Your music is out there. Your metadata isn't keeping up.
Full-service publishing administration, metadata management, and digital distribution. Institutional standards. No ownership trade.
8 of 12 Q3 spots remaining - applications close when full
Most independent artists have a publishing admin. They still lose money. The problem isn't collection. It's what happens before collection starts.
Your publishing administrator collects royalties on works they can see. If your metadata is inconsistent, your ISRC codes are mismatched across platforms, your writer splits are registered differently at each PRO, your MusicBrainz entries don't exist, and your artist profiles aren't synced, your admin is collecting on a fraction of what you're owed.
They collect the drips. Nobody is fixing the pipe.
Code Group Music fixes the pipe. We generate, clean, synchronise, and manage every metadata field across your entire catalog. Then we collect your royalties on top of that, through publishing administration and distribution delivered via our partnership with SESAC.
The result: more of your work is discoverable, more royalties are matched correctly, and more money reaches your account. Every quarter.
30-minute call · no obligation · written catalog report included
This is a small intake. We're looking for the right fit.
- ×Haven't released any music yet and are still in production
- ×Want to hand over your masters and have someone else own your rights
- ×Are looking for the cheapest possible distribution and nothing else
- ×Think metadata is something you’ll “get to eventually”
- →Have released music that's generating (or should be generating) royalties
- →Suspect your metadata is incomplete, inconsistent, or messy across platforms
- →Want institutional-grade administration while keeping full ownership
- →Are ready to treat your catalog as a financial asset, not a filing chore
- →Value working with people who built these systems at the major label level
- →Want your catalog to speak for itself when a label, sync agent, or publisher pulls it up
The team behind it
Keith Kirk leads metadata and publishing at Code Group. Two decades across Universal Music, Sony, BMG, and Kobalt. Session vocal credits at Abbey Road on Rihanna's “Lift Me Up” (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever). Lecturer at Berklee College of Music and the University of the West Indies.
He built metadata systems for major label catalogs. Now he applies that same standard to independent artists who would never normally access this level of precision.
When your metadata is clean, sync supervisors find you. A&Rs can pull your catalog in seconds. Managers stop apologising for missing splits.
Past clients & collaborators
kobaltStrategic partners
Some of Our Clients
Artists & Writers.
Client results
What happens when the foundation is clean
“I had been writing worship songs for a decade and had no idea CCLI owed me anything. CGM registered my catalog through their publisher portal and I received my first CCLI distribution within months. No other service I looked at could do that directly.”
“Running a label with 40 releases and doing our own metadata was costing us in ways we could not see. Streams were not being attributed correctly, profiles were out of sync, and we were losing sync opportunities because the data was a mess. CGM fixed the foundation.”
“We acquired a 200-song catalog and the metadata was a disaster across the board. CGM handled the full audit, re-registration, and synchronisation across streaming platforms. The catalog is now generating revenue it never did under the previous owner.”
How it works
Two services. One team. Nothing falls through the cracks.
The metadata work increases the yield on every royalty we collect. Clean data means more money matched, more platforms paying correctly, more sync opportunities landing. Both services compound each other.
Service One: Metadata Administration
What your monthly subscription covers
All clients receive the Kickstarter service set. Professional and Enterprise tiers add the items marked below.
- ◆Generate, collect, collate, and curate metadata for each song in your catalog
- ◆Industry code management: ISRC, UPC
- ◆Upload and maintain metadata on MusicBrainz
- ◆Administer and manage metadata delivery across all streaming platforms (DDEX-compliant)
- ◆Product setup and cueing on distribution platforms with technical support
- ◆Distribute music to all major DSPs and social media platforms
- ◆Upload and maintain metadata on DiscogsProfessional+
- ◆Full industry code management: ISRC, ISWC, UPC, ISNI, IPI, IPN, EANProfessional+
- ◆Cross-platform metadata synchronisation and cleanupProfessional+
- ◆Synchronise artist profiles on Spotify for Artists, Apple Music for Artists, Bandsintown, and SongkickProfessional+
- ◆Organise and maintain your asset folders: cover art, stems, WAV files, lyrics, and mastersProfessional+
- ◆Register music to Mediabase and LuminateProfessional+
- ◆Administer and manage licensing for cover songs (where applicable)Professional+
- ◆SoundExchange registration (master side royalties)Enterprise
- ◆Dedicated account management and priority turnaroundEnterprise
- ◆Additional ad-hoc services as requiredEnterprise
Service Two: Publishing & Distribution
Commission-based. You earn first. We earn second.
Our publishing administration and distribution service operates on a 15% commission. No upfront fees. No monthly retainer. Through our partnership with SESAC, your works are registered with the relevant collection societies (PRS, ASCAP, SOCAN, APRA, and international equivalents), royalties are collected worldwide, and your catalog is distributed to 150+ DSPs via AudioSalad.
You retain 100% ownership of your masters and your compositions. Always.
The 15% commission is competitive with the largest publishing administrators in the world. The difference: those platforms don't touch your metadata. We do both, which means the royalties we collect are based on a clean, complete, properly registered catalog. Not whatever trickled through despite the gaps.
Code Group Music has its own CCLI publisher portal. We register your worship songs directly and collect church licensing royalties on your behalf. Most independent Christian artists do not know they are owed CCLI income. If your songs are sung in churches, you are likely leaving money uncollected.
Your first 90 days
The plan is simple. Three phases.
Pricing
Metadata Administration plans
Common questions
Everything you need to know before booking
Is there a minimum commitment period?
The Metadata Administration service has a 3-month minimum. After that, you continue month-to-month for as long as the value is there. Publishing Administration and Distribution are commission-based - no minimum commitment. We earn when you do.
Do I need to already have my music published?
Yes. We work with artists and labels who have existing releases. If you are still in production and haven't released yet, the Catalog Assessment call will tell you exactly when and how to bring us in before launch.
What happens to my rights when I sign up?
Nothing changes. You retain 100% of your masters and compositions. We administer your rights on your behalf as a service - we are not a publisher acquiring copyright. This is a service relationship, not a record deal.
How exactly is the 15% commission calculated?
The 15% applies to royalties we collect on your behalf through publishing administration and distribution. If a quarter's collected royalties total £1,000, we retain £150 and pass £850 to you. The commission is taken only from what we collect - not from your back catalogue or any income we did not generate.
Can I take just the metadata service without publishing admin?
Yes. Metadata Administration is a standalone subscription service. You can join on any of the three tiers without taking publishing admin or distribution. Many clients start with metadata cleanup and add publishing admin once the foundation is clean.
After your initial commitment period, you continue month-to-month for as long as the value is there. No lock-in. No exit fees. We keep your business by earning it.
Getting started
Three steps. That's it.
8 of 12 Q3 spots remaining. Applications close when full.
As soon as you book, we'll send you a complimentary Catalog Health Checklist. It's the same 12-point diagnostic Keith uses to evaluate new catalogs. Run it yourself before the call. Most artists find at least three things they didn't know were missing. It's yours to keep either way.