Music publisher Minds on Fire has cut the time needed to process an international royalty run from about two weeks to a few hours after adopting Tipalti‘s Mass Payments solution, according to Mariana Maglione, the company’s head of finance.
Before the integration, each payment depended on first collecting invoices and complete payment details from songwriters, often through managers and representatives.
Manual royalty runs before Tipalti#
Maglione said the wait for invoices and payment information was the main obstacle to releasing royalties.
“The biggest bottleneck was waiting for invoices and complete payment information. Even when the royalty calculation was ready, we couldn’t release payment until we received the required documents and details.”
The process became more complex for songs with multiple co-writers in different countries, where banking requirements, currencies, exchange rates and international transfer fees varied. A single missing document could delay a writer’s payment.
How the Tipalti workflow changed#
With Tipalti, songwriters enter payment and tax information through a secure portal. Minds on Fire can then raise self-billings and pay based on royalty statements without waiting for individual invoices.
“Songwriters complete their payment and tax information securely through the [Tipalti] portal, and we can raise self-billings and pay them based on their royalty statements without waiting for individual invoices.”
International co-writers can see payment methods and currencies available in their country, while Minds on Fire monitors onboarding and payment status from a central dashboard.
“After each co-writer completes their onboarding through Tipalti, we can monitor everyone’s onboarding and payments status centrally, making international collaborations considerably easier to manage.”
- Secure self-service onboarding for payment and tax details
- Central dashboard for monitoring onboarding and payment status
- Bulk processing that reduces manual administration
From two weeks to a few hours#
Maglione said a royalty run of that size previously took at least two weeks. The same work can now be completed within a few hours through one central workflow.
“A royalty run of that size could take us at least two weeks to complete. Tipalti allows us to manage the entire run through one central workflow. What previously took weeks can now be completed within a few hours.”
The streamlined process also makes smaller royalty balances viable to pay out, because they no longer carry the same administrative overhead.
Effect on songwriters and finance staff#
Maglione said accurate and timely payments help build trust with songwriters, and the greater consistency has reduced uncertainty and follow-up emails.
“Writers notice quickly if a payment is late or if they don’t understand its status. Paying accurately and on time is therefore an important part of building trust between a publisher and its roster. Greater consistency and transparency have reduced uncertainty and follow-up emails. When a songwriter or manager does contact us, we have clearer information available and can respond more quickly.”
Maglione said the integration gives the independent publisher a competitive edge by offering payment reliability that songwriters may expect from larger publishing firms.
As the catalog and international roster have grown, Tipalti has allowed Minds on Fire to manage more payees without a proportionate increase in manual administration, Maglione said.
“As our catalog and international roster have grown, Tipalti has let us manage more payees without the same increase in manual administration. Self-service onboarding, centralized payment information, and bulk processing mean that growth does not result in a proportionate increase in finance work. This gives our existing team more capacity to focus on reporting, financial controls, and supporting our songwriters.”
