Locked Shareholders in Velveteen
Updated June 11, 2026
A track's shareholders lock when the track is attached to a release that has left the DRAFT state, or when the track's shareholders_locked field is explicitly set to true by a Velveteen admin. Once locked, you cannot add, remove, or directly edit shareholders. Changes require a change request that all shareholders must approve.
Shareholders lock to protect the integrity of royalty splits once a track is in active distribution. Changing splits after a release is live could create disputes between co-owners about historical earnings. The lock prevents unilateral changes; any update requires all shareholders to agree.
What triggers the lock
Velveteen checks two conditions on every shareholder edit request. If either is true, the track is considered locked:
- Non-DRAFT release attached: The track is referenced by a release whose state is anything other than DRAFT (for example, PENDING, LIVE, or DELIVERED). This is the most common trigger.
- shareholders_locked = true: A Velveteen admin has explicitly locked the track's shareholders, regardless of release state. This is used for administrative holds.
Heads up
What the lock prevents
When shareholders are locked, the following actions are blocked for regular users:
- Adding a new shareholder
- Deleting an existing shareholder
- Changing a shareholder's percentage directly
You can still view the shareholder list, see each party's percentage, and read the audit history. You can also submit a change request, which allows changes to go through once all shareholders have approved them.
Admin bypass
Velveteen admins can apply shareholder changes directly without a change request, even on locked tracks. If a shareholder record was added incorrectly or a percentage needs correction and you cannot resolve it through the change-request flow, contact Velveteen support.
Frequently asked questions
Can I unlock shareholders once a track is locked?+
Only a Velveteen admin can force-unlock shareholders via the admin dashboard. Regular users cannot bypass the lock. If you need to make changes without going through the approval flow, contact Velveteen support.
What if I made an error before the lock?+
Fix it before submitting your release. Once the release moves past DRAFT, the shareholders lock. Check your splits in the track's Shareholders tab while the release is still in DRAFT.
Does taking down a release unlock shareholders?+
Velveteen checks whether any non-DRAFT release currently references the track. If all releases referencing that track return to DRAFT, the track's shareholders may become editable again, as long as shareholders_locked is not explicitly set to true. Admin-set locks require an admin to clear them.
Can I still see shareholders when they are locked?+
Yes. The lock prevents changes, not viewing. You can always see the current shareholder list and each party's percentage, and you can review the audit log for the history of additions and edits.
What if I only have one shareholder?+
Single-shareholder tracks can still be directly edited, even when the track is attached to a non-DRAFT release, as long as there are no other shareholders who would need to approve. The change-request flow is only required when multiple shareholders exist.
Related articles
Proposing split changes
How multi-shareholder change requests work: one shareholder proposes, all must approve before the new splits take effect.
How splits work
Percentages that must sum to 100% or less, distributed to each shareholder when royalty reports are processed.
What is a shareholder?
An email address and a share percentage on a single track: the basics of the shareholder entity.