Royalty Policy

Last updated: 5 August 2026

This policy explains how Akumudzi Bwaiz records artist earnings. We aim to keep every calculation traceable and separate different sources of money.

1. Sources of artist earnings

Artist earnings may come from:

verified digital release sales;
a funded qualified-streaming pool;
a documented sponsorship or licensing programme; or
a manual adjustment supported by an audit note.

Google AdSense income is not automatically credited to artists. Advertising remains platform income unless a lawful written arrangement and the advertising provider's permission allow a different model.

2. Sales royalties

After a paid transaction is verified, the platform records:

the gross sale amount;
payment-provider charges;
the disclosed platform commission;
tax or withholding where applicable;
the approved master split; and
each artist's net ledger amount.

The calculation uses the release's verified master percentages. Composition ownership is recorded separately and is not silently treated as the same as master ownership.

3. Qualified streaming pools

A visible play is not automatically a royalty. A funded streaming pool must identify:

the real amount available;
the funding source;
the accounting period;
the minimum qualified listening duration;
fraud and invalid-traffic rules;
the eligible songs; and
the allocation formula.

The default qualified-stream duration is 30 seconds, but the published programme may set another reasonable rule. Bots, muted loops, hidden autoplay, device farms, datacentre abuse, artificial repetition and incentivised listening may be excluded.

4. Ledger and statements

We use an append-only royalty ledger. Corrections, refunds and payouts are recorded as new entries so the history remains auditable.

An artist statement may show:

opening balance;
sales;
streaming-pool allocations;
sponsorship or adjustments;
platform and provider fees;
tax or withholding;
refunds and reversals;
payouts; and
closing balance.

5. Disputes and holds

We may temporarily hold an affected amount where:

ownership percentages are disputed;
a copyright complaint is active;
payment fraud or a chargeback is being reviewed;
contributor identity is incomplete; or
a provider requires compliance review.

A hold is not a transfer of ownership to the platform. It protects the parties until the issue is resolved.

6. No guaranteed earnings

We do not guarantee a number of streams, downloads, sales, advertisements, sponsorships or royalties. Earnings depend on real transactions, funded programmes, approved rights records and valid usage.

Artists should keep their own agreements and seek independent legal, tax and accounting advice where necessary.