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AUDITEvery line ends in one of four verdicts.
For each line of a distribution statement, the expected publisher share is calculated from the contract rate and compared against what was actually paid. The result is not an estimate — it is one of four definite states.
From a demo environment prepared with sample data. Click to enlarge.
The problem it solves
A single distribution period can bring thousands of lines. Telling which ones were paid correctly is not something the eye can do, so what actually gets checked by hand is usually the handful of largest items — and most of the loss accumulates in the small ones.
The comparison is not a simple subtraction either. To know the correct rate you must know which contract period the distribution falls into, which rate version was in force at that date, and whether the file belongs to the rights holder side or the publisher side. MEDUSA Rights does not guess these three — it asks you before the calculation begins.
How it works
Upload the file
Leave the Excel file exactly as the collecting society sent it. It is read line by line, format irregularities are caught, and the system refuses a file you have already uploaded once.
Pass the three gates
Which society and which side does this file belong to? Which contract period does the distribution fall into? If several rate versions exist, which one applies? Your answers are stored and not asked again on later audits.
Match the works
Statement lines are matched against your catalogue. Name-order differences in works with several writers are accounted for.
Read the findings
The expected share is calculated, compared to the paid amount, and every line receives one of four verdicts. Underpaid lines can be turned directly into a claim record.
Input and output
WHAT YOU PROVIDE
- Distribution statement from the collecting society (Excel)
- Publisher-side and rights-holder-side files
- Contracts and rate versions entered in the system
WHAT YOU GET
- One of four verdicts per line
- Total audit gap
- Unmatched lines, each with its reason
- A findings list that converts into claim records
- Filterable table and Excel export
What it does not do
Knowing the limits of a tool matters as much as knowing its capabilities.
- It does not make payments and does not produce payout or royalty statements — it is an audit and analysis tool.
- It does not file claims with the collecting society automatically; you open and pursue the claim yourself.
- A work whose contract is not in the system cannot be audited — it is flagged as unmatched.
See domestic distribution audit on a live system.
In a half-hour call we can run it on your own catalogue.