How to Reconcile and Publish Artist Royalty Statements in Qlero

A practical guide to reviewing sales imports, contract calculations and balances before publishing artist royalty statements and closing a period in Qlero.

Before you send an artist a royalty statement, your team should be able to explain the result. Which sales were included? Which contract terms applied? Why does the closing balance differ from the royalties earned?

Royalty reconciliation means checking the reporting results against the underlying records and explaining differences before release. It includes sales and calculations, but also balances, costs, reserve movements, adjustments and payments.

This guide follows Qlero's documented record-label workflow. Product details were checked against the documentation on 14 September 2026. Review checklists are practical recommendations, not claims that the software performs every check automatically.

What useful traceability looks like

Keep the evidence that explains each kind of amount. A sales royalty needs the relevant sales data and configured terms. A cost may need an invoice and its allocation. A manual adjustment needs its own explanation and supporting record.

That distinction matters: not every statement entry originates in a DSP sales row. Nor does a breakdown of royalties establish a complete history of every user action or configuration change.

If you need a formal audit log, specify the events, users, timestamps, previous values, retention and exports you require, then verify that scope with the vendor. This guide does not claim that Qlero provides every such control.

1. Define the period and collect its supporting records

Decide which reporting cycle you are preparing and identify the sales files and costs that belong in it. Qlero's period setup lets you select the reporting interval, included sales files and included costs, then review a summary before creation or processing. Period setup guide.

Before processing, we recommend checking:

• That expected provider files have arrived and no file is included twice.
• The dates, currencies and coverage of each file.
• Available source totals, compared on the same currency and reporting basis.
• The agreements, opening balances and supporting cost records needed for review.

Keep an explanation for exclusions or unresolved differences. A reporting package should show what was included as well as what was left out.

2. Choose and check the sales-file template

A template maps a provider's columns into Qlero's sales fields. This is different from matching a sale to a track or release: first you need to read the right values, then match the relevant repertoire.

Use an existing template when it fits the incoming layout. If you need a custom template, check your subscription: Qlero documents custom-template creation for Pro and Enterprise. Its setup guide covers mapping columns, dates and provider-specific values before importing and reviewing a small file. Sales-file setup.

Do not assume a recognised template means the amounts are correct. Qlero's repair guide describes cases where a template reads the wrong values. Compare representative source rows with the preview, especially gross versus net amounts and date formats. Completing the required-field counter is not proof of accurate mapping. Template troubleshooting.

3. Import the data and investigate row-level exceptions

After import, open the sales file's Lines view. A file marked Ready can still contain rows that need attention.

Qlero distinguishes data problems from contract problems:

• Invalid rows need missing or incorrect data, repertoire matching or currency-conversion issues resolved before calculation.
• Valid rows have passed data validation; that does not confirm that all contract requirements are satisfied.
• Missing contracts indicates that period processing found no Sales contract participation for the matched repertoire.
• Partially reported rows may have contracts awaiting another accounting cycle or shares held in suspense.

Use the period's Unreported view to investigate contract-level exceptions. Avoid treating every unreported share as an error, but explain anything you expected this period to include. Sales-row status guide.

4. Check the configured terms and calculation basis

In Qlero, a royalty calculation operates on a sales row for each participating contract. The calculation uses the applicable royalty base, participation share and adjusted royalty rate.

Check the base as carefully as the percentage. A rate applied to net receipts is not interchangeable with the same rate applied to gross receipts. Also confirm which terms apply to the sale and whether deductions or escalations affect the rate.

Illustrative example: assume one row contains EUR 500 in net receipts, a contract has 100% participation, and its applicable royalty rate is 20% of net receipts. With no deduction, escalation or currency conversion, the calculated royalty is EUR 100. That is a sales royalty, not necessarily the payee's closing balance or payment amount.

Participation overrides, deduction terms, escalations and the PPD royalty base are documented for Pro and Enterprise. Confirm the required configuration against the agreement rather than assuming every deal type uses the same setup. How royalties are calculated.

5. Reconcile balances at the right level

Start with the payee statement, then inspect its accounts and contracts. These levels serve different purposes: a contract holds a deal's results; an account groups balances; the payee is the person or company you settle with.

Transfers between these levels depend on thresholds and cross-recoupment settings. A contract can earn royalties yet finish with a zero balance because the balance moved to its account. Review those movements rather than interpreting a zero contract balance as missing earnings. Contracts, accounts and payees.

Use the statement fields to check:

Avoid subtracting an old advance again if it is already represented in the opening balance. Review its recorded treatment instead of applying a second deduction by assumption.

Qlero's calculated totals and transaction fields have different scopes. For example, Total Royalties excludes manual transactions, while Royalties can include manual royalty transactions. Compare like-for-like figures; a summary sales total alone does not explain the amount payable. Statement field definitions.

6. Review the files, then publish and close in the correct order

Review the generated statement files before release. The final sequence depends on the record company's workflow:

• Advanced: publish first, then close when reporting is final. Selected payees can be approved separately.
• Simplified: closing performs publication and closing together.

Release makes statements available in the Artist Portal and sends notifications. Approval requirements for the same payee in other open periods can delay release. There is no Unpublish action.

A published period is not necessarily closed. Once a period is closed, it cannot be reopened, recalculated or deleted. Resolve known issues before that final action; do not describe the workflow as fully reversible. Publication and closing.

7. Make the statement understandable and keep supporting records

Payees with the appropriate Artist Portal access can review published statements, move between payee, account and contract views, and download the statement PDF and supporting sales or cost CSVs for the documented label workflow. Artist statement guide.

For a query about an amount, first identify what is being questioned: a sales royalty, cost, reserve, adjustment, transfer or payment. Then use the matching records. Not every query should start with a DSP line.

Keep a review record alongside the reporting work: what was checked, which exceptions remain, who approved release and where the supporting evidence is stored. This is a recommended team control, not a claim that Qlero automatically generates that record.

Artist Portal analytics can help explain sales and royalties by track, release, territory or store. Those figures are distinct from the balance effects of advances, payments and other transactions. Artist analytics guide.

Frequently asked questions

Does a valid sales row guarantee the final statement is correct?

No. Data validation is one check. Contract terms, period selection, balances and other transactions still need review. A plausible number can also come from an incorrect mapping.

Can templates be reused after a provider changes its format?

Check the changed file before using the template again. Depending on the change, you may need to update matching criteria, mappings or processing rules. Template reuse does not remove the need to compare results with the source.

Does an artist's royalty total equal the payment due?

Not necessarily. Balances can also reflect earlier activity, costs, reserve movements, transfers and payments. Use the relevant payee balance and its supporting entries, not a royalty total in isolation.

How many artists make a structured process necessary?

There is no threshold established by this guide. Assess the work: file variety, contract complexity, reporting frequency, review time and the team's ability to explain exceptions. Artist count alone is not enough to decide.

Evaluate the workflow with a representative period

Choose a sample that includes your ordinary sales files and at least one exception you genuinely need to handle. Compare imported values, check a calculation, follow the balance movements and review the statement output.

That gives your team a concrete basis for evaluating Qlero. Book a demo to discuss your reporting requirements and confirm the relevant functionality and plan.