1. Do you own or control 100% of the sound recording (the “master”)?You paid for the recording, you produced it yourself, or every producer, session player, and engineer signed a work-for-hire that transferred their share to you. If a label, publisher, or producer holds any percentage of the master, you don’t control it alone.
Yes, 100% Partly — a label, producer, or investor holds a share No, someone else holds the master I’m not sure
2. Do you own or control 100% of the composition (the song itself)?Every writer’s share on the composition is either yours or is signed to you. If a co-writer or a publisher holds any percentage, and that share is not administered by you, you don’t control the composition alone.
Yes, I hold or administer 100% Partly — co-writers or publishers hold shares I don’t administer No, someone else administers the composition I’m not sure
3. Do you have a signed split sheet for this song?A one-page document listing every writer, their percentage share, their PRO, IPI number, and publisher of record — signed by every writer. A typed name is not a signature. Generate one here if you don’t.
Yes, signed by every writer I have one, but not everyone has signed yet No, and I’m the only writer No, and there are co-writers
4. Do your writer splits total exactly 100% on the composition?Not 99%, not 101%. If a producer “gets 2%” that’s a writer share you owe them and it must appear on the split sheet. Any missing percentage is a clearance failure at the PRO.
Yes, splits total 100% No, or I haven’t added them up I’m not sure who is on the split
5. Does every writer on the composition have a PRO affiliation and IPI number?ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or GMR in the US — each writer needs to be affiliated with one and have their IPI/CAE number recorded. Not affiliated yet is a fixable gap; affiliation is free at BMI and paid but inexpensive at ASCAP.
Yes, every writer Most writers, but not all No, some writers are unaffiliated
6. Is the song registered with your PRO?Both writer share and publisher share registered under the correct title, at the correct percentages, with every writer’s IPI. If it’s registered under a different title elsewhere (retitling), that’s a separate problem — note it in question 12.
Yes, registered correctly Registered but I’m not sure the shares are right Not registered yet
7. Does the song contain any samples, interpolations, or replays of another song?A sample of an existing recording, a re-sung interpolation, an AI-generated element trained on identifiable copyrighted material, Anything that would give a rights holder a claim on your song. Arrangements of old public-domain songs are question 13, not this one. Note that a sample which is fully cleared still keeps a song out of one-stop, because the buyer has a second rights holder to account for either way.
No, none of the above Yes, but every one is cleared in writing with a signed license Yes, and one or more aren’t cleared I’m not sure
8. Do you have a broadcast-quality WAV master on hand?A 24-bit / 48 kHz (or higher) WAV of the final mixed and mastered vocal version. Not an MP3, not a rough mix, not a stem bounce. Supervisors ship to picture, and 48 kHz is the video-standard sample rate.
Yes, 24-bit / 48 kHz WAV I have a WAV but at a different bit depth or sample rate Only MP3s or rough mixes right now
9. Do you have an instrumental version of the recording?A fully mixed and mastered version with no lead or backing vocals — ideally created in the mix, not stripped after the fact. If your song has vocals, the instrumental is what actually wins the sync placement more often than not; the vocal cut carries scenes, but underscore needs the instrumental.
Yes, a proper mixed and mastered instrumental I can bounce one but I don’t have it yet No, and the song is instrumental-only anyway No, and there’s no session to bounce one from
10. Can you produce stems on request?Grouped stems — drums, bass, keys, vocals, FX — from the same mix as the master, at the same length. Supervisors and editors ask for them when they need to duck a section behind dialogue or extend a scene.
Yes, I can deliver stems within a day or two Maybe — I’d need to open old sessions No, I don’t have the sessions any more
11. Have you already assigned publishing administration for this song to a third party?Songtrust, CD Baby Pro Publishing, DistroKid Publishing, Kobalt, or any other publisher-admin service. Publishing administration is one relationship at a time — you can’t have two.
No, my publishing is self-administered Yes, I have a publishing administrator I’m not sure
12. Is the song currently signed to another sync library, agent, or exclusive publisher?Any active representation agreement, exclusive or non-exclusive, on this specific song — and any prior deal where the term hasn’t reverted. Retitled registrations count.
No, no active sync deal on this song Yes, on a non-exclusive basis (can add another rep) Yes, on an exclusive basis Yes — the song is registered under multiple titles
13. Is the song a cover, hymn, carol, or traditional tune old enough to be out of copyright?Songs written long enough ago are free for anyone to use — hymns, carols, folk tunes, spirituals, most things published before 1930. But the arrangement you learned it from is a separate copyright of its own, owned by whoever wrote that version. If you played it off a hymnal, a fake book, a choral score or a published piano edition, that arranger is a second rights holder even though the song itself is free. Writing your own arrangement straight from the melody avoids this entirely.
Not applicable — this is an original song Yes, but the arrangement is entirely my own Yes, and I played it from someone else’s published arrangement I’m not sure whose arrangement I used