Co-Publishing Agreement

In-Depth Explanation

What is a Co-Publishing Agreement?

A Co-Publishing Agreement (often simply called a "co-pub") is currently the most common type of publishing contract signed by established songwriters and artists in the music industry.

When a songwriter creates a song, they own 100% of the Composition (the publishing rights). Historically, in a "traditional" publishing deal, the songwriter would sell or transfer 100% of that copyright ownership to the publisher in exchange for an Advance and their services.

In a co-publishing deal, the songwriter and the publisher agree to co-own the copyright. Typically, this is a 50/50 split of the copyright ownership.

How the Money is Split in a Co-Pub

To understand the financial benefit of a co-pub deal for the songwriter, you must understand the difference between the "Writer's Share" and the "Publisher's Share" of royalties.

Whenever a song generates publishing income (like Performance Royalties or Mechanical Royalties), that money is conceptually divided into two equal halves:

1. The Writer's Share (50%)
2. The Publisher's Share (50%)

The Traditional Deal Math:

If the songwriter sold 100% of the copyright to the publisher:

• The songwriter keeps their 100% of the Writer's Share (which equals 50% of the total money).
• The publisher keeps 100% of the Publisher's Share (which equals 50% of the total money).
• Result: The songwriter gets 50% of the total income.

The Co-Pub Deal Math:

If the songwriter and publisher co-own the copyright 50/50:

• The songwriter still keeps their 100% of the Writer's Share (50% of the total money).
• Because the songwriter co-owns the publishing, they also receive 50% of the Publisher's Share (25% of the total money).
• The publisher keeps the remaining 50% of the Publisher's Share (25% of the total money).
• Result: The songwriter gets 75% of the total income, and the publisher gets 25%.

(You can visualize this breakdown using our Publishing Royalty Split Calculator).

Why Sign a Co-Pub Deal?

If a songwriter can keep 100% of the money by using a Publishing Administration service, why would they give up 25% of their income to a publisher in a co-pub deal?

1. The Advance: Publishers provide large, upfront cash advances to songwriters upon signing a co-pub deal. Admin services generally do not provide advances.
2. Creative Services (A&R): A good publisher acts as a creative manager. They set up writing sessions with famous producers, pitch the songwriter's demos to major label pop stars, and actively help build the writer's career.
3. Sync Placements: Major publishers have dedicated teams whose sole job is to pitch the catalog to Music Supervisors for high-paying film, TV, and commercial placements.