For Songwriters
How to Find Out When an Artist Has Released Your Licensed Song
By the Starchild Music team · October 18, 2026 · 5 min read
The short answer
Check your license records, search the streaming services by title and writer credit, then use The MLC's Public Work Search and your PRO account to confirm the song is matched to the new recording. A licensed song only earns composition royalties when the release is connected to your registration.
You licensed a song. Weeks later an artist may release it, and you may never be told. That is normal. The license lets them record and release, and it does not require a call to you.
But your royalties as the writer depend on someone connecting that new recording to your song. Here is how to look for releases and make sure the connection happens.
Start with your license records
Every Starchild license comes with a certificate PDF naming the writers, with PRO and IPI, and anyone can check it at /verify. Your dashboard shows your sales.
Keep a simple log: song, date of license, license type. A song that sold last month is a song to search for.
Good records also protect you. If a question ever comes up about who licensed what and when, a dated log and the certificate give you a clear answer without digging through email.
Search the services
Search your song title in the major streaming apps and open the credits. Songwriter credits should list you. Try searching with your own name and a lyric line too, since new releases sometimes use a changed title.
Artists may also release under a stage name, so look for the song's writer credits rather than the performer.
Do not rely on a single search. Titles can be shortened, and platforms index credits at different speeds. A song may appear on one service days before it shows up on another.
If you find the release, save the link, the release date and the credited writer names in your log so you can compare them with your registrations.
Check The MLC's database
The MLC lets anyone use its Public Work Search to view ownership on more than 55 million songs. Look up your title and see whether your share is attached. If a shared work is partly claimed, the Claiming Tool lets you claim your portion.
The MLC's Matching Tool connects sound recordings, using ISRCs, to the songs they contain. An ISRC identifies the artist's recording, and it comes from their distributor. If a new recording of your song is not yet matched, you can propose a match.
The MLC notes that providing complete and accurate information helps it process claims. When you propose a match or claim a share, double-check the title, writers and recording details before you submit.
Check your PRO account
Songtrust's guide notes that a song must be registered with a PRO to receive performance royalties, which are split into a writer's share and a publisher's share.
Make sure your PRO account lists the song with the right splits. Check that the song is listed there and, if you use an administrator, ask them to confirm the recording is linked.
Registering the song before the release is best. A work that is already in your PRO account is ready to receive reported performances the moment the recording starts playing.
What you can and cannot claim
As the writer, you can claim income for the composition. That means performance royalties from your PRO and streaming mechanicals through The MLC.
The artist owns their recording, and its income goes to them and their distributor. The Copyright Office treats the composition and the sound recording as separate works. Songtrust's explainer is also clear that it covers publishing royalties and not sound recording royalties.
Licenses on Starchild let artists release recordings on streaming platforms and stores. Don't enroll a non-exclusively licensed song in YouTube Content ID, since other artists may hold licenses to the same song.
If you are unsure which side of a royalty belongs to you, ask yourself one question: does it come from the words and melody, or from the recorded performance? Words and melody are yours.
If something looks wrong
For the artist's side of registration, read who registers what for a licensed song.
- A missing writer credit: check the license certificate and ask the artist to correct the metadata with their distributor.
- A second claim on your share: use The MLC's Overclaims Tool to resolve a work whose shares exceed 100%.
- An unmatched recording: propose the match in the Matching Tool.
- A release you cannot find: wait, search again in a month, and keep the log.
Make it a monthly habit
A five-minute check once a month is enough. Open your license log, search the titles of songs that sold in the past two months, and note anything new. Add the streaming link and the artist name beside the entry.
If you find a release, look at the credits. If your name is missing or misspelled, write to the artist politely and share the license certificate, which names the writers with PRO and IPI. Most mistakes come from rushed distributor forms, not intent.
Our license agreement explains what artists receive with each license, which helps when you need to explain a point in a message.
Do not hunt for money that is not yours
You are looking for composition income only. The artist's master recording, their distribution revenue and their own performances are theirs. Chasing those would be a mistake and could damage a relationship that may bring repeat licenses.
It is also normal for a release to take weeks to appear in databases. Matching is partly automatic and partly done by people proposing matches, so give it time before you raise a concern.
If an artist does well with your song, tell people. A short note thanking them, or a share on your own channels, helps the song and tends to bring the artist back for another.