How Labels Cut Royalty Admin Time by 90%
What actually changes when you move from manual royalty accounting to an automated platform — with real numbers on time saved.
insight
The labels using RosterRoyalties report cutting their royalty admin time by up to 90%. This isn't marketing — it's maths. Here's where the time actually goes and how automation eliminates it.
Key Takeaways
- Manual royalty accounting for a 10-artist roster typically takes 8-12 hours per period
- The same work in Roster takes under an hour — most of it reviewing, not calculating
- The biggest time savings come from DSP import, automatic split calculation, and one-click statement generation
- Time saved is time that can go into artist development, A&R, or running your business
Where the time goes: manual process
For a label with 10 artists and typical release activity, here's where time is spent each accounting period:
- DSP data import and normalisation: 2-3 hours. Downloading statements from multiple sources, reformatting into a single structure, matching to catalogue.
- Split calculation: 2-3 hours. Applying contract terms to each release, checking formulas, handling edge cases.
- Recoupment tracking: 1-2 hours. Updating balances, checking which releases apply, verifying history.
- Statement generation: 2-3 hours. Creating PDFs, formatting, proofreading.
- Sending and follow-up: 1-2 hours. Emailing artists, answering questions, handling disputes.
Total: 8-12 hours per period. At monthly accounting, that's 100+ hours per year.
Where the time goes: with Roster
The same process with dedicated software:
- DSP data import: 5 minutes. Upload CSVs, system normalises automatically.
- Split calculation: Automatic. Contract terms stored once, applied every period.
- Recoupment tracking: Automatic. System maintains balances based on stored advances.
- Statement generation: 5 minutes. One click generates all statements.
- Review and approve: 30-45 minutes. Human review of system-generated statements.
- Artist access: Automatic. Portal notifies artists; no emails needed.
Total: Under 1 hour per period. The 90% reduction is the difference between 10 hours and 1 hour.
The goal isn't to remove humans from the process. It's to remove the repetitive work so humans can focus on review and relationships.
What you do with the time
100 hours per year is significant. Labels typically redirect this time to:
- Artist development and A&R
- Marketing and promotion
- Signing new artists
- Building relationships with existing roster
- Strategic planning
See it for yourself
Ready to get started?
Put this into practice with RosterRoyalties
Everything covered in this article is built into Roster. Start your free 7-day trial and see how it works with your own data.