How the ledger works
A clear record of every token that enters or leaves your account.
What the ledger is
The Royalty ledger is the authoritative record of every token in the platform. It tracks how many tokens each account holds, how they got there, and how they were spent. There are only two ways a token balance can change:
- Purchase — a member buys tokens from Royalty by card or other supported payment method.
- Platform-set spending — a member uses a Royalty feature priced by the platform, such as publishing, liking, reposting, commenting, sharing, or buying a post.
Users cannot manually adjust balances, send tokens to each other, or request arbitrary tokens. Every entry is tied to a purchase or a platform transaction.
How tokens enter the system
Where do new tokens come from?
All tokens originate from Royalty. A member buys a token pack or a custom amount through the checkout flow. Stripe processes the payment, and the ledger tokens the member's account once the payment is confirmed.
Can Royalty give tokens away for free?
Yes, Royalty may grant promotional tokens or a welcome balance from its own account. These are still ledger entries initiated by the platform, not transfers from another user.
Can a user add tokens without paying?
No. The only way a personal balance increases is through a platform-issued token — either from a purchase, a refund, or a promotional grant controlled by Royalty.
How tokens leave the system
What counts as a platform-set spend?
Every feature has a fixed price set by Royalty. When a member uses the feature, the ledger debits that exact amount. Current prices are:
- Publishing a post — 1 token
- Liking a post — 1 token
- Reposting — 5 tokens
- Commenting — 10 tokens
- Sharing — 25 tokens
- Buying a post on the marketplace — the listed price
Can a user choose how much to spend?
No. Members cannot set custom amounts, negotiate prices, or direct a spend to another person. They choose a feature, and the platform debits the fixed price.
What happens to spent tokens?
Spent tokens are consumed by the platform. A portion may be allocated to the post holder's earnings balance as a platform reward, a portion may be kept as a platform fee, and the rest is recorded as consumed. The ledger always balances: one account's debit corresponds to a platform-allocated token or a fee.
Earnings are not user transfers
If I receive tokens when someone likes my post, is that a payment from them?
No. The member who liked your post paid Royalty for the interaction. Royalty then allocated earnings tokens to your account under its creator earnings programme. The payer never sent anything directly to you, and they never chose you as a recipient.
How is selling a post different from a direct payment?
When a post is sold, Royalty debits the buyer's token balance, reassigns the post in the platform ledger, and allocates the full sale amount to the seller's earnings. The buyer and seller never exchange payment details or cash directly. Royalty is the counterparty on both sides.
Can I move earnings to another member?
No. Earnings can only be paid out to the verified account holder by Royalty. They cannot be transferred, gifted, or split with another user.
Transparency and audit trail
Can I see my full ledger history?
Yes. Your wallet page shows every transaction: purchases, feature spends, marketplace activity, earnings allocations, refunds, and payouts. Each entry has a timestamp and a description.
What if a balance looks wrong?
All balance changes are tied to a specific transaction. If something looks off, you can contact Royalty support with the transaction details and the ledger will be reviewed.
Is the ledger tamperable?
The ledger is backed by the platform database and enforced by server-side rules. Users cannot edit their own balance or create ledger entries. Only platform-authorised actions create entries.
Why this keeps Royalty out of money transmission
Money transmission involves one party sending money to another party. On Royalty, no user can send money or tokens to another user. The only money flows are:
- Member → Royalty (token purchase).
- Member → Royalty (feature spend — the platform consumes the token).
- Royalty → Member (earnings payout).
Every token movement is either a platform purchase or a platform-allocated reward. There is no member-to-member payment rail, which is why Royalty operates as a digital-goods marketplace, not a money transmission service.