![]() ![]() The two key revenue streams for music publishers are mechanical royalties (royalties from the ‘mechanical’ reproduction of the songs) and performance royalties (royalties earned from the public performance of the songs).Īny time you hear a song on the radio, at the grocery store, at a hockey game, or on a video game, music publishing revenue is being generated and collected (in theory) by a publisher on behalf of an artist. Generally speaking, music publishers administer, promote, exploit and protect your catalogue of songs throughout the world. The overall split of music publishing revenue is 50/50, as the Writer is left only with the Writer’ Share of music publishing revenues from performances. The Publisher owns 100% of the copyrights in the musical works and has sole administration rights. 50% of the Publisher’s Share half is given away, or 25% overall):ģ) Buy-Out Agreement or a “Full” Publishing Agreementīuy Out deals are not as common today as they were in the past, and are typically seen when a significant advance is being offered for the Writer’s catalogue. The standard Co-Pub deal involves half of the Publisher’s Share going to the Publisher, meaning we’re left with a 75/25 split in favor of the Artist (i.e. In exchange for this deepened commitment, a music publishing advance for the Artist is normal. This is a deeper commitment than the Admin Deal, as the term is often longer…often equal to the life of the copyrights (which equals the life of the author plus 50 years!). The music publisher and the writer co-own the copyrights in the musical works and the music publisher administers the copyrights in the works. The Co-Pub deal is the norm in the business today. The Artist retains full ownership of the full pie, but gives up 10% of the total music publishing revenue to the Pub Admin company. The 20% only applies to the Publisher’s Share (the Writer’s Share is untouchable), so that’s 20% of 50%, or 10% of the overall publishing revenues generated by the Artist’s songs. In the diagram below I’ve illustrated a 20% pub admin deal. You as writer give up a percentage of your music publishing revenue, with the hope that the administrator will help your songs generate more revenue to offset the fee. If you sign a Pub Admin deal, the administrator does not acquire ownership in the copyrights in your songs, but administers them for a fee (ranging from 10-25%). This is where an administrator can be your best friend, by ensuring your songs are generating the most music publishing revenue possible around the world. You’d be surprised how many commercials and films and video games use music and fail to pay the writers of the music. A music publishing administrator also helps ensure that the correct amount of music publishing revenue from your catalog of songs is being paid and collected around the world. Often artists want to retain ownership in their music publishing, but hire a third party to exploit their catalogue of songs (through film/tv placements, etc.). The 3 main types of music publishing agreements are: If you sign a music publishing agreement, you give up part of the Publisher’s Share, or the left half of the pie. If you never sign a music publishing deal of any kind, you will retain 100% of the music publishing revenue and ownership in your songs, meaning you will own the full pie. The Writer’s Share always belongs to you, the writer, and it can never be assigned or sold. ![]() The circle as a whole represents the total music publishing ‘pie’ in a single song. In every song, music publishing revenue and ownership is divided into two halves: the Publisher’s Share and the Writer’s Share, as per above. I’ve put this blog together to help reduce the confusion. The number of blank stares that return my gaze after I explain music publishing to a fellow musician is countless, and perhaps warranted. That being said, music publishing is the most confusing aspect of the music business. If you write your own songs, either with a band or on your own, or co-write with others, developing an understanding of music publishing is probably the most important thing you can do for your career. ![]()
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