Royalty Advance
Get up to 6 months of your royalties upfront.
Royalty Advance pays independent artists and labels in India part of their future streaming royalties today, to fund the next release, a video or a campaign. One flat 15% discount, recouped only from your future royalties on SUF Digitals. Nothing comes out of your bank account, and the money already in your balance stays yours. Included in the Signature and Label Enterprise plans.
6x
your average monthly royalty share
Worked out from your last 6 months of statements on SUF. Smallest advance Rs 5,000.
15%
one flat discount
Agreed upfront and never increased. Nothing is added month by month.
100%
recouped from future royalties only
Only your own royalty share on new statements. Never your bank account, never a co-writer's share.
Royalty advance calculator
Move the slider to your average monthly royalty share and see roughly what you could get, what is recouped and how long it takes.
Your own share after store payouts and your plan's split, averaged over the last 6 months of statements. An estimate only: the real offer is worked out from your statements on the Royalty Advance page, after every check, and depends on SUF's advance budget at the time.
Estimated advance
Rs 60,000
- Discount (15%)
- Rs 9,000
- Recouped from future royalties
- Rs 69,000
- E-stamp deducted
- Rs 100
- Reaches your bank
- Rs 59,900
- Recouped in about
- 6.9 months at this rate
How Royalty Advance works
1. See your offer
Open the Royalty Advance tab in the artist portal. It shows the amount you qualify for, the months it was worked out from, and every condition.
2. Request an amount
Choose any amount up to your offer. Before you send it, you see the discount, the total to be recouped and what reaches your bank.
3. Sign on e-stamp paper
SUF prepares your Advance Royalty Agreement on Haryana e-stamp paper. Read it, sign it and upload it from the same page.
4. Get paid, then recoup
The advance is paid to your verified bank account. From then on your royalty share on new statements goes towards it until it is cleared.
A worked example
An artist on Signature whose own royalty share over the last 6 months averages Rs 10,000 a month qualifies for 6 x Rs 10,000 = Rs 60,000. The 15% discount is Rs 9,000, so Rs 69,000 is recouped from future royalties. The Rs 100 e-stamp is deducted, so Rs 59,900 reaches the bank. At Rs 10,000 a month the advance is recouped in about 7 months of statements, and every rupee after that is theirs again.
The honest terms
- Included in the Signature plan for artists and the Label Enterprise plan for labels.
- Funded by SUF Digitals and offered while SUF's advance budget lasts. An offer can be lower than your royalties support when the budget is limited.
- One advance per account at a time.
- While an advance is open, your songs stay live with SUF and new releases go out only through SUF.
- If a balance is still open 36 months after payment, the recordings listed in your agreement pass to SUF Digitals and settle that balance. You can clear the balance before then to keep them.
- The discount is billed as a GST-exempt supply, with a bill of supply for your records.
Royalty Advance questions
What is a royalty advance?
A royalty advance is money paid to you now against the royalties your songs will earn later. With SUF Digitals Royalty Advance you can get up to 6 months of your average royalty share upfront. SUF then keeps your royalty share from new statements until the advance and the 15% discount are recouped. After that, every rupee goes back to you as usual.
How much royalty advance can I get?
Up to 6 times your average monthly royalty share over the last 6 months of statements, rounded down to the nearest Rs 500. The smallest advance is Rs 5,000. Only your own share counts, after store payouts and your plan's split. One unusually big month is counted at no more than twice your typical month. A falling trend, or one song carrying more than 70% of your earnings, lowers the offer.
What does a royalty advance cost?
One flat 15% discount on the advance, agreed upfront and never increased. On a Rs 60,000 advance the discount is Rs 9,000, so Rs 69,000 is recouped from your future royalties. There are no monthly additions and nothing grows with time. A Rs 100 Haryana e-stamp for the agreement is deducted from the amount paid to you.
How is the advance recouped?
Only from your own royalty share on statements that reach SUF after you are paid. Nothing is ever taken from your bank account, and money already in your SUF balance on the day of payment stays yours to withdraw. Your Royalty Advance page shows the balance going down as each statement arrives. You can also clear it early whenever you like.
Which plans include Royalty Advance?
Royalty Advance is included in the Signature plan for artists and the Label Enterprise plan for labels. Accounts on other plans can move up to either plan from the Plan page in the artist portal.
Who is eligible for a royalty advance?
Artists and labels on Signature or Label Enterprise, based in India and 18 or over, with at least 6 months of royalty statements on SUF, earnings in at least 4 of the last 6 months, verified payout details with PAN, a signed distribution agreement, and at least one master recording they own on SUF. An account can hold one advance at a time.
What happens if my songs earn less than expected?
Nothing is taken from your pocket. The advance is recouped only from royalties. If a balance is still open 36 months after you were paid, the recordings listed in your agreement pass to SUF Digitals and the balance is settled by that transfer. You can avoid that at any time by clearing the balance before the deadline.
Can I move my music to another distributor during an advance?
Not until the advance is recouped. While it is open, your songs stay live with SUF and new releases go out only through SUF. Once the balance reaches zero, those conditions end and your normal agreement applies again.
How do I request a royalty advance?
Sign in to the artist portal and open the Royalty Advance tab. It shows what you qualify for, how the amount was worked out, and every condition. Choose an amount up to your offer and send the request. SUF prepares your agreement on Haryana e-stamp paper; once you sign it and SUF checks it, the advance is paid to your verified bank account.
Fund your next release with your own royalties
Royalty Advance comes with Signature and Label Enterprise, alongside everything else those plans include.
See plans and pricing