# Royalty periods and artist statements
Source: https://docs.aden.space/docs/help/release/royalty-periods

Labels group imported sales files into an accounting period, calculate it against their deal models (or the rights deals they are the counterpart on), recoup advances and costs, close it, publish one statement per artist team, and record payouts. Artists open their statements in Financials and download them as PDF, CSV or Excel.
{/* Generated by `bun docs:publish` from docs/features/royalty-periods.md: edit the spec, not this file. */}

## What it is [#what-it-is]

A royalty period is one accounting cycle, like a quarter. You put the sales
files for that cycle in it, Aden works out what each artist is owed from your
deal terms, takes advances and costs off the balance, and publishes a
statement to every artist team. Artists see their statements in Aden, and you
record when you paid them.

## Using it [#using-it]

**Create a period (label owners and admins):** open **Royalties** and click
**New period**. Aden suggests the next quarter after your last period. Sales
files dated inside it are filed under it automatically, now and whenever you
import or sync more. Under **More options** you can hold back a share of
physical royalties for returns (released in the next period) and set a
minimum payout: balances below it carry forward.

**Calculate:** open the period and click **Calculate**. Each artist gets a
draft statement: royalties from the deal model attached to the track, its
album or the artist team (the most specific wins), or else from a rights deal
your business is the counterpart on. Amounts in other currencies convert
at the period's **Exchange rates**, captured at the first calculation so
recalculating never moves an amount; edit them from the "..." menu while the
period is open. **Unreported** shows income that couldn't be paid: lines not
matched to a track, and tracks with no deal. Fix those and calculate again.

**Advances and costs:** click **Add advance or cost** to record money you
paid an artist or spent on their behalf (a video, a campaign). It is
recouped from their royalties at the next calculation and also shows on the
team's financials. Advances entered on a rights deal are recouped too. Each
one is charged once.

**Adjustments:** open an artist's statement to add a manual line, such as the
opening balance from the system you used before Aden, or a correction.

**Close and publish:** **Close period** recalculates once more and locks the
balances; close periods in order, since each balance carries into the next.
**Publish statements** shows each artist team its statement in
**Financials → Statements**. You can reopen a closed period, or unpublish a
published one while nothing is marked paid.

**Pay:** once published, select statements and choose **Mark paid**
(optionally with the payment reference), or download the **Payment file**, a
CSV your payout provider or bank imports (Tipalti, Wise, bulk transfers).
**Mark unpaid** undoes it.

**Exports:** the "..." menu exports every statement in the period as CSV or
Excel. Each statement downloads as a PDF, or as CSV or Excel with every line.

**For artists:** open your team's **Financials** and the **Statements** tab
lists every statement your labels published, with royalties, what was
recouped and what is payable. Open one for the details and the PDF.