Collab Chain

## About Collab Chain

In the complex world of music royalties, uncertainty is the enemy of collaboration. Disputes over credits and splits can sour relationships, delay payments, and leave creators without defensible proof of their rightful earnings. Chasing down statements, reconciling conflicting documents, and proving your contribution becomes a full-time job that distracts from the creative process. Collab Chain is the definitive solution to this pervasive problem. It is a specialized platform built for creators, producers, songwriters, and rights holders who need clarity and trust around ownership. The platform transforms the chaotic paperwork of royalty management—scattered PDFs, CSV files, and screenshots—into a single, organized, and tamper-evident source of truth. By uploading official statements from distributors, PROs, or publishers, users generate a clear, structured, and verifiable record of contribution and royalty entitlement. Collab Chain does not distribute music or handle payments; its sole focus is on verification, documentation, and creating long-term, legally-defensible proof. This empowers independent artists, labels, managers, and legal teams to reduce disputes, improve transparency, and negotiate from a position of confidence, knowing their collaborative history is securely locked and easily shareable.

## Features of Collab Chain

### Deterministic Proof Generation
Collab Chain creates verifiable, tamper-evident records from your official royalty statements. The platform preserves your original uploaded file and generates a deterministic snapshot of the data at the moment of finalization. This means the proof can be independently verified at any time in the future, providing an immutable record that the data has not been altered, establishing a reliable and defensible audit trail for all collaborators and stakeholders.

### Split Confirmation & Validation
The platform provides clear, track-level status indicators showing if splits are Complete, Incomplete, or Not Set. It enforces a critical rule: you cannot finalize a proof until all collaborator splits for every track total 100%. This built-in validation prevents accidental omissions or mathematical errors, ensuring that every finalized record represents a fully agreed-upon and accurate distribution of ownership before it is locked permanently.

### Secure, Read-Only Proof Sharing
Collab Chain allows you to share your verified royalty proofs without compromising security or control. You can generate secure, shareable links that grant recipients read-only access to a proof summary. Collaborators, managers, or legal teams can view the verified information without needing a Collab Chain account and without any ability to edit, download original files, or access your account dashboard, maintaining privacy and integrity.

### Supporting Evidence Logging
For situations where an official export is unavailable due to platform restrictions, Collab Chain offers a responsible alternative. Users can upload dashboard screenshots as "Supporting Evidence." These files are never parsed for calculations but are clearly labeled as "Not an Official Statement" and displayed separately in exports. This provides crucial context while maintaining a transparent distinction between verifiable statements and supplemental information.

## Use Cases of Collab Chain

### Independent Artist Managing Collaborations
An independent artist releasing music with multiple featured vocalists and producers can use Collab Chain to upload royalty statements from their distributor. They confirm the agreed splits for each track, lock the proof, and share read-only links with each collaborator. This builds trust, prevents future "I forgot what we agreed to" disputes, and provides everyone with clear, accessible proof of their earnings and ownership stake.

### Producer Establishing Credit History
A producer who works with various artists and labels needs to formally document their contributions and percentage points across numerous projects. By systematically uploading statements and locking proofs for each song, they build a portable, verifiable credit portfolio. This becomes an invaluable asset for negotiations, securing future work, and resolving any conflicts over production credits or royalties.

### Songwriter Auditing Publishing Statements
A songwriter receiving statements from multiple publishers and Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) can consolidate all documents in Collab Chain. They can map their shares for each composition, creating a unified view of their publishing royalties. This centralized, verified record simplifies personal accounting, helps identify reporting discrepancies between entities, and serves as evidence during publisher audits or contract renewals.

### Manager Organizing Roster Royalties
A manager overseeing a roster of artists can use Collab Chain as a centralized hub for all client royalty documentation. They can upload statements for each artist's releases, confirm splits with collaborators, and maintain an organized library of locked proofs. This allows the manager to efficiently share verified earning reports with artists, co-managers, and legal teams, streamlining communication and ensuring transparency across the business.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What file types does Collab Chain accept?
Collab Chain accepts official PDF or CSV export files from distributors, publishers, and royalty organizations like DistroKid, SoundExchange, Apple Music, and Spotify for Artists. These form the basis of verifiable proofs. For supplemental context only, you may also upload PNG or JPG screenshot files (up to 10MB) from dashboards when official exports are not available, which are clearly labeled as "Supporting Evidence."

### Does Collab Chain pull my live earnings data from streaming platforms?
No. Collab Chain does not scrape dashboards, connect via API to pull live data, or guess your earnings. The platform operates entirely on the official statements and documents you choose to upload. This user-driven approach ensures you maintain complete control over your data and that all proofs are based on the actual documentation provided by royalty issuers.

### Can a collaborator edit a proof after I share a link with them?
No. Shared proof links are strictly read-only. Recipients can view the finalized proof summary, track details, and any supporting evidence, but they cannot make any changes, edit splits, download original files, or access your Collab Chain account. The platform is designed to share verified information without giving away control or edit permissions.

### What happens if a statement is updated or corrected after I create a proof?
Collab Chain proofs are deterministic snapshots of a statement at the moment you finalize and lock it. If a distributor issues a corrected statement, you would upload the new document and create a new, separate proof. This maintains the integrity of the original record while allowing you to document the updated information, creating a clear historical ledger of changes and corrections.