Why does metadata administration matter?

Incorrect or missing metadata is one of the most common reasons royalties go unpaid. If your tracks are not correctly identified with ISRC codes, ISWC codes, writer splits, and label information, collection societies and digital platforms cannot route your money to you. We ensure every release in your catalog is unambiguously attributed.

What is the difference between a music publisher and a publishing administrator?

A traditional music publisher typically acquires a share of your copyright in exchange for their services. A publishing administrator like Code Group Music manages and collects your royalties on your behalf without taking any ownership of your music. You keep 100% of your copyright.

How long does digital distribution take?

Standard releases are delivered to all major DSPs within 7 business days. Priority distribution is available for time-sensitive releases or landmark drops that require faster turnaround.

What is an ISRC code and do I need one?

An ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is a unique identifier for each of your sound recordings, the equivalent of a barcode for your music. Every track needs one to be correctly tracked across streaming platforms and to ensure royalties are attributed and paid correctly. We handle ISRC registration as part of our metadata administration service.

Does Code Group Music work with artists outside the UK?

Yes. While we are based in Mayfair, London, we work with independent artists, labels, and rights holders worldwide. Our publishing administration service covers global collection societies and our digital distribution reaches 150+ platforms internationally.

What is the difference between a music label services provider and a record label?

A record label signs artists, acquires rights to masters and publishing, and takes a significant share of income in exchange for funding and promotion. A music label services provider like Code Group Music delivers the same administrative functions - distribution, publishing registration, royalty collection, metadata management - without acquiring any rights. You pay a service fee or commission, retain full ownership, and commission only the services you need.

Do you work with Caribbean, reggae, and soca artists?

Yes. We have deep experience with the Caribbean music ecosystem, including JACAP (Jamaica), COTT (Trinidad and Tobago), and ECCO (Eastern Caribbean) royalty collection. For reggae, dancehall, soca, and calypso artists based in the UK with audiences across the Caribbean diaspora, we ensure PRS reciprocal agreements with Caribbean PROs are functioning correctly, that works are registered in both territories, and that Boomplay and Caribbean-specific platform delivery is included in distribution.

Do you work with Afrobeats artists?

Yes. We distribute to Boomplay, Audiomack, and all major African-facing streaming platforms in addition to global DSPs. For UK-based Afrobeats artists with audiences in Nigeria, Ghana, and the African diaspora, we coordinate PRS registration for UK performance royalties, MCPS publisher account setup for mechanical royalties, PPL registration for neighbouring rights, and active pursuit of royalties from COSON (Nigeria) and GHAMRO (Ghana) under reciprocal agreements.

Music Label Services · Mayfair, London

Your music is earning royalties right now.The question is whether they're reaching you.

Most independent artists collect from one royalty source. There are five. We make sure you're registered, credited, and paid across all of them.

Find out what you're missing →Schedule a consultation →

2,400+

Catalog Titles Managed

60+

Countries Distributed

150+

DSPs & Stores Reached

98%

Client Retention

Singer-Songwriters◆Independent Artists◆Gospel◆Hip-Hop & R&B◆Christian◆Folk & Americana◆Pop◆Soul & Funk◆Jazz◆Classical & Contemporary◆Gospel Artists◆Alternative◆Singer-Songwriters◆Independent Artists◆Gospel◆Hip-Hop & R&B◆Christian◆Folk & Americana◆Pop◆Soul & Funk◆Jazz◆Classical & Contemporary◆Gospel Artists◆Alternative◆Singer-Songwriters◆Independent Artists◆Gospel◆Hip-Hop & R&B◆Christian◆Folk & Americana◆Pop◆Soul & Funk◆Jazz◆Classical & Contemporary◆Gospel Artists◆Alternative◆

The Gap

What your distributor doesn't do.

Your distributor:

Uploads your music to streaming platforms
Delivers your files to 30–150+ DSPs
Collects master recording royalties (the number on your dashboard)
Gives you ISRC and UPC codes (that they own, not you)

What nobody is doing (unless you have CGM):

Registering your songs with global PROs (PRS, ASCAP, SOCAN, and others) for performance royalties
Registering with mechanical licensing societies (MCPS, MLC, and others) for mechanical royalties
Registering with neighbouring rights societies (PPL and international equivalents) if you perform on your own recordings
Issuing ISRCs in your name, or helping you take ownership of your existing codes
Creating your ISNI (your global identity as a creator)
Listing you on MusicBrainz and Discogs (the databases that matching systems use to find you)
Syncing your metadata across Spotify for Artists, Apple Music for Artists, Bandsintown, and Songkick
Registering your worship songs with CCLI (if applicable)
Checking that your data survived delivery in the correct format

Your distributor's job ends at delivery. Everything in the first column generates one type of royalty. Everything in the second generates four more. If you've only been using a distributor, you've been collecting a fraction of what your music earns.

