> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.royaltyport.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Writers

> Manage songwriters and composers in your CRM

## Overview

Writers represent the individuals who create musical compositions. This includes songwriters, composers, lyricists, and arrangers. Writers are automatically extracted from contracts and can be linked to entities (publishers).

## Writer Information

### Fields

| Field            | Description                                         |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| **Name**         | Writer's name                                       |
| **Entities**     | Associated publishers and companies                 |
| **Merged Count** | Number of duplicate records merged into this writer |

## Viewing Writers

### List View

The writers list shows:

* Writer name
* Associated entities (publishers)
* Merge badge showing how many records have been consolidated

### Views

Switch between two views using the dropdown:

| View                 | Description                               |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| **View by Name**     | Lists all writers alphabetically          |
| **View by Entities** | Groups writers by their associated entity |

### Sorting

Click the **Sort** button to toggle between ascending and descending order by name.

## Writer Detail View

Click **View** on any writer to see full details:

### Tabs

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Details">
    A single scrollable page that brings together everything about the writer. Use the section navigation on the left to jump between sections (or the dropdown on smaller screens):

    | Section              | What it shows                                                                       |
    | -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | **Writer**           | Core writer information including names, identifiers, and PRO affiliations.         |
    | **Writer Entities**  | Publishers and other companies this writer has worked with throughout their career. |
    | **Writer Contracts** | Contracts where this writer appears.                                                |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Timeline">
    AI-generated chronological view of all agreements involving this writer. See [Agreement Timeline](/projects/crm/agreement-timeline) for details.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Tip>
  Click the **pin** icon next to any section in the Details navigation to keep it at the top of the page. Pinned sections are remembered the next time you open a writer.
</Tip>

### Why Multiple Entities?

A writer may be linked to multiple entities because their publishing relationships change over time:

* **Different compositions** — Different works may be published or administered by different publishers
* **Sub-publishing** — Deals in different territories create relationships with multiple entity records
* **Career changes** — New publishing agreements are signed while older ones remain in effect for existing works

These relationships come from the contracts in your system. The **Timeline** tab shows agreements chronologically; see [Agreement Timeline](/projects/crm/agreement-timeline) for details and how it differs from [IP Groups](/projects/contracts/ip-groups).

## Adding Writers

### From Contract Extraction

Writers are automatically added when contracts mention them:

1. Upload a publishing or co-writing contract
2. AI extracts writer names
3. Writers are matched to existing records or created new
4. Review and verify details

<Note>
  Writers are extracted from contracts. There is no manual entry option - all writers come from contract processing.
</Note>

## Smart Linking & Deduplication

### Automatic Matching

When contracts are processed, writers are automatically matched using:

1. **Exact Name Match** - Direct name comparison
2. **Embedding Match** - Semantic similarity using AI embeddings
3. **AI Semantic Matching** - Fuzzy matching for name variations

### AI-Powered Deduplication

When a potential duplicate is detected, the AI evaluates:

* Name similarity and variations
* Associated entity relationships

The system automatically merges duplicates when confident, preserving all data from both records.

### Viewing Merge Reasoning

When writers are automatically merged, you can view the AI's reasoning:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Parent Writer">
    Navigate to the primary writer record.
  </Step>

  <Step title="View Merged Records">
    On the Details tab, scroll down to see merged records (writers consolidated into this one).
  </Step>

  <Step title="View Reasoning">
    Hover over the lightbulb icon next to any merged writer to see why the AI determined they were the same person.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  When clicking on a merged writer from anywhere in the platform, you'll be automatically redirected to the parent (primary) writer record.
</Note>

### Unmerging Writers

If writers were incorrectly merged:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Parent Writer">
    Navigate to the primary writer record.
  </Step>

  <Step title="View Merged Records">
    On the Details tab, find the merged writer records.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Unmerge">
    Click **Unmerge** next to the incorrectly merged record.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    The writer becomes independent again.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Agreement Timeline

The **Timeline** tab shows an AI-generated chronological view of all agreements involving this writer. For a full description and how it differs from [IP Groups](/projects/contracts/ip-groups), see [Agreement Timeline](/projects/crm/agreement-timeline).

## Bulk Actions

Enable edit mode by clicking the bolt icon to perform bulk operations:

1. Click the bolt icon to enter edit mode
2. Select writers using the checkboxes
3. Perform bulk actions on selected writers

## Best Practices

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Review merged records">
    On the writer Details tab, verify AI-merged records are correct.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Check entity associations">
    Ensure writers are linked to the correct publishers.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Use View by Entities">
    Switch to entity view to see all writers associated with each publisher.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Entities" icon="building" href="/projects/crm/entities">
    Learn about managing company records.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Compositions" icon="music" href="/projects/catalog/compositions">
    Link writers to their musical works.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>