What is Music Publishing Administration?

In this article and video, I will cover what music publishing administration is, as well as how you as a music producer or recording artist can collect your music publishing royalties.

Music publishing administration is an essential aspect of the music industry that all recording artists and music producers should understand. Publishing royalties are payments you receive for selling your work, such as songs or music, and are usually paid to you in a lump sum periodically for the lifetime of the work. The more people consume your work, the more you'll be paid royalties.

One of the key benefits of publishing royalties is collecting them for songs that have already been distributed or for music that hasn't been distributed but has been synced for TV shows, video games, or movies. You can even do mini-sync licensing as well.

When collecting your publishing royalties, the general rule is that it is done by a publishing company, which can be either you or your label, even if it's an independent label. Depending on your agreements with the publishers, they may collect the royalties on your behalf. It's essential to check what the splits are supposed to be between you and your music producers.

What You Should Have When Collecting Publishing

To make sure that publishing royalties are properly divided up amongst you, you should have handy your licensing agreements for beats you may have used, and you should join a music administration society like SongTrust. These societies help you to register your works and collect royalties globally. With SongTrust, they also collect for your YouTube plays or streams that may be accumulating on somebody else's video or even on your channel, even if it's not monetized. This is a great way to ensure that you're getting paid for all the ways your music is being used.

How to Register to Collect Your Publishing Royalties

In summary, music publishing administration is an essential aspect of the music industry that all recording artists and music producers should understand. Joining a music administration society like Songtrust is a great way to ensure that your works are registered and that you're getting paid for all the ways your music is being used. This can help simplify the process of collecting publishing royalties and ensure you're getting paid what you're owed.