Frequently Asked Questions

You already have copyright automatically when you record a song. But registering at copyright.gov ($65) gives you the legal standing to sue for statutory damages if someone steals your work. Without registration, enforcing your copyright in court is much harder.

A split sheet documents who owns what percentage of a song. Every collaboration needs one. Without it, you're relying on memory and trust to determine ownership when money shows up. Verbal agreements don't hold up in disputes.

Three layers: a voice trademark at the USPTO ($250), knowing your state's publicity rights (Tennessee's ELVIS Act is the strongest), and documenting every vocal recording with timestamps. The legal infrastructure is being built fast.

You can formally declare an AI training opt-out on your catalog, which creates a timestamped legal record. When enforcement legislation catches up, artists who declared early will have the strongest legal position. 9toVibe defaults every catalog entry to opted-out.

A certification earned by verifying your creation process: AI detection scan, stems verification, metadata documentation, and artist attestation. It proves to music supervisors, labels, and platforms that your music is authentically human-made. In a world where 44% of daily streaming uploads are AI-generated, verification is your competitive advantage.

A Performance Rights Organization (ASCAP or BMI) collects royalties every time your music is played publicly. If your music is on streaming platforms and you're not registered with a PRO, you're leaving an entire revenue stream uncollected. Registration is free (BMI) or $50 (ASCAP).

Between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream on average, though rates vary by country and listener type. 100,000 streams earns roughly $350. That same song sold direct to fans at $1.50 needs only 234 buyers to match.

Increasingly, yes. The playbook gaining traction in 2026: sell direct (Bandcamp, Gumroad, your website) for 4 weeks, then upload to streaming platforms. Streaming becomes the marketing channel, not the revenue source. Direct sales at $1.50 per track earn orders of magnitude more per listener than streaming.

Getting your music placed in TV shows, films, commercials, and video games. A single sync placement can earn more than months of streaming revenue. Independent artists with clean metadata, documented ownership, and available stems are well positioned for sync.

Master ownership, option periods, recoupment terms, re-recording restrictions, and sunset provisions are the critical areas. Most major label deals have 5-6 option periods, exclusive services clauses, and ownership terms that favor the label. Understanding the structure before you sign is essential.

A deal where the label takes a percentage of all your revenue streams, not just recordings. Touring, merchandise, endorsements, publishing, acting. The label becomes your partner across every income source, even ones they didn't help build.

Yes. If you recorded the music yourself or paid for the recording, you own the master recordings. The key is documenting that ownership: catalog entries with timestamps, split sheets with all contributors, and copyright registration. Ownership without documentation is hard to enforce.

The free tier includes 10 catalog entries with Sync Readiness Scoring, split sheets with digital signing, the Sync Advisor (25 messages per month), the verification checklist, and all free tools. Verified ($49/year) unlocks unlimited catalog, AI detection scanning, the Verified Human badge, legal action toolkit, 200 AI messages, and priority in the verified catalog.

No. Never. On any tier. We never claim ownership of your music, your recordings, or your creative work. That is Guarantee #1 of the Sovereign Pledge.

No. Your music, catalog data, and conversations are never used to train AI models. That is Guarantee #9.

Yes. Full data export is available in Settings. Your catalog, splits, and profile data are yours. No penalties for leaving, no lock-in.