When you export your project on Logic Pro, Ableton, FL Studio, etc, the actual .mp3 or .wav file that you export is called the “Recording” or “Master”. When you release a song on Spotify and other DSPs with a distributor like Distrokid or any record label, you are giving them the rights to upload and distribute your master. Hence, they help collect royalties related to the master.

But what about publishing? The songwriters and producers are typically left in the dark on their own to figure out how to collect those royalties, since labels/distributors don’t work with that.