It is an official document issued by your national tax authority (e.g., IRS in the USA, HMRC in the UK). It proves you are a fiscal resident of your country and allows us to apply Double Tax Treaties (DTT) to reduce taxes on your payments.

Under international tax laws, when a Label makes a direct bank transfer to a foreign artist, it acts as a “Tax Agent”. This means we are legally required to withhold income tax (Withholding Tax) from your royalties and transfer it to the local tax authorities of the Label’s jurisdiction.

It depends on the specific laws of the Label's jurisdiction and whether you provide a TRC:

•​ Standard Rate: If you do not provide a TRC, we must deduct the full statutory rate (typically 10%–30%, depending on the country).

•​ Reduced Rate (0%): If you do provide a valid TRC, we can apply the Double Tax Treaty and reduce this tax to 0% (meaning you receive the full amount).

We recommend switching your payout method to Cryptocurrency (USDT). In our current workflow, crypto payouts are processed differently and generally do not require a TRC to be paid in full (100% of your royalties). This is the fastest and most efficient way to get paid.

Most countries (USA, UK, EU members, etc.) have treaties with major business jurisdictions. You can check with your local tax advisor. If a treaty exists, you are eligible for the 0% rate upon providing a TRC.

Note: If no treaty exists between our countries, the tax deduction is mandatory for Bank Transfers unless you switch to Crypto.

A TRC is valid for one calendar year. You need to provide a fresh certificate annually to maintain your 0% tax status for Bank Transfers. We do not require certificates for past years — only for the year in which the payment is made.

You can request it online or in person from your local tax office. Examples:

•​ USA: Form 6166 via IRS.

•​ UK: Certificate of Residence via HMRC.

•​ EU countries: Request a “Tax Residency Certificate” from your local tax department.

•​ Russia: Certificate of Tax Residency (TRC) via nalog.ru.

According to our Agreement, royalties are calculated and reported on a specific schedule (typically quarterly or semi-annually, depending on your contract terms). Please remember there is always a reporting lag from DSPs (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) to the label. For example, earnings generated in January are usually received and processed by us 2-3 months later. Once the statement is issued, payment is processed within the timeframe specified in your Agreement.

Yes. To minimize transaction fees (SWIFT / Gas fees) and administrative load, we apply a Minimum Payout Threshold (e.g., $100). If your earnings do not reach this threshold, the balance is rolled over to the next period until the total exceeds the amount.

Several factors affect the final amount:

1. Territory: Streams from different countries have vastly different rates.

2. Currency Exchange: Royalties are often collected in various currencies and converted to USD.

3. Transaction Fees: Bank fees (SWIFT) or Blockchain network fees are deducted from the transfer amount.

4. Taxes: As explained in Section 1 (Tax Residency), withholding tax applies to Bank Transfers if no TRC is provided.

Royalties are paid quarterly when the threshold is reached:

• 1st Quarter (Jan – Mar): Paid by April 30.

• 2nd Quarter (Apr – Jun): Paid by July 31.

• 3rd Quarter (Jul – Sep): Paid by October 31.

• 4th Quarter (Oct – Dec): Paid by January 31.

• Q1 Update: April 15–20.

• Q2 Update: July 15–20.

• Q3 Update: October 15–20.

• Q4 Update: January 15–20.

Important: The balance updates only during these windows.

Every song has two copyrights:

1. The Master Right (sound recording) – collected by Distribution.

2. The Composition Right (melody & lyrics) – collected by a Publisher. Standard distribution does not collect Performance or Mechanical royalties generated when your music is played on radio, TV, or live venues. Without Publishing Administration, you may be leaving up to 50% of your revenue uncollected.

Yes. Millions of dollars in royalties sit unclaimed at collection societies. If you sign up for our Publishing service, we can audit your catalog and attempt to recover retroactive royalties for periods ranging from 2 to 3 years prior (depending on society rules).

We act as your worldwide Publishing Administrator:

• Registering songs with global PROs / CMOs.

• Collecting Mechanical Royalties (streams / downloads).

• Collecting Performance Royalties (Radio / TV / Live).

• Handling Sync Licensing.

• Auditing royalty reports.

Because this is a resource-intensive service involving international registration fees (typically $75–$100 per writer), we offer Publishing Administration as a premium partnership level.

How it works:

•​ Zero Upfront Cost: Soundeo Records will advance these registration costs for you.

•​ Risk-Free: We simply deduct this one-time fee from your future publishing royalties. You never pay out of pocket.

•​ Eligibility: To ensure this investment makes economic sense for both parties, we review your catalog’s current streaming traction and commercial performance.

If you have consistent streams and an active catalog, please contact your label manager to request a Publishing Audit. We will assess if your repertoire is ready for global registration.