Music Publishing Explained: A Complete Guide to Publishing Royalties

Music publishing is one of the most misunderstood and undervalued aspects of the music business. While most independent artists focus on streaming royalties from platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, they often overlook the publishing side of their income, which can represent 30% to 50% of their total earnings from recorded music.

Every time your song is streamed, played on the radio, performed live, used in a TV show, featured in a video game, or covered by another artist, it generates publishing royalties. If you have not set up your publishing correctly, you are leaving a significant portion of your income uncollected. According to the Music Publishers Association, an estimated $2.5 billion in music royalties go uncollected globally each year, largely because songwriters and artists have not registered their works properly.

This guide explains exactly how music publishing works, the different types of publishing royalties, how to collect every dollar you are owed, and whether you need a publishing deal or can handle it yourself. For a broader view of music income, see our Complete Guide to Making Money as a Musician.

What You Will Learn

What Is Music Publishing

Music publishing is the business of managing, protecting, and monetizing musical compositions. A musical composition is the underlying song itself, the melody, lyrics, and musical arrangement, as distinct from any specific recording of that song.

This distinction is critical. When you write and record a song, two separate copyrights are created:

Both copyrights generate separate revenue streams. Most independent artists only collect the master (recording) side through their distributor. The publishing (composition) side requires separate registration and collection.

A Simple Example

When someone streams your song on Spotify, two payments are generated:

If you have only set up distribution through DistroKid, TuneCore, or CD Baby, you are only collecting the master royalty. The publishing royalty is sitting uncollected unless you have registered with a PRO and publishing administrator.

Types of Publishing Royalties

Performance Royalties

Generated whenever your composition is performed publicly. This includes:

Performance royalties are collected by Performing Rights Organizations (PROs). In the United States, the three major PROs are ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. Browse our PRO Directory to find the right organization for your needs.

How much are performance royalties worth? Rates vary significantly by use. A single radio play on a major US station can pay $0.05 to $0.25 per play. Streaming performance royalties are fractions of a cent per stream but accumulate significantly at scale. A song played in a primetime TV show can generate hundreds or thousands of dollars in performance royalties.

Mechanical Royalties

Generated whenever your composition is reproduced. This includes:

In the United States, mechanical royalties from streaming are set by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB). The current rate for interactive streaming is determined by a complex formula, but generally amounts to approximately $0.0005 to $0.001 per stream for the songwriter.

Mechanical royalties are collected by the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) in the United States (for streaming mechanicals), your publishing administrator, or your publisher.

Sync Licensing Royalties

Generated when your composition is synchronized with visual media:

Sync licensing fees are negotiated individually and can range from a few hundred dollars for a small indie film to $50,000 to $500,000+ for a major national TV commercial or blockbuster film placement.

Learn more about sync opportunities in our Sync Licensing Guide and explore companies in our Sync Licensing Directory.

Print Royalties

Generated when your composition is reproduced in printed form:

Print royalties are a smaller revenue stream for most artists today but can be significant for composers and songwriters with widely performed compositions.

How to Collect Every Publishing Royalty

Step 1: Register with a PRO

Your first and most important step. A Performing Rights Organization collects your performance royalties from radio, live venues, streaming services, TV, and businesses worldwide.

In the United States, your options are:

In other countries:

You can only be a member of one PRO at a time. Browse our comprehensive PRO Directory for detailed information on each organization including their registration process, fee structure, and payment schedules.

Step 2: Register with the MLC (US Only)

The Mechanical Licensing Collective was established in 2021 to collect and distribute digital mechanical royalties from streaming services in the United States. Registration is free and essential for any songwriter whose music is streamed in the US.

Visit themlc.com to register. You will need your song titles, ISWC codes (if available), and your PRO membership information.

Step 3: Consider a Publishing Administrator

A publishing administrator handles the business side of your publishing without taking ownership of your copyrights. They register your songs with collection societies worldwide, ensure your royalties are being tracked and collected in every territory, and typically charge 10% to 20% of collected royalties.

