Music Industry Investigations in Nashville: Due Diligence, Missing Co-Writers, and Royalty Disputes
Short answer: Music industry investigations are private investigations that support the business and legal side of music: vetting a manager, producer, investor, or label before you sign; locating co-writers, heirs, or former band members who are owed or owe money; documenting unauthorized use of masters, merchandise, or a name; and finding the facts behind contract and royalty disputes. In Nashville, where publishing, songwriting, touring, and artist management are concentrated, investigators work alongside entertainment attorneys and accountants. Attorneys handle the contracts, accountants handle royalty audits, and investigators find the people, records, and facts both of them need.
Last updated October 2026 · Watchtower Investigations, Nashville
Key takeaways
Most music disputes turn on people and paperwork: who wrote what, who signed what, who controls which entity, and where the money went.
Due diligence before signing with a manager, producer, investor, or independent label is far cheaper than litigation afterward.
Investigators locate missing co-writers, estates, and heirs so splits, registrations, and licenses can be cleaned up.
Royalty audits are accounting work, but investigators supply the background, entity, and asset research that makes an audit or lawsuit effective.
Counterfeit merchandise, name and trademark misuse, and impersonation of artists online can be documented and traced to the people behind them.
Why does the music business need private investigators?
Music Row and the surrounding industry run on relationships, handshake deals, and agreements that are sometimes signed quickly and read later. Songwriters co-write with people they met that week. Young artists sign with managers or production companies whose history they never checked. Investors put money into tours, studios, and catalogs based on a pitch. When something goes wrong, the questions are factual: Who is this person, really? Which company did I actually sign with? Is the other side hiding income or assets? Where is the co-writer whose signature we need?
Those are investigative questions. A licensed private investigator answers them with records research, interviews, open-source intelligence, and, when needed, surveillance, all conducted lawfully and documented so an attorney can use the results.
What does due diligence on a manager, producer, or investor include?
Before signing a management agreement, production deal, publishing administration agreement, or investment, an artist or company should know the other party's track record. A thorough background investigation typically covers:
Identity and history. Confirming the person is who they claim to be, prior names, prior addresses, and prior business ventures.
Business entities. Every company the person has formed or controlled, in Tennessee and elsewhere, including dissolved entities, and who the other members or officers were.
Litigation history. Civil suits by former clients, artists, venues, or investors; judgments; bankruptcies; and liens.
Claimed credits and relationships. Whether the hits, placements, and artist relationships in the pitch are real and as described. Public credit databases, liner notes, and interviews with people named in the pitch often reveal inflation.
Criminal history where lawful and relevant. Particularly for anyone who will handle money or have access to minors on tour.
Online reputation. Complaints, forum discussions, and patterns in how the person has treated past clients.
When the background check involves a decision about employment, investigators follow the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act rules for consumer reports. For business deals and investments, the research focuses on public records and open sources.
How do investigators help with songwriter splits and missing co-writers?
Unregistered or incorrectly registered songs leave money on the table. Royalties can sit unpaid when a co-writer cannot be found, when a writer has died and the estate was never set up to receive income, or when nobody is sure which publisher controls a share. Investigators handle the people side of this problem:
Locating co-writers, session musicians, and former band members who moved, changed names, or left the business.
Identifying heirs and personal representatives when a writer has died, using probate filings, obituaries, and genealogical records.
Finding the current owner of a defunct publishing company or label whose catalog was sold or abandoned.
Interviewing people present at a writing session to document who contributed what, which supports split sheets and, if necessary, litigation.
Once the people are found, the artist's attorney or administrator handles the registrations with performing rights organizations, The Mechanical Licensing Collective, and other bodies.
Can an investigator help with royalty and contract disputes?
Yes, in a supporting role. A royalty audit is performed by accountants who examine statements and ledgers under the audit rights in a contract. Investigators add value around that audit and around contract litigation by:
Mapping the corporate structure on the other side, including related entities that may be receiving money that should flow through the contract.
Researching assets for judgment collection or settlement leverage.
Locating and interviewing former employees of a label, publisher, or management company who know how money actually moved.
Documenting use of masters, compositions, or likeness on platforms, in venues, or in advertising that never appeared on a royalty statement.
What about counterfeit merchandise and impersonation?
Merchandise is a major revenue stream for touring artists, and unauthorized merch shows up at venues, online storefronts, and print-on-demand marketplaces. Investigators make test purchases, document sellers, identify the people and businesses behind storefronts, and preserve evidence that supports takedowns, cease-and-desist letters, and trademark or copyright claims.
Impersonation is the other growing problem: fake artist accounts soliciting money from fans, fake managers or booking agents offering shows that do not exist, and fraudulent "industry" contacts targeting aspiring artists who move to Nashville. Investigators trace the accounts, payment trails, and associated identities, and package findings for platforms, attorneys, and law enforcement.
How do investigators protect aspiring artists who move to Nashville?
Every year, people move to Nashville to pursue music, and some of them are approached by "producers," "managers," or "development companies" asking for large upfront fees. Not every paid service is a scam, but a quick background investigation answers the obvious questions: Has this company been sued by other artists? Does it actually have the placements it claims? Is the person behind it using a different name than in prior ventures? A few hundred dollars of research before signing can prevent a loss of thousands.
What can't a private investigator do in an entertainment case?
Investigators cannot access someone's bank accounts, streaming-platform back end, email, or private messages without legal authority. They cannot obtain phone records by pretexting, which is illegal, and they cannot record private conversations they are not part of. Account-level royalty data usually comes from audit rights or discovery handled by your attorney. What investigators can do, through lawful methods, is usually what fills the gaps: who the people are, what entities exist, what has been filed in court, what is publicly visible, and what witnesses will say.
Frequently asked questions
Should I run a background check on a music manager before signing?
Yes, especially if the agreement is long-term, gives the manager a share of income after the term ends, or involves upfront fees. A background investigation checks litigation history, prior entities, and whether claimed credits and relationships are accurate.
Can a private investigator find a co-writer I lost touch with?
In most cases, yes. With a full name and some history, such as the years you wrote together, the city, or mutual contacts, investigators can usually locate a living person. If the person has died, investigators can identify the estate or heirs.
Do investigators perform royalty audits?
No. Royalty audits are performed by accountants who specialize in music. Investigators support the audit and any litigation with entity mapping, asset research, witness location, and documentation of unreported uses.
How do I find out who owns a defunct label or publishing company?
Investigators start with business filings, assignment and copyright records, trademark filings, and court records, then trace the people who owned or acquired the company. Catalogs are often sold or transferred in ways that leave a records trail.
Can you stop fake merchandise sellers?
Investigators identify sellers, make documented test purchases, and preserve evidence. Your attorney then uses that evidence for takedowns, demand letters, or litigation. Platform enforcement moves faster when the evidence package is complete.
Do you work with entertainment attorneys?
Yes. Much of this work is retained through counsel so that findings are protected as attorney work product. See our services for attorneys.
Work with a Nashville investigator who understands the business
Watchtower Investigations is a licensed private investigation agency based in Nashville and serving Middle and West Tennessee, with the statewide resources of the Delator Group network. Whether you are an artist about to sign, a publisher cleaning up a catalog, or an attorney preparing a case, contact us for a confidential consultation.