Universal Music Publishing Group Offers Realtime Earnings and Data to Its Songwriters — Introducing ‘Window’

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Universal Music Publishing Group has launched UMPG Window, a digital resource that provides creators with instant access to their songs’ real-time earnings data and information. 

UMPG Window is available both on computers and mobile devices; the website/app bills itself as “The Future of Royalty Portals.” According to Universal Music Publishing Group’s press release and the platform’s Apple Store page, core earnings figures can be displayed in a list or graph format. Plus, royalties are filterable by country, type (streaming, mechanical, etc.), track, service, and more. As a bonus, songs’ registration and copyright information can also be viewed through UMPG Window. 

Significantly, UMPG Window brings with it a “pipeline” feature, which allows creators to not only see where their international royalties are coming from, but to request “no-fee” advances. UMPG pays royalties quarterly, and the compensation flexibility offered by Window can reasonably be expected to benefit a number of publishers. 

‘Window’ is an appropriate name, though let’s hope Microsoft doesn’t mind the similarity (that would be quite an ironic lawsuit). 

UMPG’s EVP of Global Administration, John Reston, indicated that he and his team worked hard to deliver the “world-class, fully transparent portal and app” desired by clients.

In the same vein, EVP of Global Technology Mark Coltman said that the UMPG crew was “proud” of the digital resource, and that it “will be an outstanding, valuable tool that exceeds all expectations.” 

While the cited UMPG press release is populated by many overtly positive adjectives and glowing descriptions of UMPG Window, the reality is that songwriters have long been in the market for a reliable and streamlined royalty portal, and this new program seems to fit the bill. In many ways, mega-pubs are catching up to royalty platforms and interfaces that have been in the marketplace for years, with snazzy, colorful realtime breakdowns just part of what songwriters can readily access these days.

It’ll take some time for UMPG Window to be widely utilized, and as with all high-profile software, early hiccups are to be expected. But as a whole, UMPG Window appears to be a step in the right direction—a step towards easily accessible and transparent royalty information that can help creators to better manage and plan their careers.