Understanding Music Publishing

Publishing income is often discussed in terms of writer and publisher shares. The exact treatment depends on the society, agreement and income type, but the practical point is simple: know which share you keep, which share someone else administers, and whether ownership is being transferred. If you are unpublished, you may be responsible for registering works yourself. If you sign a publisher or administrator, check who registers, who can amend splits, who approves sync, and what happens to income after the term ends.

An administration deal usually gives a company the right to collect and administer income for a period while you retain ownership. A co-publishing deal may give the publisher a share of publishing ownership or income. A full assignment can transfer ownership more substantially. The labels vary, so do not rely on the deal name alone. Read the grant of rights, term, territory, options, recoupment, commission, sync approval language and reversion clause.

Publishing is often where sync licensing begins because films, TV, adverts, games and online productions need permission for the composition. If a specific recording is used, the master also needs permission. Before a sync opportunity arrives, make sure splits are agreed, registrations are clean, writers can be contacted quickly and any samples or interpolations have been cleared.