What Exactly is Curve Lite? A Breakdown for Independent Record Labels

Starting a record label is usually about the music, but it quickly turns into a game of managing endless data. Between catalogue set up, contract rates and royalties from various sources, trying to keep track of who owes what can take over.

Curve Lite for Records is the scaled-down version of the main Curve software. It’s built specifically for small to medium size independent labels that want to automate their royalty accounting without the overhead of an enterprise system, and without requirements for more complex features.

How it helps you scale your label

The transition from a manual spreadsheet to a dedicated system like Curve Lite changes how you handle your label's admin:

1. Upload and Automate

One frustrating part of label accounting is dealing with the different statement formats from distributors and DSPs. Curve Lite uses a template library that recognises data from hundreds of different sources. You just upload the file you get from your distributor or other partner, and the system automatically maps the sales to the correct tracks and releases. 

2. Professional Statements

When it’s time to pay your artists, you want to send them something that looks professional and is easy to read and understand. Curve Lite generates clear PDFs and CSVs, and you can pick the PDF statement design that works best for you.

3. The Artist Dashboard

Invite your artists to their own Artist Dashboard. They can log in to see their statements and use the Reports and Analytics area to dive into their data. Curve’s artist dashboard creates transparency in your royalty accounting and enables your artists to really understand their royalties. We also have a mobile app for artists to check their statements and stats on the go.

4. Big-Picture Analytics with Bespoke Reports

Because all your data is in one place, it’s easier to see how your label is performing. You can build custom Reports to look at trends across specific releases, tracks, territories and anything else you want to analyse. It helps you see what’s actually moving the needle.

The Pricing: Pay as You Grow

Curve Lite for Records uses a "bundle" system. This keeps the cost low for small labels while allowing you to scale up as your catalog expands.

• The Starter Bundle: It’s £20 per month for up to 15 contracts and 100 catalogue items (tracks/releases).
• Scaling: As your catalogue grows, more bundles get added. For example, if you have 50 contracts and 350 tracks, you’d be using 4 bundles, bringing the cost to £80/month.
• Try Before You Buy: There’s a 14-day free trial, so you can upload a few statements and see how much time it actually saves you before committing.
• Get An Additional Discount: We believe the best way to set you up for success on Curve is to take our Curve Accelerator video course. We strongly encourage any Curve Lite subscriber to take this course, and we’re offering one month of Curve Lite for free when you complete the course! Simply sign up, complete the video course, and we will give you one month of Curve Lite for free*, on top of your two week free trial (*one free month per Curve client).

Is it right for your label?

If you’re only managing one or two releases, a spreadsheet might still work. But once you start dealing with multiple artists, various cost recoupments, and international sales data, the room for error gets a lot bigger.

Curve Lite gives independent labels the same level of precision and transparency as the majors, but at a price point that makes sense for an indie budget. It’s about spending less time on spreadsheets and more time on music.

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