Guide · Denmark
Registering your
music in Denmark
Koda for the song, Gramex for the recording, an ISRC for every version and a studio list for the release. Here is the order to do it in, and what each step actually asks you for.
The two sides of a Danish release
Koda — the work
Composition and lyrics. Writers and publishers become members, and each work is registered with its writer shares.
Gramex — the recording
The master and the people on it. You request an ISRC producer code and report the release on a studio list.
Both sides start from the same list of names, roles and percentages. That is why the split sheet comes first — everything after it is copying agreed numbers into a form.
Step by step
- 01
Settle the splits before you register anything
Registration is data entry — the decisions come first. Agree on who wrote what, who produced, and what each person's share is, and write it down while everyone still remembers the session. Every form below asks for those numbers.
- 02
Become a member of Koda (composition and lyrics)
Koda collects money when your music is played publicly in Denmark and, through its sister societies, abroad. If you write music or lyrics, or you run a publishing company, you need a membership before anything can be paid out to you. Co-writers each need their own membership — Koda pays the person, not the band.
- 03
Register the work in Mit Koda
Mit Koda is the members' self-service. Register each work with its title, the writers and their shares, and any publisher — you do not upload audio, sheet music or lyrics. Nothing can be paid out for a work that isn't in the database, so register as soon as the splits are agreed rather than waiting for release day.
- 04
Get an ISRC producer code from Gramex
The ISRC identifies the recording, not the song, and every track and every new version needs its own code. In Denmark you request a producer code from Gramex and then assign the running numbers yourself for each recording you release.
- 05
File the studio list for the release with Gramex
Danish releases have to be reported to Gramex on a studio list (studieliste) before money for radio and TV airplay can be paid out. Besides the release details, it asks which musicians play on which tracks, their role and instrument, and who produced the recording — which is exactly the credit list you built for the split sheet.
- 06
Keep the numbers with the track
Once the codes exist, they need to stay findable: ISRC, UPC, work registration and the society memberships of everyone involved. Store them on the track itself, so the label copy and the next registration can be filled in without another round of emails.
Koda and Gramex set their own membership terms, fees and deadlines, and they change from time to time — always check the current requirements on their own sites before you file. This guide is an overview of the process, not legal advice.
Common questions
- Do I need both Koda and Gramex?
- They cover two different rights. Koda handles the composition and lyrics — the song. Gramex handles the recording and the people performing on it. If you wrote and released your own track, both sides apply to you, in different roles.
- Who gets an ISRC — the song or the recording?
- The recording. A single song can have several ISRCs: the album version, the radio edit, the live version and a remix each get their own code from your producer code series.
- Can my distributor handle all of it for me?
- A distributor usually gets your release onto streaming services and can issue an ISRC and UPC for you. It does not make you a Koda member, register your work, or file the studio list — those stay with you as writer and producer.
- What if I'm not based in Denmark?
- The structure is the same in most of Europe: an authors' society for the composition (STIM in Sweden, TONO in Norway, Teosto in Finland, GEMA in Germany, PRS in the UK) and a neighbouring-rights organisation for the recording. Ctrl+Alt+Release stores the society and membership number per person, so mixed rooms still work.
- When should I do all this?
- Splits and credits the day of the session. Koda membership and work registration as soon as the song is finished. ISRC and the studio list before release day, so the codes are on the release from the start.
Releasing elsewhere?
The structure repeats country by country with different names.
Have the answers ready before the form asks
Ctrl+Alt+Release keeps credits, splits, society numbers, ISRC and UPC on the track itself — so registering a release is a matter of reading them off, not reconstructing them.