,

Music Publishing Explained for Musicians

Music Publishing

 

Are you a songwriter, artist or producer looking to make extra money from your songs ? We would be surprised if you answered no to that ! Of course, you can go it alone, but once you get to a certain point in your music career, you might want to get some help. This is where a music publisher comes in.

music-publishing-explained-for-musicians-1

A GUIDE TO MUSIC PUBLISHING

 

WHAT DOES A MUSIC PUBLISHER DO?

Music publishers can help you earn money from your songs in a number of ways and will actively look for ways to use your music on your behalf.

The most common way that a publisher will use your music on your behalf is by licensing your tracks out to be used in the media, including TV, films and adverts. This is called synchronisation or ‘sync’. Your publisher will also be responsible for issuing the licenses and making sure you get a good deal.

Publishers generally charge on a commission basis, which usually works in your favour, as they will only receive income if you do. This gives them the incentive to secure you as much income as possible. The percentage that they take depends on your contract with them and you should always seek legal advice when negotiating an agreement.

Alternatively, another way some music publishers help artists is by finding people for you to collaborate with and co-write with or for.

Finally, a publisher’s role also includes collecting the income from uses and the licenses that they issued. They ensure that you get the money that is due to you and that what you receive is correct.

music-publishing-explained-for-musicians-2

THE BENEFITS OF MUSIC PUBLISHING

Sync can be a useful form of income, offering you not only royalties but also an upfront fee, usually in the hundreds or thousands of pounds, as well as a decent amount of exposure.

Over the years, especially since Napster (You surely know that story..) sync has become more and more important for artists, so it’s worth looking into. Sync usually involves signing to a publisher and/or record label.

In addition to sync deals, by collaborating and co-writing you will be able to add more songs to you repertoire, particularly ones that are perhaps slightly different from your usual style. This can be beneficial as it gives you a more varied catalogue, opening you up to more opportunities.

There is also the direct benefit you get from it, which is not just in songwriting but any form of collaboration that is cross promotion. If you collaborate, then you’re exposing yourself to your partner’s audience, which should get you more fans.

COPYRIGHT AND PUBLISHERS

The role of the Publisher is based on copyright, which is the rights that you have for your music.

Copyright is split into two main sections: copyright in the song (known as publishing rights) and copyright in the sound recording (known as master rights). The publisher only deals with the publishing right, which is the songwriting side and includes the music and lyrics.

Traditionally, a record label will own the master right, which is basically the right to use a particular recording of that song, but if you’re a self-releasing artist or producer then you will most likely own this right yourself.

In a publishing agreement, you will generally assign the publisher your publishing copyright, to use and license your songs on your behalf. This means you are no longer allowed to do this yourself.

music-publishing-explained-copyright

DO IT YOURSELF

If you’re not ready for a publisher or if you’re not interested in assigning your rights, you can do it yourself or register to MusicDiffusion publishing administration. MusicDiffusion which is associated with Most Wanted Music, one of the greatest independent Music Label, can also help you to bring you placement opportunities and to collect your rights for a small fee, read more about here.

Article inspired from Ditto Music – Read the original here: http://www.dittomusic.com/blog
 


Distribute and sell your music on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Beatport, Facebook, YouTube and much more with MusicDiffusion®

Did you like this article? Don’t miss any new post by subscribing to our newsletter!

1 reply
  1. Kevin
    Kevin says:

    Great article! I finally made the difference between Music Label and a Music Publisher with it 🙂 Thx MusicDiff!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply