Publish or Perish?
Music Publishing
A lot of songwriters are mystified by the world of music publishing. Publishing is a very important part of creating music. First of all Publishers administer the rights to a song, including collecting performance royalties. Secondly, Publishers work to commodify the song by finding new uses for it to be heard and get into the marketplace, thereby potentially generating new revenue streams for the songwriter. Here are some sites to help clear things up!
In the music industry, a music publisher (or publishing company) is responsible for ensuring the songwriters and composers receive payment when their compositions are used commercially. Through an agreement called a publishing contract, a songwriter or composer “assigns” the copyright of their composition to a publishing company. In return, the company licenses compositions, helps monitor where compositions are used, collects royalties and distributes them to the composers. They also secure commissions for music and promote existing compositions to recording artists, film and television.[1]
The copyrights owned and administered by publishing companies are one of the most important forms of intellectual property in the music industry. (The other is the copyright on a master recording which is typically owned by a record company.) Publishing companies play a central role in managing this vital asset.
- Socan’s Short Guide to Self Publishing
- BMI’s Guide to Starting your own Music Publishing Company
- Boosy & Hawks guide to Self Publishing
- Who Owns Your Music Publishing Rights and How Does the Money Get Split?
- Should You Start Your Own Publishing Company?
- An essential guide to Music Publishing by TuneCore
