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Now in pilot

Report your physical music sales to Luminate.

Sell CDs and vinyl at your shows through Merch Cat, and we'll report your eligible sales to Luminate (MRC Data) — the data company behind the Billboard charts. We're rolling it out to a group of pilot artists first.

What is the Luminate reporting pilot?

Luminate (formerly MRC Data) is the company behind the Billboard charts. Merch Cat now captures your in-person physical-music sales and reports the eligible ones to Luminate as part of its weekly reporting — no separate portal, spreadsheets, or manual data entry.

We're launching this with a limited group of pilot artists so we can onboard everyone carefully and make sure each artist's setup is reporting cleanly. If you sell CDs or vinyl at your shows, this pilot is for you.

What you get in the pilot:
  • Your eligible CD and vinyl sales reported to Luminate, straight from the merch table.
  • Hands-on onboarding to get your items and shows set up correctly.
  • The same Merch Cat workflow you already use — selling, settlements, analytics — with reporting built in.

Who qualifies?

To take part in the pilot, you'll need:

  • A Merch Cat account with the Square-powered POS set up (this is how sales are captured).
  • An active Luminate subscription on your Merch Cat account. This is what turns reporting on. If you're accepted into the pilot, we'll help you get this activated.
  • Physical music to sell — CDs and/or vinyl (LP), each with a UPC (the product barcode), plus a release date and title. Only CDs and vinyl are reportable; shirts, cassettes, and digital are not.
  • Shows with complete venue details, including a postal code.

How it works

  1. Apply. Request access using the form below (it's the same "Request a promo code" flow). Tell us you want the Luminate pilot.
  2. Get set up. We activate Luminate reporting on your account and help you tag your CD/vinyl items with their UPC, release date, and title.
  3. Sell as usual. Run your merch table through the Square-powered POS. Eligible physical-music sales are captured automatically as you sell.
  4. Submit your show. After the show, submit it for reporting before the weekly cutoff.
  5. We report it. Approved shows are sent to Luminate in the weekly batch.

What to expect

We want pilot artists to know exactly how reporting behaves:

  • It's weekly, not instant. Approved shows are exported to Luminate every Friday at 11:00 AM ET. The reporting week closes at Friday 10:30 AM ET. Submit before that cutoff and your sales go out that same Friday; otherwise they go the following Friday.
  • Up to 4 of the same title per transaction count. If one customer buys 5+ of the same title in a single sale, Luminate counts 4. This is Luminate's anti-gaming rule, not a Merch Cat limit.
  • Big shows need proof. If a show has 125 or more reportable music units, you'll need to attach verification media (a photo or video of the sales) before submitting — a Luminate requirement for large counts.
  • Only CDs and vinyl with a UPC are reported. Other merch is skipped; that's expected.
  • A submission can be flagged for review. Large or unusual submissions may be held briefly for a Merch Cat review before they're sent on. You'll get an email when a submission is approved or rejected.
  • Charting isn't guaranteed. We submit your eligible sales; Luminate/MRC Data determines charting.

Ready to make your sales count?

Request access below and mention the Luminate pilot. We'll be in touch to get you set up.

Questions first? Contact us.