Collab Chain

About Collab Chain

In the intricate and often opaque world of music royalties, clarity is currency. Collab Chain emerges as a dedicated platform built not for distribution or payment processing, but for something more foundational: verifiable proof. It serves creators, producers, songwriters, and rights holders who are tired of ambiguity and need an immutable, trusted record of ownership and earnings. The core value proposition is transforming chaotic, multi-format royalty statements from distributors, PROs, and publishers into structured, tamper-evident proof records. This process creates a single, defensible source of truth for contribution splits and royalty entitlements. By focusing purely on verification and documentation, Collab Chain acts as a secure credit locker, reducing disputes, enhancing transparency between collaborators, and providing a reliable reference point for negotiations, audits, and conflict resolution. It empowers users to prove their stake with confidence, shifting the dynamic from speculative claims to deterministic evidence.

Features of Collab Chain

Deterministic Proof Generation

Collab Chain's core engine is designed for verifiability. When you upload an official royalty statement (PDF/CSV), the platform doesn't just store it; it parses, normalizes, and generates a deterministic snapshot of the data. This means the resulting proof record is calculated from the original file in a consistent, repeatable way. The original document is preserved in its entirety, allowing anyone with the proof to verify its authenticity against the source material at any point in the future, creating a tamper-evident chain of custody for your earnings data.

Split Confirmation & Validation Guardrails

The platform introduces critical guardrails to prevent errors and omissions. At the track level, a clear visual status indicates if splits are "Complete," "Incomplete," or "Not Set." The system enforces a fundamental rule: you cannot finalize and lock a proof until the contributor splits for every track total exactly 100%. This non-negotiable validation ensures mathematical accuracy and prevents the common, costly mistake of accidentally leaving a collaborator off the splitsheet before creating a permanent record.

Secure, Read-Only Proof Sharing

Collab Chain understands that proof needs to be shared without compromising security. Instead of sharing login credentials or editable documents, users can generate unique, secure links to their finalized proofs. These links provide recipients—be they collaborators, managers, or legal teams—with read-only access to a summary of the proof. This allows for transparent verification and discussion without granting any access to the user's account or allowing any modifications to the locked record.

Transparent Evidence Handling

The platform maintains strict integrity in how different types of data are treated. Official statement exports form the immutable foundation for calculations and proof. When these are unavailable, users can add dashboard screenshots as "Supporting Evidence." These are always clearly labeled as "Not an Official Statement" and, if added after finalization, marked as "Added After Finalization." They are never parsed for data or used in calculations, and are displayed separately in exports, ensuring the line between verifiable proof and contextual information is never blurred.

Use Cases of Collab Chain

Independent Artist Managing Multiple Collaborations

An independent artist releasing music with various producers and featured vocalists uses Collab Chain to upload their DistroKid quarterly statements. For each track, they confirm the agreed-upon splits with each contributor. Once locked, they share the proof links, providing everyone with clear, undeniable evidence of their entitlement. This streamlines communication, builds trust, and creates an organized archive for future royalty audits or label negotiations.

Music Producer Establishing Credit Portfolios

A producer working with multiple artists and labels faces the constant challenge of documenting their contributions across numerous projects. By uploading relevant statements from publishers or distributor partners into Collab Chain, they can build a verifiable portfolio of their production credits and percentage splits. This portfolio becomes a powerful tool for securing future work, negotiating standard rates, and resolving any disputes over unpaid backend royalties.

Songwriter Auditing Publishing Statements

A songwriter receives complex statements from their publishing administrator and wants to verify the accuracy of reported earnings and their share against co-writers. They upload the statement to Collab Chain, map the data, and confirm the writing splits. The platform's clear breakdown allows them to audit the statement efficiently, ensuring their publishing royalties are calculated correctly based on the verifiable, agreed-upon ownership percentages.

Management Firm Organizing Roster Royalties

A management firm responsible for a roster of artists needs to maintain organized financial records and transparently communicate earnings to their clients. They use Collab Chain as a centralized repository, uploading statements for each artist's releases. They can then generate and share proof summaries with the artists, demonstrating exactly how royalties were reported and split, thereby fostering professional trust and simplifying financial reporting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Collab Chain collect or pay out royalties?

No, Collab Chain does not collect, hold, or pay out any royalty funds. It is strictly a verification and documentation platform. Its purpose is to create immutable proof of what was reported on official statements from distributors, PROs, and publishers. The platform helps you prove what you are owed based on those external reports; it does not handle the financial transactions themselves.

What happens if a platform doesn't allow official exports?

Collab Chain accommodates this common scenario with its "Supporting Evidence" feature. If a platform's dashboard does not provide a downloadable statement (PDF/CSV), you can take a screenshot and upload it as supporting context. This screenshot will be clearly labeled as "Not an Official Statement" and will not be used for data parsing or calculations. It serves as supplementary visual evidence alongside the core, verifiable proof generated from official documents where available.

Can a finalized proof be edited or changed?

Once a proof is finalized and locked, its core data—derived from the original official statement and the confirmed splits—becomes immutable to ensure its integrity as a verifiable record. However, you can add supplementary "Supporting Evidence" files (like screenshots) to the record after finalization. These additions are clearly timestamped and labeled to maintain a transparent audit trail without altering the original, locked proof calculation.

Who can see the proofs I create in Collab Chain?

Your proofs are private to you by default. You have full control over sharing. The only way for someone else to view a proof is if you explicitly generate and send them a secure, read-only verification link. Recipients of this link do not need a Collab Chain account to view the proof summary, and they cannot access your account or make any changes to the record.