Why Songwriters Lose Money on Unclaimed Publishing Royalties and How to Fix It
Songwriting is a passion-driven art form, but it’s also a business—one that many songwriters unknowingly leave money on the table in. Every year, millions of dollars in royalties go unclaimed simply because songwriters don’t have the right systems in place to collect what they’re owed. This happens for a variety of reasons, from a lack of knowledge about royalty collection to not having a global publishing administrator ensuring proper registration and payout.
If you’re a songwriter, producer, or composer, understanding how royalties work and how to collect them efficiently is crucial to sustaining your career. In this article, we’ll break down why so many songwriters lose money on unclaimed royalties and how Elizabeth Music Group provides the best solution to ensure every dollar finds its way into your pocket.
The Problem: Why Songwriters Lose Money on Unclaimed Royalties
1. Not Registering Songs with a PRO Isn’t Enough
Many songwriters think that registering with a Performing Rights Organization (PRO) like ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC is all they need to collect their royalties. However, PROs only collect performance royalties—one of many revenue streams songwriters are entitled to. Other major royalty sources, such as mechanical royalties and digital streaming royalties, need separate collection systems.
Without a global publishing administrator, these additional royalties go unclaimed, sitting in collection societies worldwide until they eventually expire.
2. Mechanical Royalties Are Often Overlooked
Whenever a song is streamed, downloaded, or sold physically, mechanical royalties are generated. However, these royalties don’t go through PROs. Instead, they are collected by mechanical rights organizations like. If a songwriter doesn’t have a publishing administrator to claim these, they remain uncollected.
3. International Royalties Go Unclaimed
Your music doesn’t just generate royalties in your home country—it earns revenue from listeners all over the world. Different countries have different collection societies, and if your songs aren’t properly registered worldwide, you won’t get paid for streams, radio plays, or public performances in those regions.
Without a global publishing administrator, you’re likely missing out on royalties from listeners in Europe, Asia, and South America.
4. YouTube and UGC Revenue is Often Missed
User-generated content (UGC) is one of the fastest-growing sources of royalties for songwriters. Anytime someone uses your song in a YouTube video, Instagram Reel, or TikTok clip, it generates revenue. If your songs aren’t properly registered, you’re leaving money on the table.
5. Sync Royalties Need Proper Registration
If your song is placed in a film, commercial, or TV show, it earns sync fees and backend performance royalties. However, if you don’t have a publishing administrator tracking and collecting these royalties, you may never see a dime from those placements.
Many songwriters focus on landing sync placements but don’t realize that unregistered works mean lost income.
6. Lack of Knowledge and Resources
Many songwriters aren’t aware of the complexities of music publishing and royalty collection. With so many different organizations collecting royalties in different ways, it can be overwhelming to track everything manually.
Even if songwriters know about these issues, registering music globally and monitoring payments requires expertise and time—something most artists don’t have.
The Solution: Why You Need a Global Publishing Administrator
A global publishing administrator ensures that all royalties owed to a songwriter are collected worldwide. Here’s what they do:
1. Song Registration Across Global Societies
A publishing administrator registers your music across all major collection societies, ensuring that you get paid for every performance, stream, download, and placement in every country.
2. Collection of Mechanical and Performance Royalties
A proper administrator doesn’t just collect performance royalties like a PRO—they also register and collect mechanical royalties from platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and international collection societies.
3. Monetization of YouTube & UGC Royalties
Your music will be added to YouTube’s system, ensuring you get paid when people use your music in videos.
4. Proper Sync Licensing & Backend Royalty Collection
If your song lands a sync placement, a publishing administrator ensures that every performance royalty and backend payment is properly collected.
5. Efficient & Accurate Royalty Distribution
Instead of missing out on payments, a global administrator ensures that all your royalties flow directly to you.
Why Elizabeth Music Group is the Best Option
While there are many music publishing administrators out there, Elizabeth Music Group (EMG) stands out as the best choice for songwriters, producers, and composers. Here’s why:
1. Full Global Coverage
EMG ensures that your music is properly registered worldwide. This means you get paid for streams, performances, and mechanical royalties from every country where your music is played.
2. No Hidden Fees – Transparent Payouts
Many publishing administrators charge excessive commission fees, but EMG provides fair and transparent revenue splits to ensure songwriters get the highest percentage possible. Elizabeth Music Group offers a global publishing administration agreement that allows songwriters to maintain 100% ownership in their compositions and EMG only retains a 15% commission on royalties they collect.
3. Expertise in Sync Licensing & Royalties
EMG specializes in sync placements and works with film, TV, and ad agencies to ensure you’re maximizing revenue from music placements. With expertise in negotiating and pitching music for sync, songwriters signed to Elizabeth Music Group have access to top quality service.
4. YouTube & Social Media Digital Monetization
With YouTube and social media tracking, EMG ensures that every use of your music generates revenue for you.
5. Songwriter-Friendly Contracts
Unlike traditional publishing deals that lock artists into long-term agreements, EMG offers songwriter-friendly deals that allow you to maintain ownership and control if you would like a global publishing administration agreement.
How to Fix the Problem: Partner with EMG Today
If you’re a songwriter, producer, or artist who has unclaimed royalties, now is the time to take action. Elizabeth Music Group offers the best solution to ensure you get paid for every use of your music.
✅ Step 1: Reach out to EMG and sign with us. Once signed, submit your songs that you would like EMG to collect royalties from.
✅ Step 2: EMG registers your music across all global collection societies.
✅ Step 3: Start collecting your publishing royalties worldwide.
You’ll have full access to your royalty statements and analytics via Elizabeth Music Group’s cutting edge royalty portal.
Elizabeth Music Group pays out royalties on a monthly basis.
Take control of your royalties and maximize your earnings with Elizabeth Music Group today.
