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Organizations

HFA

Harry Fox Agency — historically the primary mechanical rights licensing agency in the US, acting as an agent for music publishers to license and collect mechanical royalties from record labels and streaming services. Its licensing functions were largely absorbed by Songfile/HFA after the MLC launched in 2021.

Articles about HFA

Music Rights Clearance: The Complete Process for Licensing Permissions
Copyright & Licensing

Music Rights Clearance: The Complete Process for Licensing Permissions

Music rights clearance is the operational work that turns a creative cue into lawful use—and it routinely breaks projects without a repeatable process. This guide gives a step-by-step, reference-style workflow to identify required rights, map ownership, execute licenses, and document compliance for common scenarios including sync, samples, covers, reissues and digital uses.

Song Registration Process: A Step-by-Step Guide for Publishers and Developers
Music Publishing

Song Registration Process: A Step-by-Step Guide for Publishers and Developers

The song registration process is the operational backbone that turns metadata into payable royalties and prevents stranded income. This step-by-step guide gives publishers and developers the exact metadata schema, society-specific field requirements, DDEX and CWR mapping examples, and identifier workflows for ISWC, ISRC, and IPI so you can automate registration and reconciliation with PROs, mechanical agents, and neighboring rights services.

Songwriter vs Publisher Share: How Royalty Splits Are Calculated and Tracked
Royalties

Songwriter vs Publisher Share: How Royalty Splits Are Calculated and Tracked

The practical distinction captured by songwriter vs publisher share determines how composition income is split, registered, and routed through PROs, mechanical hubs, and DSP reporting. This article gives the operational rules, required identifiers and metadata, and step-by-step calculations for performance and mechanical flows, including two worked examples and a reconciliation checklist you can implement.

The Complete Guide to Song Structure and Parts
Music Business

The Complete Guide to Song Structure and Parts

Song Structure and Parts determine how musical ideas communicate with listeners and how those sections are documented and monetized. This guide maps every common part to its musical function, typical timing, and real-song examples, then translates those elements into actionable metadata , registration steps, and publishing practices you can use to protect and collect royalties.