Preparing a Work for Registration

The registry fingerprints the exact bytes of the file you upload. That precision is the whole point — and it means the most common preparation mistake is registering a version that is not actually final.

• Pick the version you will stand behind. For music, that usually means the released master. For visual work, the final export at delivery resolution.
• Stop touching it. Any re-export — even with identical settings — can produce different bytes and therefore a different fingerprint. Once you decide a file is the registration copy, treat it as read-only.
• Register meaningful versions separately. If the demo, the album master, and a remix all matter to you, each is its own file, its own fingerprint, and its own record. Use derivative links to connect related versions rather than pretending one record covers them all.
• Keep a pristine local copy. Store the exact registered file somewhere durable. To prove a match later, you need the file whose hash matches — not a close cousin.

The contributor record is a declaration you make in public, under your signature, with a timestamp. Made carefully, it is some of the best evidence you will ever create. Made carelessly, it is a permanent record of a mistake.

• List everyone with a plausible claim: co-writers, featured performers, producers, beatmakers — anyone whose contribution could later become a conversation.
• Agree on percentages out loud, then in writing. A short signed split sheet (email agreement counts for a lot) plus a matching on-chain declaration is a very strong combination. A declaration that contradicts what you told collaborators is worse than no declaration.
• Collect wallet addresses carefully. Each contributor should give you the address they control, in writing. Verify by having them confirm the address back to you from a known channel — a mistyped address in a permanent record is a headache you can avoid in thirty seconds.

Registering a work you do not fully control does not create the missing permissions — it creates a signed public claim you may have to walk back. Before filing, confirm:

• Samples and interpolations are cleared or absent. An uncleared sample does not become cleared by being registered.
• Session players and vocalists agreed, ideally in writing, to the use you intend.
• No exclusive deal already covers the work. If a label, publisher, or library holds exclusive rights, filing a personal claim may conflict with your own contract. Check the paperwork first.
• For musicians: remember the composition and the recording are separate works with potentially different owners — the musician-specific walkthrough at For Musicians covers this in detail.

Registration is public by design, and files hosted on public IPFS may be impossible to remove later. Choose deliberately:

Have the title, description, work type, and hosted file URL ready before you start, so the record you file matches your catalog documentation exactly. If you are preparing more than a few works, the catalog-wide system in Preparing Your Catalog Metadata will save you from doing this ad hoc for every song.