Collab Chain

About Collab Chain

Collab Chain is a specialized software platform engineered to solve a critical, long-standing problem in the music industry: the lack of transparent, verifiable, and easily accessible proof of ownership and royalty entitlements. It functions as a secure, digital credit locker and verification system for creators, producers, songwriters, and rights holders. The platform's core value proposition is transforming fragmented, often confusing royalty statements from distributors (like DistroKid), Performance Rights Organizations (PROs), and publishers into structured, tamper-evident proof records. By parsing and normalizing uploaded data, Collab Chain creates a single, authoritative source of truth for collaboration splits and earnings history. This process is designed to proactively reduce disputes, enhance transparency among collaborators, and provide defensible documentation for negotiations, audits, and conflict resolution. Importantly, as stated on its website, Collab Chain is not a distributor, payment processor, or marketplace; it is a dedicated verification and documentation tool that empowers users to own and prove their credits with clarity and confidence, independent of the platforms where music is sold or streamed.

Features of Collab Chain

Deterministic Proof Generation

Collab Chain's process is built on deterministic verification, a method that ensures the same input always produces the same verifiable output. When users upload an official royalty statement (PDF/CSV), the platform preserves the original file and generates a unique, cryptographic snapshot of the data. This creates an immutable record where any alteration to the final proof would be immediately evident. This approach, backed by principles of data integrity common in legal and financial tech, moves proof of ownership from subjective assertion to objective, repeatable verification.

Split Confirmation Guardrails

The platform enforces data integrity through mandatory split confirmation. During the upload process, users must assign contributors and percentages for each track. The system requires splits to total 100% before a record can be finalized, preventing incomplete or mathematically incorrect entries. A clear visual status indicator (Complete, Incomplete, Not Set) for each track provides an at-a-glance overview, ensuring no contributor is accidentally omitted and that all agreements are formally documented before locking the proof.

Secure, Read-Only Proof Sharing

Collab Chain allows users to share verification without compromising security or control. Users can generate unique, secure links that provide read-only access to a finalized proof. Recipients, such as collaborators, managers, or legal teams, can view the verified summary, track details, and splits without needing a Collab Chain account and without any ability to edit the underlying data. This facilitates transparency and trust in business dealings while keeping the master account and sensitive data secure.

Transparent Evidence Handling

The platform maintains strict integrity by differentiating between official statements and supporting context. It accepts official exports as the primary source for verifiable proofs. For situations where a platform blocks data exports, users can upload screenshots as "Supporting Evidence." These are never parsed for calculations and are permanently labeled as "Not an Official Statement" and "Added After Finalization" where applicable, ensuring a clear, auditable trail that does not mutate the core verified data.

Use Cases of Collab Chain

Independent Artist Portfolio Management

An independent artist releasing music across multiple distributors and collaborators can use Collab Chain to consolidate all royalty statements into one organized, searchable vault. For every release, they can lock in verified split sheets with featured artists, producers, and songwriters. This creates a professional, defensible portfolio of their earnings and contributions, which is invaluable for securing loans, attracting investors, or providing proof of income during tax preparation or visa applications.

Producer Credit Verification and Dispute Resolution

A producer facing a dispute over royalty shares for a past project can use Collab Chain to swiftly resolve the issue. By uploading the original distributor statement for the track in question, they can generate a verifiable proof that clearly shows the agreed-upon percentage. This objective, third-party record serves as powerful, immediate evidence in communications with the other party or their legal representatives, often preventing costly and time-consuming formal litigation.

Music Manager Roster Oversight

A manager overseeing multiple artists can utilize Collab Chain as a central administrative hub. They can upload and verify statements for each client, ensuring all collaborator splits are correctly documented and locked. This provides clarity for internal accounting and allows the manager to easily share read-only proof links with songwriters, publishers, or labels involved in their artists' projects, streamlining communication and establishing professional trust across a complex network.

Songwriter Publishing Administration

A songwriter working with a publishing administrator can provide verifiable proof of their contributions using Collab Chain. Instead of sending disparate emails with attachments, they can share a single, secure link to a locked proof that details their exact songwriter splits per track as reported by the distributor or PRO. This gives the administrator clear, auditable data to accurately register works and collect royalties, reducing administrative back-and-forth and potential registration errors.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of files does Collab Chain accept?

Collab Chain accepts two primary file types for distinct purposes. For creating verifiable, tamper-evident proofs, it requires official export documents (PDF or CSV) from distributors (e.g., DistroKid, Spotify for Artists), publishers, or Performance Rights Organizations (PROs). For supplemental context only, it accepts PNG or JPG screenshot files (up to 10MB) from dashboards when official exports are unavailable. These screenshots are always clearly labeled as "Not an Official Statement" and are not used for calculations.

How does Collab Chain ensure my data is secure and unchangeable?

Security and integrity are foundational. Collab Chain uses a deterministic proof model: it preserves your original uploaded file and generates a unique, cryptographic snapshot of its data. Once a proof is finalized and locked, the record cannot be altered. Any attempt to modify the finalized proof would break its verification hash, making tampering immediately evident. Furthermore, the platform employs transactional rollback during finalization to ensure no partial or inconsistent records are ever saved if any step fails.

Can I use Collab Chain to get live earnings data from streaming platforms?

No, Collab Chain does not pull live data from streaming service APIs or scrape user dashboards. Its function is verification and documentation, not live analytics or payment aggregation. You must upload official periodic statements (e.g., monthly, quarterly) that you receive from your distributors or PROs. This design choice reinforces its role as a tool for creating stable, point-in-time proof based on official reports, not for tracking real-time earnings.

Who should I share my Collab Chain proof links with?

Secure proof links are designed to be shared with any party who requires verified evidence of your credits and splits, but who does not need editing access. This includes collaborators on a project (to confirm agreements), your manager or business team, legal representatives during contract negotiations or disputes, potential publishing or label partners during deal discussions, and accountants for financial reporting. Recipients can view the proof without needing an account.