How Royalties Work at DIMBER

Know where your money comes from

DIMBER distributes your music to 150+ DSPs, but streaming revenue is only part of what your catalog can earn. DIMBER also actively recovers royalties most distributors never chase, including mechanical royalties, the publisher's share of performance royalties, YouTube composition royalties, international publishing royalties, and neighboring rights. That gives you a fuller payout picture across both your recordings and your compositions.

Revenue Types DIMBER Collects

DIMBER collects multiple revenue types for your releases. Each one comes from a different use of your music, and some require active rights collection beyond standard distribution.

• Streaming royalties — Per-stream payouts from DSPs like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, TIDAL, YouTube Music, and others. This is the primary revenue most artists think of when they check earnings. It reflects plays of the master recording across digital streaming platforms.

• Download revenue — Revenue from digital storefronts where fans purchase tracks or albums instead of streaming them. Although downloads are a smaller share of the market today, they still generate income where stores continue to support direct purchases.

• YouTube Content ID & Meta monetization — Revenue generated when user-generated content matches your music on YouTube and Meta platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. This is the master recording side of monetization. It covers uses of your sound recording in user posts, videos, and platform-native content.

• Mechanical royalties — Songwriter, composer, and publisher royalties tied to the reproduction of compositions through streams and downloads. Many artists never collect these at all because standard distribution does not automatically capture the songwriting side. See Mechanical Rights.

• Publisher's share of performance royalties — The publisher's portion of royalties paid when compositions are performed publicly through radio, TV, live venues, and streaming. DIMBER collects this on your behalf if you control your own publishing. See Mechanical Rights.

• YouTube composition royalties — Royalties generated when compositions are used on YouTube beyond master Content ID matches, covering the songwriting and publishing side. Most distributors only collect the recording side and completely miss this revenue stream. See Mechanical Rights.

• International publishing royalties — Publishing income collected across international territories through collecting societies worldwide. Every territory has different rules and filing requirements, which is why most independent artists never see this money. See Mechanical Rights.

• Neighboring rights — Performer and master rights holder royalties generated when recordings are publicly performed or broadcast on radio, TV, and in public venues. DIMBER actively collects these too through rights-based claims outside standard DSP reporting. See Neighboring Rights.

Realized Royalties: The Money Most Artists Never See

Realized royalties are the rights-based collections DIMBER actively recovers for you, not the standard platform revenue that arrives through basic distribution. This includes mechanical royalties, the publisher's share of performance royalties, YouTube composition royalties, international publishing royalties, and neighboring rights.

They are called realized royalties because the money usually does not flow automatically to independent artists. Without active registration, tracking, claims, and collection work, these royalties can sit unclaimed across fragmented collection systems, societies, and territories worldwide. DIMBER does that recovery work so the money reaches you instead of disappearing into systems most artists never access.

The Monthly Payout Cycle

DIMBER runs royalty payouts on a monthly cycle. The process starts when platforms and rights sources report earnings and ends when your payout is sent through your selected payment method.

DSP Reporting Delays

Royalty reporting does not happen in real time. Most DSPs report earnings with a delay of roughly 2 to 3 months after the streams or downloads actually happen.

If you are checking earnings for a recent release, expect a lag before the first royalties appear. For a breakdown of how reported earnings show up in your account, see Royalty Statements.

DIMBER's Commission Structure

DIMBER applies different commission logic depending on whether the revenue comes through standard distribution or through active rights recovery.

• Standard distribution commission — DIMBER takes its standard commission on streaming, download, and Content ID or Meta revenue generated through the core distribution service.

• Realized royalties: 20% commission — DIMBER takes 20% on all rights-based collections: mechanical royalties, the publisher's share of performance royalties, YouTube composition royalties, international publishing royalties, and neighboring rights. These are realized royalties because DIMBER actively recovers them through registration, tracking, filing claims, and collection work across multiple territories and societies. Without that work, the money would be completely lost.

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