See exactly what you're missing →

Some of Our Clients

Artists & Writers.

JORDAN G WELCH

Listen Now

Spotify Apple Music

LURINE CATO

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Spotify Apple Music

VADE

Listen Now

Spotify Apple Music

LOUCRETIA HORRELL

Listen Now

Spotify Apple Music

WILL MERRELL

Listen Now

Spotify Apple Music

THE KINGDOM CHOIR

Listen Now

Spotify Apple Music

R2BEES

Listen Now

Spotify Apple Music

CLAY

Listen Now

Spotify Apple Music

HIS HOUSE

Listen Now

Spotify Apple Music

CHEBUTTA

Listen Now

Spotify Apple Music

ERIK GRIGGS

Listen Now

And that’s just
a few of our
clients.

Work with us →

As Seen On

Keith Kirk’s metadata expertise, independently recognised.

Let's Talk About Metadata

David Hunte

Music Metadata Expert: Save Time and Money

The Vana Room Podcast

How Bad Metadata Makes Artists Lose Royalties

Africa Music Law Show

Trusted By

Labels, studios, broadcasters, and institutions we have worked with

Our Music Label Services

Three pillars. One team.

Backed by 18+ years working inside the industry, our music label services cover every layer of administrative infrastructure an independent artist or label needs — from publishing admin through digital distribution to metadata management. See all our music label services →

Metadata Administration

We check every release in your catalog the same way Universal Music checks theirs. Identifier codes, platform formatting, database listings, credit accuracy. If something is wrong, we find it and fix it.

Learn more →

Digital Distribution

Your music on 150+ platforms worldwide. But more importantly, your music delivered with correct metadata so royalties get matched properly. Distribution is logistics. We make sure the data behind the logistics is right.

Learn more →

Publishing Administration

Royalty collection across performance, mechanical, sync, and international channels. Delivered through our partnership with SESAC. 15% commission. No upfront fees. You keep 100% ownership.

Learn more →

Free Tools

Know your numbers. No signup.

Free browser-based tools for independent artists — validate metadata codes, calculate uncollected royalties, and audit your distribution coverage. See all 5 free tools →

Metadata

ISRC Code Validator

Validate and decode any ISRC code instantly. Check format against ISO 3901 and identify every component — country code, registrant, year, and designation.

Try it free →

Publishing

Music Royalty Calculator

Estimate how much royalty income you may be leaving uncollected across PRS, MCPS, PPL, and international collection sources. Annual GBP estimate, no signup.

Try it free →

Distribution

Distribution Coverage Checker

See which streaming platforms your current distributor covers and which you are missing — across 30+ DSPs, social stores, and emerging market platforms.

Try it free →

Free Catalog Assessment

Understand your catalog's potential.

Select your account type to begin your tailored assessment.

Who We Are

Independent. London-based.

Code Group Music is a specialist music label services company dedicated entirely to independent artists and rights holders. We believe that every catalog deserves institutional-grade infrastructure, the same rigour applied to the world's largest labels, applied to yours.

We are not a major label. We are not a distributor with a dashboard and no phone number. We are a small, expert team that takes a limited number of clients and gives each one our full attention.

Code Group Music Ltd
Mayfair, London
United Kingdom

Meet Our CEO

Keith Kirk.

Chief Executive Officer

With 18+ years across Universal Music Group, Sony Music, BMG, and Kobalt, Keith has shaped how independent catalogs compete at the institutional level. As a session artist he sang background vocals on Rihanna's Academy Award-nominated “Lift Me Up” and recorded the Black Panther original score at Abbey Road with 24 session singers.

View Full Profile →

Common Questions

Everything you'd want to know, answered honestly.

We work with independent artists, bands, and small labels that want institutional-grade label services without signing away their creative freedom or ownership. If you are making music that deserves to be heard, we want to help it reach further.

Publishing administration is delivered through CGM's partnership with SESAC, a major performing rights organisation. CGM prepares and submits your catalog metadata; SESAC registers your works with collection societies including PRS, ASCAP, SOCAN, APRA, and international equivalents. CGM then actively pursues royalty collection across performance, mechanical, synchronisation, and digital licensing channels. Most artists leave substantial money uncollected. We recover it.

Yes. Absolute ownership remains with you. We administer your rights on your behalf. We never acquire a share of your copyright or publishing. This is a service relationship, not a record deal. For publishing administration and digital distribution, CGM retains 15% of collected royalties — CGM only earns when you earn. Metadata Administration is a separate subscription-based service. In all cases, 100% of copyright and creative rights remain yours.

We distribute to 150+ DSPs worldwide, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, and all major platforms, with rapid turnaround, high-quality metadata, and transparent monthly reporting. We also handle pre-save campaigns and playlist pitching for marquee releases.

Incorrect or missing metadata is one of the most common reasons royalties go unpaid. If your tracks are not correctly identified with ISRC codes, writer splits, and label information, collection societies and platforms cannot route your money to you. We make sure every release is unambiguously attributed.

