For many musicians, releasing a song is only the beginning of the revenue process.
When a song is streamed, played on the radio, used in a video, performed publicly, or consumed in another country, multiple types of royalties may be generated. The challenge is that these royalties do not always flow automatically to the songwriter, producer, or rights holder.
This is where music publishing representation and royalty collection become important.
Elizabeth Music Group helps musicians identify, register, track, and collect publishing royalties they are owed while providing transparency throughout the process.
Our goal is simple: help musicians get paid for the music they have created.
Step 1: Submit Your Catalog
The royalty collection process begins with understanding your catalog.
When working with Elizabeth Music Group, musicians provide information about their songs and publishing percentages. This allows our team to understand what music you control and where royalties may potentially be generated.
This information can include:
Song titles
Writers and producers
Ownership percentages
Performing rights organization (PRO) information
IPI numbers
Release information
Songs you have produced or contributed to
The more accurate the information provided, the better equipped our team is to identify potential royalty opportunities.
Step 2: Review Your Publishing Information
One of the most important parts of royalty collection is determining who owns what.
A song can involve multiple writers, producers, publishers, and other rights holders. Ownership percentages also matter because they determine how royalties are divided.
Elizabeth Music Group reviews the information provided and uses it to help determine where your publishing rights should be registered and collected.
This is particularly important for musicians who have released music independently or who have accumulated significant streaming activity without having a publishing company actively managing their catalog.
Step 3: Identify Potentially Unclaimed Royalties
Not all publishing royalties are necessarily collected simply because a song is available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, or another platform.
A musician may receive money from a distributor or record label while still having publishing royalties that have not been collected.
This is one of the most important distinctions musicians should understand:
Master royalties and publishing royalties are different revenue streams.
For example, money paid through a distributor may relate to the master or sound recording, while publishing royalties can be generated from the underlying composition.
Elizabeth Music Group works to identify potential publishing royalties that may be sitting unclaimed or unpaid across relevant collection sources.
Step 4: Register Your Songs
Once the necessary information is received, songs can be registered for publishing collection.
Publishing royalties are collected through various organizations and collection societies around the world. Different territories can have different systems for collecting and distributing royalties.
For example, a song may generate royalties in the United States while also generating royalties from listeners, radio stations, broadcasters, businesses, or other sources in countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere.
That's why global publishing registration is important.
Elizabeth Music Group works to register songs with the appropriate collection sources so that royalties can be properly attributed to the rights holders.
Step 5: Monitor Royalty Activity
Royalty collection isn't simply a matter of registering a song and forgetting about it.
As music continues to generate streams, performances, broadcasts, and other uses, royalty information can continue to develop.
Elizabeth Music Group monitors the collection process and works to recover royalties when they become available.
Our approach also emphasizes human oversight and direct communication rather than relying solely on automated systems.
Step 6: Collect Royalties From Multiple Sources
Publishing royalties can come from several different sources.
Depending on the song and where it is used, these may include:
Performance royalties
Mechanical royalties
International royalties
YouTube and digital royalties
Radio royalties
Other publishing-related income
The exact royalties generated by each song depend on factors such as usage, territory, ownership, registration, and the specific rights involved.
The important point is that publishing income can come from many places beyond the payments a musician sees from their distributor or record label.
Step 7: Track What Has Been Collected
Transparency is a major part of the Elizabeth Music Group approach.
Signed roster members receive access to a personalized royalty portal where they can view information about royalties collected on their behalf.
The portal is designed to give musicians greater visibility into their publishing income, including royalty amounts and available analytics.
Rather than wondering whether money has been collected, musicians can have a clearer understanding of what is happening with their catalog.
Step 8: Receive Your Royalties
Once royalties are collected and processed, Elizabeth Music Group pays them to the musicians.
One of the key differences in our model is our monthly royalty payment cycle.
Traditional publishing payment schedules can often mean waiting for quarterly or semi-annual statements and payments.
With Elizabeth Music Group, royalties are paid out every month we receive them, giving musicians faster access to the publishing income generated by their music.
Step 9: Continue Collecting as Your Catalog Grows
Royalty collection is not a one-time process.
Your catalog can continue generating royalties long after a song is released.
A song released years ago can still generate publishing income if it continues to be streamed, performed, broadcast, licensed, or otherwise used.
As musicians release new music, those songs can also be submitted for publishing registration and collection.
This creates an ongoing process:
Release music → register your rights → monitor usage → collect royalties → receive payments → continue building your catalog.
Why Unclaimed Publishing Royalties Matter
One of the biggest misconceptions in the music industry is that if you are receiving money from your distributor, you are receiving everything you are owed.
That's not necessarily the case.
A distributor primarily deals with the master recording side of a release. Publishing relates to the underlying musical composition.
A musician can therefore be receiving recording-related income while potentially having publishing royalties that have not been properly registered or collected.
This is why understanding the difference between master royalties and publishing royalties is essential for artists, producers, songwriters, and other rights holders.
Why Global Collection Matters
Music is global.
A song created in one country can be streamed, performed, broadcast, or otherwise used in dozens of countries around the world.
However, international royalty collection can be complicated because different territories operate through different performing rights organizations, mechanical rights organizations, collection societies, and other systems.
A publishing company can help navigate these systems and ensure that a songwriter's rights are properly represented across relevant territories.
For musicians with significant international audiences, this can be especially important.
What Makes Elizabeth Music Group's Approach Different?
Elizabeth Music Group was built around education and transparency.
We believe musicians should understand how publishing works, where their royalties come from, and what happens after they sign a publishing agreement.
Our approach includes:
No upfront fee
Musicians do not have to pay fees upfront to work with Elizabeth Music Group Publishing. We are paid on a percentage of royalties collected.
Monthly payments
Royalties are paid monthly when they are collected and processed.
Global collection
We work to register and collect publishing royalties across relevant territories and collection sources.
Royalty transparency
Clients receive access to a personalized royalty portal with information about collected royalties and analytics.
Personal support
Musicians have direct communication with the EMG team and access to personalized support.
Active royalty recovery
We work to identify and recover publishing royalties that may otherwise go uncollected.
