Music publishing
Also known as Music publisher, Publishing
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Short answer
Music publishing is the business of owning or administering the copyrights in compositions. A publisher registers a songwriter's works with collecting societies, licenses them for recordings, performances, film and print, and collects the resulting royalties, keeping a share under the terms of a publishing, co-publishing or administration deal.
What a publisher does
A publisher's work is administrative and commercial. It registers each composition, with its writers and their shares, with performing rights organizations and mechanical collectives such as the MLC; it licenses the works — mechanical licenses for recordings, sync licenses for film and advertising, print licenses for sheet music; it collects the resulting income worldwide; and it pitches songs to artists, supervisors and brands.
The writer's share and the publisher's share
Publishing income is conventionally divided into two halves. The writer's share is paid directly to songwriters by their performing rights organization and cannot be assigned to a publisher. The publisher's share is paid to whoever owns or administers the publishing. A writer with no publisher can collect the publisher's share themselves by registering a publishing entity — otherwise part of their performance income may go uncollected.[1]
Types of publishing deal
| Deal | Who owns the copyright | Publisher's take |
|---|---|---|
| Full publishing | The publisher, by assignment | Typically the whole publisher's share |
| Co-publishing | Writer and publisher, jointly | Typically half of the publisher's share |
| Administration | The writer | A fee, commonly a percentage of income, for a fixed term |
Terms vary widely; the percentages above describe the usual shape of each deal rather than a standard rate.
Questions
Do I need a publisher to get paid for my songs?
No, but someone must register your works and collect the publisher's share. You can do this yourself by setting up your own publishing entity, or hire an administrator to do it for a fee.
What is the difference between a publisher and a PRO?
A performing rights organization licenses and collects performance royalties only. A publisher manages all of a song's rights and income, including registering the song with the PRO.
What is a publishing administration deal?
An agreement in which the writer keeps ownership of their copyrights and a company registers, licenses and collects on their behalf for a percentage fee over a fixed term.