Interactive Explainer

The Three Locks

Identity, Access, Collection - three revenue locks every independent artist faces. See exactly how each one costs you, and how CGM closes all three.

01
Lock I - Identity
Metadata Administration

Your music plays. The system does not know it is yours. No ISRC. Wrong ISWC. Metadata delivered outside DDEX standard. The stream happens. The credit does not. The royalty goes to a black box fund.

The Signal Model
DDEX
ISWC
ISRC
Revenue
to You
Black box fund
The problem
Every stream generates a signal. That signal passes through three checkpoints: DDEX delivery standard, ISWC (your composition), ISRC (your specific recording). Miss any one - wrong code, missing code, non-compliant delivery - and the signal never reaches the bullseye. The royalty is credited to an unmatched fund.
What most artists get wrong
ISRC codes are self-generated or assigned incorrectly. ISWC registration is skipped entirely. DDEX delivery is not reviewed. Distributors process the file. The error travels downstream, permanently.
CGM solution
We issue all identifiers correctly before delivery. ISRC per recording. ISWC per composition. DDEX-compliant metadata across every field. Every signal hits the bullseye.
The model rule
Three rings. All three must be correct. One miss and the arrow lands outside. That is not a near miss. That is a lost royalty.
Explore Metadata Administration →
02
Lock II - Access
Digital Distribution

Your music exists on three platforms. It should exist on 150. Every platform you are not on is a listener who cannot find you and a stream that never happens.

The Coverage Grid
3
Your platforms
vs
150
Available

147 dark squares. Each one is a platform your music does not exist on.

The problem
Each square in the grid is a platform. Spotify. Apple Music. Tidal. Deezer. Boomplay. Anghami. NetEase. 150 squares total. Most independent artists are lit on three, maybe five. The dark squares are not empty space. They are missed streams.
Where the growth actually is
The biggest streaming growth in 2025 is not on Spotify. It is in Southeast Asia, West Africa, and the Middle East - platforms most UK artists have never heard of. Your audience is already there. You are not.
CGM solution
Single delivery via AudioSalad. 150+ DSPs activated simultaneously. DDEX-compliant. Transparent reporting. You own everything. We distribute everywhere.
The model rule
Every dark square is not a technical problem. It is a revenue decision. The grid shows you what that decision costs - in plain sight.
Explore Digital Distribution →
03
Lock III - Collection - Biggest Bleed
Publishing Administration

Your music is correctly identified. It is everywhere it should be. But your PRO registration is incomplete. Your mechanical rights are not claimed. Your sync is not administered. The money reaches the collection point and sits there. Uncollected. Until the window closes.

The Revenue Channels
Performance Rights
Unclaimed
Mechanical Rights
Unclaimed
Sync Licensing
Unadministered
Neighbouring Rights
Not registered
YouTube Content ID
Unmonetised
What you receive
Nothing. The window closes.
The problem
Publishing generates five separate revenue streams. Each one is administered by a different body, through a different registration process, with a different claim window. Not claiming one of them does not reduce your income. It eliminates it - for that channel, permanently.
Why it goes uncollected
PRS requires active registration. ASCAP and BMI require separate US enrolment. Mechanical licensing requires a publisher to file. Neighbouring rights require a separate collecting society. Most artists do one, maybe two. The rest sits in a holding fund with a collection window that eventually closes.
CGM solution
We administer all five channels. Publishing PRO registration through CGM's SESAC partnership - covering PRS, ASCAP, BMI, and CCLI for worship compositions. Mechanical licensing. Sync administration. Neighbouring rights including SoundExchange (master side). YouTube Content ID. Every channel claimed. Every window met.
The model rule
Five streams. Each one requires a separate claim. Miss one and it is not a leaky pipe - the pipe does not exist for you. The model shows you exactly which ones are flowing and which ones are not.
Explore Publishing Administration →

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