Can a producer join Elizabeth Music Group Publishing if their music is distributed by another company?

Yes. A producer can join Elizabeth Music Group Publishing even if their music is distributed by another company. Distribution and publishing are separate rights and services.

For example, a producer can have their releases distributed through another distributor while Elizabeth Music Group handles the publishing side - including song registration, global publishing royalty collection, catalog representation, and publishing opportunities.

The important question is whether the producer is already committed to another publishing agreement for the songs they want Elizabeth Music Group to represent. If they are not already in a conflicting publishing deal, being distributed by another company does not automatically prevent them from working with EMG.

In simple terms:

Distributor: Helps get the recording onto Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, etc.
Publisher: Helps manage and collect money generated by the underlying composition.

So a producer could have:

Distributor A → Master/recording distribution
Elizabeth Music Group → Publishing representation

That can allow the producer to keep their existing distribution relationship while getting professional publishing representation and royalty collection through Elizabeth Music Group.

Elizabeth Music Group Publishing currently represents over 7000 songs with a combined total of over 100 billion views and streams with worldwide publishing representation, including registration, protection, monetization, and royalty collection.

Bottom line: Being distributed by another company does not prevent a producer from joining Elizabeth Music Group Publishing. The key is making sure there isn't an existing publishing agreement that conflicts with EMG's publishing representation.