Independent Artist Catalog Manager
Free Excel workbook · metadata, money, publishing, promo budgets, growth
A working catalog system for artists who release their own music and need one place for ISRCs, splits, statements, promo spend, and whether a release actually paid for itself.
Most independent catalogs live in a notes app, a DistroKid tab, and a folder of PDFs. That is how UPCs get reused, writer shares do not add to 100%, and a $800 promo-pool invoice never gets tied to the song it was meant to push. This file is built to stop that.
It is free to download. Duplicate it. Put your name in Setup. Delete the demo rows.
More details
An Excel workbook for independent artists, small imprints, and artist-managers. Demo artist Aria Vale is already filled in so every formula, chart, and comparison works the moment you open it.
Inside:
- Releases + Tracks — UPC, ISRC, dates, credits, parent release
- Publishing + Splits — ISWC, PRO/mechanical status, master % vs writer % vs publisher % (they are not the same right)
- Transactions + Royalties — cash in the bank vs per-stream statement lines and RPM
- Promo — every campaign tagged Track / Release / Artist, with type (Meta, TikTok, DJ promo, promo pool, PR, creators, etc.)
- Release Budget — dedicated budget per title: DJ servicing, promo pools, club, radio, pitching, social, PR, creators, video, CRM, street, contingency — plan vs actual vs remaining
- Growth — monthly listeners, followers, email, output, MoM rates
- Comparison + Dashboard — two releases side by side; income mix; DSP RPM; publishing holes; budget used
- Sync — inbound briefs and closed licenses so deals do not die in email
//Yellow cells + blue text = you type. Everything else calculates. Do not type over the green/black formulas.
Independents do not lose catalogs from lack of talent. They lose them from untracked rights and untracked spend.
A recording (ISRC) and a composition (ISWC) are different assets. Mix them up and you underpay a writer or never collect the mechanical.
Streaming payouts and marketing invoices that are not tied to a Release ID cannot tell you which song to amplify next.
DJ packs, promo pools, and ads feel cheap per line and expensive in aggregate. Without a per-release budget you find out after the cycle is over.
Comparison without cost is vanity. Net after promo is the number that decides the next campaign.
This file does not replace your distributor, PRO, lawyer, or accountant. It is the operating layer that sits on top of them so you can answer, in one workbook: what did I release, who owns it, what did it earn, what did I spend to promote it, and was it worth it.
Download the .xlsx and make a copy. Work in the copy.
- Open Setup. Enter artist name, distributor, PRO, tax reserve, and the dashboard year. Dropdown lists live here — edit them if your stack is different.
- Log the product on Releases (UPC, date, type, status).
- Log each recording on Tracks (ISRC, credits, parent Release ID, Work ID).
- Register the song on Publishing and the people on Splits. Writer and publisher columns should each total 100%. Red means they do not.
- Set the campaign plan on Release Budget before you spend — DJ promo, promo pool, social, PR, and the rest.
- When money moves: statements go on Royalties (DSP × track × period).
- Vendor invoices that are not marketing go on Transactions. Every ad, pool, DJ pack, and PR hit goes on Promo only — do not enter the same invoice twice.
- Once a month, update Growth from Spotify for Artists, YouTube Studio, and your email tool.
- Use Comparison when you are choosing what to push next. Change the two yellow Release IDs; the scorecard is live.
- Log every sync brief on Sync the day it arrives. Closed fees also belong on Transactions so cashflow stays complete.
- Replace the Aria Vale demo rows when you are ready. Delete stale ISRCs rather than leaving them.
License / price
Free to download. Use it for your catalog. Do not sell the template as your own product.
