Music Publishing simplified

Often artists complain about not getting help from any of the entities in music industry related to the copyright of their songs and the royalty they have the right on. Mostly, the record labels play crucial roles in releasing and marketing the artist and his/her song, but what happens to the behind the scene people like songwriters and composers. That is where music publishing companies come into the scene. Simply put, what record labels are to singer’s, music publishing companies are to songwriters. The music publishing companies manage your songs and make sure that all of the royalties to which you are entitled are being collected. Following are the responsibilities of a music publishing company.

1.    A music publishing company is responsible for ensuring that the songwriters and composers receive payment when their compositions are used commercially.

2.    By signing a publishing contract, the artist assigns the copyright of his compositions to the publishing company.

3.    In return, the publishing company helps to monitor where those compositions are used, collects royalties and distributes them to the artist.

4.    A publishing company also secures commissions for music and promote existing compositions to recording artists, film and television. This work is usually referred to as the administration of a song.

Within these basic functions, you’ll find that music publishing companies accomplish these goals in a number of different ways. Some publishing companies get involved in everything from the creative process to heavy promotion. These companies offer little creative support to their artists and are more reactive than proactive when it comes to seeking licensing opportunities. Although they handle the administration of the songs, they tend to respond to offers rather than going out there and trying to generate them actively.

Major publishing companies are mostly the ones who own big record labels or are associated with them. Then, there are independent companies which are affiliated with major companies for handling their licensing administration. Some independent companies are so small that they handle the administration on their own. In fact, often artists become their own music publishers and handle their royalty issues on their own.

Even if one can handle these issues on his own, having a music publisher on your side is always a good choice, so that you can focus on your music and let them take care of all the associated things.

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