What Is Music Publishing, and Why Is It Important?
Music publishing is the business of managing, protecting, registering, and collecting money generated by the copyrights in a song.
When you write, compose, or produce music, you can earn money from the composition itself, separate from money generated by the recording. Music publishing helps make sure the people who own the song’s copyright are properly registered and receive the royalties they are owed.
Detailed Explanation
Every song has a musical composition (the underlying music and lyrics) and a sound recording, which is the specific recorded version of that song.
Music publishing focuses on the composition.
Publishing royalties can come from many different sources, including:
Performance royalties when music is played on radio, TV, streaming services, or in public
Mechanical royalties generated by streams, downloads, and physical uses
International royalties collected through societies and organizations around the world
Sync royalties when a song is licensed for film, television, advertising, games, or other visual media
Other royalties generated from the use of the underlying composition
Because music is used across thousands of platforms, countries, broadcasters, and businesses, getting paid properly can require more than simply uploading a song to a distributor.
Real-World Example
Imagine a producer creates a beat that becomes part of a song that eventually receives 100 million streams worldwide.
The producer may receive money through their master recording participation directly from the record label, but they may also be entitled to publishing royalties because they contributed to the composition.
If the producer's publishing information isn't properly registered globally across dozens of pay sources and PROs, some of those royalties may not reach them automatically.
Proper publishing representation can help register the song with the appropriate collection societies and pay sources so that royalties generated by the composition can be identified, collected, and paid to the correct rights holders.
Common Mistake
One of the biggest mistakes musicians make is assuming:
“I get paid by the record label, so I'm getting all of my royalties.”
A record label primarily deals with money connected to the sound recording/master.
Publishing is separate.
Another common mistake is failing to register songs correctly with the appropriate performance rights organizations, mechanical collection organizations, and international pay sources - or assuming that registering a song in one country automatically covers every country.
What Musicians Should Do
Musicians, songwriters, producers, and other artists should:
Understand their ownership percentage in every song.
Know their PRO and IPI information.
Register their songs correctly by working with a publishing company.
Make sure all songwriters and producers have accurate splits.
Keep documentation showing their ownership and agreements.
Monitor their publishing royalties instead of assuming everything is being collected automatically.
The more successful a song becomes, the more important accurate publishing administration becomes.
How Elizabeth Music Group Approaches Music Publishing
At Elizabeth Music Group Publishing, our goal is to help musicians properly manage and collect the publishing royalties they are owed.
We focus heavily on education, transparency, and royalty collection.
EMG works to register songs with the appropriate pay sources, including PROs and other collection societies and organizations, while also working to identify royalty opportunities internationally.
When royalties are collected, Elizabeth Music Group Publishing pays clients monthly rather than waiting for traditional quarterly or semi-annual payment cycles.
Signed publishing roster members also receive access to a personalized royalty portal where they can view royalty information and analytics.
Most importantly, we believe musicians should understand where their royalties come from, how their songs are registered, and how their money is being collected.
Music publishing isn't just about signing a deal. It's about making sure musicians have the systems in place to properly collect the money their songs generate.
Musicians deserve better and Elizabeth Music Group is committed to providing better service and support.