Popular publishing administrators for independent artists:

Step 4: Register Your Songs

Every song you release needs to be registered with:

When registering, you will need to provide:

Step 5: Set Up Proper Splits

If you co-write songs with other songwriters or producers, you must agree on ownership splits before releasing the music. Common split arrangements include:

Use our Publishing Royalty Split Calculator to model different split scenarios and understand how they affect each writer's earnings.

Get split agreements in writing before the song is released. Verbal agreements about splits lead to disputes, legal complications, and uncollected royalties.

Do You Need a Publishing Deal

Types of Publishing Deals

Full publishing deal: A publisher takes ownership of your copyrights (typically for a set term) in exchange for an advance and active pitching of your songs for sync placements, covers, and other opportunities. They handle all administration and collection. Typical split: publisher takes 50% of all publishing income.

Co-publishing deal: You retain 50% ownership of your copyrights and assign the other 50% to the publisher. You receive 75% of total publishing income (your 50% writer share plus half of the 50% publisher share). The publisher handles administration and pitching.

Administration deal: You retain 100% ownership. The administrator collects and distributes your royalties worldwide in exchange for a commission (typically 10% to 20%). No advance is provided, and active pitching for sync and covers is usually not included.

When a Publishing Deal Makes Sense

When Self-Publishing Makes More Sense

For most independent artists who primarily perform their own music, a publishing administrator (not a full publisher) is the ideal middle ground. You retain ownership while outsourcing the complex administrative work of worldwide royalty collection.

Common Publishing Mistakes

Mistakes That Cost You Money

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between a songwriter and a publisher?

The songwriter creates the composition (melody, lyrics, arrangement). The publisher manages the business side: administering copyrights, registering songs with collection societies, licensing compositions for sync placements, and collecting royalties. As an independent artist, you are both the songwriter and the publisher of your own music until you assign those rights to someone else.

Q: How much are publishing royalties worth compared to master royalties?

For streaming, the split is roughly 70% master royalties and 30% publishing royalties. So for every $1.00 in streaming revenue, approximately $0.70 goes to the master owner (you or your label) and $0.30 goes to the composition owners (you as the songwriter, collected through your PRO and publishing administrator). On other platforms and uses (radio, sync, live performance), the publishing share can be equal to or greater than the master share.

Q: Can I be my own publisher?

Yes. As the writer and performer of your own songs, you automatically own 100% of the publishing rights unless you have assigned them to someone else. Self-publishing means you handle all registration and administration yourself, or you use a publishing administrator to handle it for a commission.

Q: How long does it take to receive publishing royalties?

Publishing royalty payments are notoriously delayed. PROs typically pay quarterly, with a delay of 6 to 12 months from the time the performance occurs to the time you receive payment. The MLC pays monthly with a shorter delay. International collections can take 12 to 24 months or longer to filter through the various collection societies and reach you.

Q: Do I need to copyright my songs separately?

In the United States, your songs are automatically copyrighted the moment they are created in a fixed form (written down or recorded). Formal copyright registration with the US Copyright Office is not required for copyright protection but is strongly recommended because it provides legal advantages if you ever need to enforce your copyright in court.

Q: What happens to my publishing if I sign a record deal?

A standard recording contract typically does not affect your publishing rights. However, some deals (particularly 360 deals) include publishing provisions. A separate publishing deal is a completely distinct agreement. Never bundle publishing rights into a recording contract without fully understanding the implications. Always have an entertainment lawyer review any deal that touches your publishing.

Start Collecting Your Publishing Royalties Today

Publishing royalties represent a significant and often overlooked income stream for independent musicians. The setup process takes a few hours of work but pays dividends for the entire life of your catalog, which is the life of the copyright (your lifetime plus 70 years in most countries).

At minimum, every songwriter should complete these three actions immediately:

For artists who want comprehensive worldwide collection without the administrative burden, adding a publishing administrator like Songtrust or TuneCore Publishing is the next logical step.

Next Steps: