Glossary · Publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the business of owning and exploiting musical compositions — the songs themselves, not the recordings. Publishing income comprises performance royalties collected by ASCAP or BMI, mechanical royalties collected by The MLC, and sync licence fees.
Publishing is one of the two halves of the music business, and it is the half most independent artists discover late. Recording is about masters: the files you upload to DistroKid or TuneCore, the money Spotify pays your distributor. Publishing is about compositions: the melody and lyrics that exist independently of any particular recording, and every stream of income they generate.
Three income types make up publishing for a working artist. Performance royalties arise when the song is performed publicly and are collected in the United States by ASCAP, BMI, SESAC or GMR. Mechanical royalties arise when the song is reproduced — streams, downloads, vinyl, CDs — and digital mechanicals are collected by The MLC. Synchronisation fees arise when the song is paired with visual media, and those are negotiated deal by deal.
Publishing exists as a business because collecting these royalties requires registrations in dozens of systems and territories. A music publisher does that work in exchange for a share of the income. A publishing administrator does the same work without taking ownership.
The misunderstanding I see constantly: "I don't have a publisher, so I don't have publishing." Everyone who writes a song has publishing. The publisher share of every performance royalty exists whether or not anyone claims it, and if you never set up a publisher account at your PRO, that half of the money simply sits there. Publishing is not something a company grants you. It is something you already own and may not be collecting.
I write and release my own material; this is practitioner knowledge, not legal advice.
Related terms
- Musical compositionA musical composition is the song itself — the melody, harmony, structure and lyrics — protected as its own copyright separate…
- Music publisherA music publisher is a company that owns or controls copyright shares in musical compositions and exploits them — registering…
- Publisher shareThe publisher share is the half of a composition's performance and mechanical royalties that belongs to the publisher of the…
- Writer shareThe writer share is the half of a composition's performance royalties that belongs to the songwriters.
Answers that use this term
- ASCAP or BMI — Which PRO Should a Beginner Join?BMI is free for songwriters and ASCAP charges a $50 one-time processing fee, so BMI is the cheaper door for a beginner.
- What Is the Difference Between Master Rights and Publishing?Every song is two separate copyrights. The master is the sound recording - the specific audio file from your session.
- ASCAP vs BMI vs SESAC vs GMR: Which PRO Can You Actually Join?Only two of the four US performing rights organizations are open to you. ASCAP and BMI accept applications from anyone.
- The MLC vs Songtrust vs a Publishing Admin Deal: Who Should Collect Your Publishing?The MLC is free and collects one thing: US digital mechanical royalties under the Section 115 blanket licence.
Definitions on this site describe the United States system. I am an artist who has been through this, not a lawyer.
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