Your PRS portal, your publisher’s statements and a handful of public databases give you access to a significant amount of information about how your songs are performing. Not enough songwriters look at it regularly, and fewer still know what to cross-reference against what they are being told.
What to check in your PRS account
Log in to the PRS/MCPS member portal and verify the basics: are all your works listed? Are the titles, co-writer names, splits and publisher details correct? Do your works have ISWCs assigned? Are ISRCs linked where recordings exist? Any gaps here can mean lost income, and the sooner you spot them the easier they are to fix.
What to look for in your royalty statements
Your PRS statements show income broken down by work, territory and revenue type. Look for patterns: are you receiving income from territories where you know your music is being used? If a territory you expect to see is missing, that is a sign of a registration or matching problem. Compare what your publisher reports with what PRS shows – the writer’s share of performing rights should come to you directly from PRS, not through your publisher.
Red flags
Missing co-writers on registrations. Your name spelled differently across territories. Songs registered with wrong splits. Zero income from countries where you have confirmed usage. Duplicate registrations creating conflicts. Any of these can prevent or delay payment and should be investigated promptly.
What your publisher should be showing you
If you have a publisher, ask for regular reporting on how your works are registered internationally, which territories are generating income, and whether there are unmatched works or conflicts in the system. {{placeholder for summit session #5 content: Christine Osazuwa and Amy Thomson on what data songwriters should be accessing and what to check against what you are being told}}
Tools and databases
Beyond your PRS portal, several databases let you search for your works and verify registrations. The CISAC IPI database confirms your identifier records. Society search tools (such as ASCAP’s ACE system and BMI’s Repertoire search) let you check how your works appear in major international territories. If you find discrepancies between what PRS shows and what a foreign society has registered, raise it with your publisher or directly with PRS.