The best starting point is our free Catalog Assessment above. Fill it in (it takes under five minutes) and a member of our team will review your situation personally and reach back with honest, specific recommendations. No obligation.

No. Code Group Music is a music label services provider, not a record label. We do not sign artists, acquire masters, or take any ownership stake in your music. We provide the administrative and rights management services that a label would normally provide internally - publishing administration, digital distribution, and metadata management - as a service you commission. You retain 100% of your rights.

Yes. We have specific experience serving gospel, Christian, and worship artists in the UK. Code Group Music has its own CCLI publisher portal and account, enabling direct registration of worship songs — not just coordination. We register your compositions with CCLI and collect church licensing royalties on your behalf, income that most independent Christian artists do not know they are owed. We also handle PRS and MCPS registration and distribution to Premier Christian Radio and UCB.

Yes. We have deep experience with the Caribbean music ecosystem, including JACAP (Jamaica), COTT (Trinidad and Tobago), and ECCO (Eastern Caribbean) royalty collection. For reggae, dancehall, soca, and calypso artists in the UK, we ensure PRS reciprocal agreements with Caribbean PROs are functioning correctly and that Boomplay and Caribbean-specific platform delivery is included in distribution.

Yes. We distribute to Boomplay, Audiomack, and all major African-facing streaming platforms in addition to global DSPs. For UK-based Afrobeats artists, we coordinate PRS registration, PPL neighbouring rights, and active pursuit of royalties from COSON (Nigeria) and GHAMRO (Ghana) under reciprocal agreements.

Distribution is logistics - getting your music onto platforms. Administration is everything that happens after delivery: registering your works with collection societies, issuing identifier codes, syncing metadata, and collecting the royalties that those registrations generate. Your distributor handles delivery. They do not handle administration. That's a completely separate discipline.

Not automatically. ISRC codes assigned by a distributor are often registered under the distributor's account, not yours. If you leave that distributor, you may not be able to take those codes with you - which means your streaming history and royalty matching history goes with them. CGM issues ISRC codes that are registered to you and your catalog from day one.

PRS covers performance royalties for public broadcast and live performance in the UK. It does not cover MCPS mechanical royalties (paid when your music is reproduced), PPL neighbouring rights (paid to performers and labels when recordings are broadcast), CCLI church licensing, or international collection through reciprocal agreements with overseas PROs. Most artists registered with PRS are still missing income from at least two of these channels.

Yes, within limits. Collection societies hold unclaimed royalties for a period - typically 3 years before they are redistributed. We can audit your catalog, identify gaps in your historical registrations, and file retrospective claims where the window is still open. How much is recoverable depends on your catalog size and how long the registration gaps have existed.

After approximately 3 years, most collection societies redistribute unclaimed royalties to their registered members - which means other artists receive money that should have been yours. This is why registration timing matters. Every month your works are unregistered is a month the clock is running on potential claims you can no longer make.

Yes. CCLI and PRS cover completely different licensing channels. PRS collects performance royalties when your music is broadcast on radio, TV, or streamed. CCLI collects church licensing fees when congregations reproduce your songs for worship - printed lyrics, projected screens, recordings used in services. Both streams exist independently. Most worship songwriters are registered with one and missing the other entirely.

Still have questions? We are happy to talk.

Get in Touch

Let's talk about your catalog.

The fastest way to start is by completing the free Catalog Assessment above. Or reach us directly — we respond to every enquiry personally.

management@codegroupmusic.co.uk

Book a Call

Schedule time with our team

Address

Mayfair, London, United Kingdom

The Big Music Business Playlist

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“We take a limited number of clients. We give each one our full attention.”
Code Group Music

Your music is earning royalties right now.The question is whether they're reaching you.

What your distributor doesn't do.

Artists & Writers.

Keith Kirk’s metadata expertise, independently recognised.

Let's Talk About Metadata

Music Metadata Expert: Save Time and Money

How Bad Metadata Makes Artists Lose Royalties

Three pillars. One team.

Metadata Administration

Digital Distribution

Publishing Administration

Know your numbers. No signup.

ISRC Code Validator

Music Royalty Calculator

Distribution Coverage Checker

Understand your catalog's potential.

I am an Artist

I am a Catalog Owner

Independent. London-based.

Keith Kirk.

Everything you'd want to know, answered honestly.

Let's talk about your catalog.

What your distributor doesn't do.

Artists & Writers.

Three pillars. One team.

Metadata Administration

Digital Distribution

Publishing Administration

Know your numbers. No signup.

ISRC Code Validator

Music Royalty Calculator

Distribution Coverage Checker

Understand your catalog's potential.

I am an Artist

I am a Catalog Owner

Independent. London-based.

Keith Kirk.

Everything you'd want to know, answered honestly.

Let's talk about your catalog.