A Trinidad and Tobago songwriter can have a track on streaming services and still leave local performance royalties unclaimed. The Copyright Music Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago (COTT) says it is not obligated to pay for performances before a writer is admitted to membership. For a release expected to reach radio, fetes or other public venues, joining and notifying the work are time-sensitive catalogue tasks.
The membership date is a royalty decision
COTT licenses public performance and broadcasting of musical works, then collects and distributes the resulting fees. Its member FAQ says copyright arises automatically when an original song is created; COTT registration does not create that copyright. Registration gives the society the information it needs to administer the writer’s rights.
The practical distinction is between owning a song and having a collection route for it. COTT says its application date is normally the effective admission date, unless an application has issues to resolve. It also states that it need not pay royalties for performances before admission. A writer planning a campaign should therefore clear membership paperwork before the performances they expect to generate collections, and retain the acceptance record.
Eligibility is specific: a writer must have created a musical work that is publicly performed, broadcast or recorded for public release. A musician who only plays on a recording is not eligible for writer membership on that basis alone. Each co-writer applies individually, according to COTT’s membership guidance.
Register the work, not just the audio file
The writer application calls for a signed form, identity document, a Notification of Work for at least one song, evidence of performance, and a one-off TT$150 fee. COTT’s online application page also lists an MP3, contact and banking details, and the writer agreement. Check the current form before paying or submitting; the society’s application routes present slightly different document lists.
On the Notification of Work instructions, writers must identify the composers and lyricists, their performance and mechanical shares, and each contributor’s Interested Party Information (IPI) number. The form also has fields for a first recording, publisher details, and performance information. Agree the shares with co-writers before submitting: COTT says an amendment to shares or contributor names needs written consent from everyone affected.
An International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) identifies a recording, while the COTT form identifies the composition and its writers. COTT’s separate MP3 upload form even provides distinct fields for ISRC, composers, publishers and the recording file. Sending a master through a distributor therefore does not, by itself, complete the writer’s work notification.
Keep the two money trails separate
COTT’s licensing guidance distinguishes the musical-work rights it administers from permission to use the master recording, which an online service must obtain from the relevant recording rightsholder. A label should reconcile distributor statements for the master against the songwriter’s COTT records for the work. A missing amount in one ledger cannot be diagnosed from the other ledger alone.
Before a campaign, make a single rights sheet with the song title, all writers, agreed performance and mechanical shares, each IPI, the recording’s ISRC, publisher and master owner. Match that sheet to COTT’s notification and the distributor’s delivery metadata. After radio or a live performance, keep the broadcast or setlist evidence; COTT says broadcasters usually supply music returns and cue sheets, and its work form invites performance details.
If a writer already belongs to another society, resolve territory and membership rights first. COTT’s application warns that simultaneous society membership can block processing unless split membership is properly arranged. The same catalogue discipline matters across the Caribbean: our guides to Jamaica’s JACAP entry requirements and Barbados songwriter royalty routes show why local collection cannot be inferred from a streaming upload.
