Frequently asked questions

A song (the app also says work) is the composition: title, writers, splits, lyrics. A version is one recording of it: a work tape, a demo, the master. One song can have many versions, each with its own audio, BPM and key. See Songs, versions & splits.

WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP3, M4A, AAC and OGG. Full-size WAVs are fine. Catalyst keeps your original exactly as uploaded and makes a separate streaming copy so playback starts quickly.

It's saved anyway, after you confirm, and flagged as incomplete splits. You'll find it under Incomplete in the Library filters and in the Needs attention view, so nothing is lost while you chase the real numbers.

That your company controls (publishes or administers) that writer's share of the song. It's set per writer on each song, and defaults from whether the writer is Signed to us.

There's no undo button yet, but nothing is lost: every change is in the song's History with the value before and after, so you can put an old value back. Deleted songs, versions, writers and playlists are hidden, not erased; ask support to restore one.

Not on its own. Open the copy you don't want and choose ⋯ → Merge into another work…. Its recordings move across and both histories record the merge. See Merge duplicates.

By default, yes: nothing reaches your catalog until someone approves it. Once you trust the scores, an owner can turn on auto-approve for deliveries above a score you choose. Songs with a writer you don't have yet always wait for a person. See Auto-approve.

Email services limit attachment sizes, so large files usually travel as links. Dropbox and Google Drive links are downloaded for you; other services (WeTransfer, Box) are shown in the review with the link so you can download the file and add it to the song.

Yes. Forwarded emails are credited to the original sender. You can also set up a filter in your own email that forwards deliveries automatically.

Reject them in the queue (#). Nothing is added to the catalog. To stop strangers' email reaching the queue at all, list your writers' addresses or domains under Allowed senders in Settings → Deliveries.

No. The link opens a listening page in any browser, on a phone or a computer.

No. A share page shows titles, version types, lengths and artwork, plus writer names if you choose. Never lyrics, notes, splits or status.

You'll see how many times each link was opened, played and downloaded, and when it was last opened. Counts are per link, not per person, so give each recipient their own link if you want to tell them apart. See Views, plays and downloads.

Open Share on the playlist or song and choose Revoke next to that link. From then on it won't open or play for anyone, including people it was forwarded to.

Export your metadata as a spreadsheet (Excel or CSV) and import it with Import → Spreadsheet; Catalyst reads common publisher and platform exports, including one-row-per-writer-share layouts. Then drop your audio folders into Import → Audio files, which matches files to songs by name. See Importing your catalog.

Not by default. Fill in blanks only adds missing details and never changes existing ones. Only if you choose Publisher of record does a file replace splits on songs you already have, and the old splits are noted on each song.

Custom CSV and Excel reports are on the way. Until then, email support and we'll get you an export.

Yes. If you're invited to several, or create another, switch between them from the workspace name at the top of the sidebar.

Catalyst works fully in your phone's browser today, and a native iPhone and Android app is planned. See Using Catalyst on your phone.

See Pricing, or get in touch and we'll find a fit for your catalog.

Email support@joincatalyst.io. In the app, press ? for keyboard shortcuts, and look for the small ? next to a setting for an explanation of it.