use and reversible when the authorisation comes to an end. These criteria are more useful than a stack of unrelated documents.

Test your organisation with a simple scenario: if the project manager is absent, can someone else identify the correct version, know who makes decisions, find the proof and understand what is permitted? If the answer is no, add an index or an overview sheet rather than multiplying the number of folders.

International project: additional checks

International exploitation requires checking territories, languages, intermediaries, and the applicable law. Terms and formalities are not identical everywhere. Therefore, avoid presenting a French model as universal. For significant operations, have the scope confirmed by a professional familiar with the relevant countries and consult the resources of the [organisation].World Intellectual Property Organization.

Example of a properly defined decision

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using a template without adapting it to the actual project.
• Treating the work and the master as a single asset.
• Forgetting a co-author, a producer or a previous licence.
• Granting exclusivity without a defined duration or precise territory.
• Only keep isolated screenshots, without source files or context.
• Present a detection or identifier as absolute proof.

Sources and guidance

To explore further, consult the official resources of INPI. Texts and practices evolve: check the applicable version at the time of your project.