The honest answer: at least a few months
Getting your full catalog registered and collecting isn't something that happens in a week or a month. The timeline depends on several factors such as how many songs you have, which organizations you're already registered with, and how quickly each organization processes submissions.
That said, every day you wait is money you're not collecting. Most royalties can be claimed retroactively 3–5 years back, but that window closes a little more each day.
What affects your timeline
The more of these you already have in place, the faster the process:
Are you already a member of a PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN)?
Are your songs already registered at the MLC?
Do you have a publishing administrator?
Are you already a SoundExchange member?
Do your songs have ISRCs?
If you're starting from scratch with none of these in place, expect the full process to take several months. If you're already partially set up, Mogul can close the gaps faster.
A realistic registration timeline
Phase | What happens | Typical timeframe |
Sources connect | Mogul pulls your catalog and earnings data from connected sources | 1–7 days |
Catalog scan | Mogul identifies all registration gaps and missing royalties | 1–7 days after connection |
Registration submission | Mogul submits fixes to the MLC, SoundExchange, and PRO | 1–4 weeks after you complete the to-do list |
Organization processing | The MLC, ASCAP/BMI, SoundExchange review and confirm submissions | 4–12 weeks |
First royalty payments | Royalties begin flowing for newly registered songs | 3–6 months after registration is confirmed |
Why starting now matters
The MLC holds unmatched mechanical royalties for three years before redistributing them. If your songs have been streaming since 2022 and aren't registered, those 2022 royalties expire in 2025. Every month you delay permanently closes a portion of the retroactive window.
Mogul's job is to get you registered as completely and quickly as possible, but the clock is always running.
What you can do to speed things up
Connect all your sources as soon as you sign up (distributor, PRO, MLC, SoundExchange)
Complete your Fix Issues to-do list promptly. Mogul can't submit registrations until you provide the needed info
Make sure your ASCAP or BMI writer account is connected (not just your publishing entity)
Respond quickly to any requests from Mogul for additional information (like your IPI number)