Few topics generate as much discussion and confusion as retitling. What Is Retitling? Retitling is the practice of assigning multiple different titles to the same piece of music so that it can be represented by more than one production music library at the same time. For example, a composer might create a track called “Midnight Drive.” One library may represent that track under its original title, while another library might register the exact same recording under a different name, such as “Neon Highway.” Despite the different titles, the underlying composition and recording are identical. Each version is then registered separately with performing rights organizations (PROs) like ASCAP or BMI, allowing each library to track and collect performance royalties based on how the music is used. By assigning unique titles, each library could track where any given license happened and, in perfect world, collect performance royalties from their Performing Rights Organization (PRO). In this way, retitling functioned as a workaround that allowed multiple companies to represent the same music while maintaining a system for attribution and payment. PROs like ASCAP and BMI are tasked with tracking millions of performances across media platforms. Retitling complicates this process by introducing multiple identities for a single work, making it harder to ensure accurate royalty distribution. As a result, these organizations have become less supportive of the practice over time. Enter the rise of technologies like fingerprinting and watermarking. If a PRO identifies a piece of music via one of these technologies, and there are three different registered works (each with a different title), they have no way of knowing who to pay. So ... nobody gets paid. Retitling is also frowned upon by Music Supervisors, as it makes their job more difficult when the same audio file gets submitted to them with different titles and from different publishers. From the client side, it can be difficult to know who controls the rights to any given piece of production music. If rights transparency and reliability is important to you, it is best to avoid music sources who practice retitling. There is no shortage of respectable publishers who can offer you peace of mind and confusion-free licensing.
Once a common practice, retitling played a significant role in how music was distributed and monetized across multiple libraries. Today, it is at the center of an evolving conversation about transparency, ownership, and best practices in music licensing.
Why Retitling Was Used
Retitling emerged as a practical solution to a key challenge in production music: non-exclusive distribution. Composers and rights holders often wanted to place their music in multiple libraries to increase exposure and licensing opportunities. However, if the same track were represented everywhere under the same title, it would be difficult to determine which library was responsible for a given placement.
The Challenges of Retitling
As the production music industry has grown more complex, the vast problems with retitling have become very apparent. Multiple titles for the same composition can lead to duplicate or conflicting registrations, and more importantly, missing royalty payments. "Retitling assigns multiple titles to the same piece of music so it can be represented by more than one production music library at the same time."
The Shift Toward Modern Practices
In response to these challenges, much of the industry has moved toward exclusive representation models. Under this approach, each track has one title and one publisher. The metadata is clean and consistent, and provides for more accurate royalty tracking and a better experience for clients and PROs.
If you have any questions regarding your specific needs, feel free to get in touch. Atomica Music is here to guide you through the licensing process. Get in touch.
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