The Role of a Publisher

The main objectives as a Music Publisher are to administer, protect, develop, exploit, and collect royalties for the copyrights it represents.

Music publishers require a variety of skills, from the ability to spot good songwriting that is likely to appeal to an audience, to ensuring that the music they represent is properly licensed and paid for.

First things first. We need to find the songwriter. We will go to gigs, listen to demos (be it in physical form or the preferred myspace page) and also have people recommend songwriters to us.

If we like what we hear then we sign the writer(s). The relationship between us and the songwriter/composer is supported by a publishing contract setting out the rights and obligations of each to the other. Under these contracts songwriters and composers assign the copyright in their music to the music publisher in return for a commitment to promote, exploit and protect that music. The publisher agrees to pay the songwriter/composer a percentage of any income earned from such exploitation as royalties.

Once the writer is signed we will promote their compositions. We have links with record companies, producers and managers. With the help of these people we look to secure the compositions with named artists for a commercial release, or in the case of a performing artist, secure a deal for them with a record company. We register the works of the songwriter with all appropriate collection societies and agencies, such as MCPS/PRS.

From that point forward we account to the writers and continue to promote and protect their work.

How do publishers make money?
Publishers have three main sources of revenue:

Mechanical royalties, which we receive from record companies when songs are licensed and sold. In nearly every case these royalties will come to us via a collection society. In the UK will be from the MCPS.
Performance royalties, which performing rights societies collect on behalf of the copyright owners whenever the songs are performed live or played on radio and TV or heard in shops, hotels, bars, theatres, etc.
Synchronisation fees. Music Publishers license music for use in film, television, advertising & multimedia, and, in return, collect synch fees.

To find out more about music publishing and to have some of the above terms explained further, why not visit The Music Publisher’s Association at www.mpaonline.org.uk