What is Asset Matching?
Asset matching is the process of linking royalty statement line items to the recordings and compositions in your catalog. Accurate matching is essential for proper revenue tracking and analysis.Matching Flows
Royaltyport runs automatic matching in two scenarios: when you upload contracts and when you upload statements. Each flow handles recordings and compositions separately.Contract Upload Matching
When you upload and process a contract, the system extracts recordings and compositions, then attempts to match them against your existing statement assets.- Recordings
- Compositions
Flow: Contract → Statement Recordings
Match Update
The system finds all unmatched statement recordings in your project and attempts to match them against the contract’s recordings using identifier and metadata matching.
Statement Upload Matching
When you upload a statement, the system extracts assets and matches them against your existing catalog (built from contracts).- Recordings
- Compositions
Flow: Statement → Catalog Recordings
Match Update
Statement recordings are matched against all catalog recordings using the matching hierarchy.
Statement upload matching includes a Pattern Matching step that uses hashes from your previous manual matches. This means when you manually match an asset once, future statements with the same asset data will be matched automatically.
Matching Methods
Automatic Matching
The system automatically matches using several methods in priority order:| Method | Reliability | Description |
|---|---|---|
| UPC + ISRC Match | Highest | Both UPC and ISRC codes match |
| UPC + Product Match | Highest | UPC matches with product details |
| ISRC Match | High | Exact ISRC code match |
| Asset Details Match | Medium | Exact text match on title and artist |
| Product Details Match | Medium | Album/product information matches |
| UPC Only Match | Medium | UPC code matches catalog |
| Album Match | Medium | Album name matching |
| Method | Reliability | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ISWC Match | Highest | Exact ISWC code match |
| Title + Writers | High | Exact match on title and writer names |
Match Confidence
Each match has a confidence level:| Level | Match Types | Action |
|---|---|---|
| High | UPC+ISRC, UPC+Product, ISRC Only | Auto-approved |
| Medium | Asset Only, Product Only, UPC Only, Album Only | Review recommended |
| Conflict | Multiple possible matches | Manual review needed |
Viewing Matches
Statement Assets View
Navigate to a processed statement and click Assets tab:| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Statement Line | Original statement data |
| Matched Asset | Linked catalog item |
| Confidence | Match confidence score |
| Status | Matched or Unmatched |
| Revenue | Associated revenue |
Filters
Filter matched assets by:- Status: All, Matched, Unmatched
- Match Type: UPC & ISRC, UPC & Product, ISRC only, Asset & Product, Asset only, Product only, UPC only, Album only
- Match Confidence: High, Medium, Low
Reviewing Matches
Verifying Automatic Matches
Handling Unmatched Items
For unmatched statement lines:Manual Matching
When automatic matching doesn’t find a match, you can manually link statement assets to your catalog recordings.Recording Matching Sheet
Click on any asset to open the Recording Matching sheet. This displays: Statement Data:- Product title, artist, and version
- Asset title, artist, and version
- Identifiers: UPC, ISRC, Catalog number
- Store information
- Normalized data used for matching
Matching to Catalog
Multiple Recording Matches
You can match a single statement asset to multiple recordings:- Add multiple recordings using the + Recording button
- Revenue is allocated pro-rata across all matched recordings
- Example: 2 recordings = 50% each, 3 recordings = 33.3% each
Automatic Future Matching
When you create a manual match:- The system saves a hash of the normalized statement data
- Future statements with matching data will be matched automatically
- No need to manually match the same asset again
Manual matches are saved with high confidence and match type MANUAL. You can view matching logs in the Logs tab of the Recording Matching sheet.
Spotify Suggestions
For unmatched assets with ISRCs or UPCs, Royaltyport automatically searches Spotify to find potential matches. These suggestions provide metadata that can help you identify and match assets.Learn about Suggestions
See how Spotify-powered suggestions work and how to use them.
Improving Match Rates
Add ISRCs to Catalog
ISRCs provide the most reliable matching:Add Alternative Titles
Assets may appear under different names:Create Aliases
For artist name variations:Matching Analytics
Match Rate Dashboard
Monitor your matching performance:| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Overall Match Rate | Percentage of lines matched |
| Auto-Match Rate | Percentage automatically matched |
| Manual Match Rate | Percentage manually matched |
| Unmatched Count | Lines still unmatched |
Improvement Tracking
Track match rate improvements over time as you:- Add more ISRCs
- Create manual matches
- Add alternative titles
Best Practices
Upload contracts before statements
Upload contracts before statements
Processing contracts first builds your catalog, enabling better automatic matching when statements arrive.
Prioritize ISRC matching
Prioritize ISRC matching
Focus on adding ISRCs to your catalog for reliable automatic matching.
Review Spotify suggestions
Review Spotify suggestions
Check Spotify suggestions to find metadata for unmatched assets.
Manual matches persist
Manual matches persist
When you manually match an asset, the system remembers it. Future statements with matching data are automatically matched.
Keep catalog clean
Keep catalog clean
Merge duplicates and maintain consistent naming in your catalog.