Music publishing is the set of rights, structures, and payment flows related to musical composition: melody, harmony, and lyrics. It is a world entirely separate from digital distribution, with its own rules, its own players, and its own timelines.
Understanding publishing is fundamental for an independent artist who wants to receive every cent of compensation they're entitled to.
The Fundamental Distinction: Master vs Publishing
As also explained in the music royalties article, music has two major rights areas:
- Master (phonogram): relates to the audio recording. Managed through the distributor.
- Publishing (composition): relates to melody, harmony, and lyrics. Managed through a collecting society or a publisher.
When a track is streamed on Spotify, the platform pays both for the master (which goes to the distributor → to the artist) and for the composition (which goes to the collecting society → to the songwriter/publisher).
If you're not registered with a collecting society, the publishing share is lost or remains in a pool.
What Is a Collecting Society (and What Is a PRO)
A collecting society (or PRO, Performing Rights Organization) is an organization that collects payments for the public use of musical compositions and redistributes them to the rights holders.
Each country has its own. Some examples:
- ASCAP, BMI, SESAC (USA)
- PRS (UK)
- SOCAN (Canada)
- GEMA (Germany)
- SACEM (France)
- SIAE (Italy — the Italian PRO)
- And many others worldwide
Collecting societies collect royalties for:
- Public performances (radio, live events, venues, TV)
- Streaming (composition share)
- Digital downloads
- Sync (in some cases)
How to Register with Your PRO
To receive publishing royalties, you need to register with your national PRO as a songwriter/composer. The process varies by organization, but typically involves:
- Create an account on the PRO's website
- Choose your category (lyricist, composer, or both)
- Pay an annual membership fee (if applicable)
- Register your works (the songs you've written) in their repertoire
Important: registering your works must be done separately for each track. Registering a track with your PRO is a different process from distributing it digitally.
The Publishing Flow from Streaming
When a track is streamed on Spotify:
- Spotify pays a composition share to the collecting society of the country where the listen occurs
- The collecting society (e.g., PRS, ASCAP, BMI) receives and manages those funds
- The PRO pays the registered songwriter based on streams and recorded uses
The timeline: publishing royalties arrive with a significant delay, often 6–12 months after the actual use. Collection and distribution is quarterly or semi-annual depending on the collecting society.
What Is a Music Publisher
A music publisher is a company that manages composition rights on behalf of the songwriter, in exchange for a percentage of royalties.
What a publisher does:
- Registers works with collecting societies around the world
- Collects international royalties
- Seeks sync licensing opportunities
- May co-write, develop artists artistically, etc.
For an emerging artist, having a publisher is not immediately necessary. Many independent artists manage publishing autonomously through collecting societies.
Self-Publishing: How to Do It Independently
It is possible to manage publishing without a publisher:
- Register with your national PRO as a songwriter
- Register your works
- Consider creating a publishing imprint (your own "publishing company") within your PRO to also receive the publisher's share (otherwise, in some PROs, this goes to the organization itself)
- For international markets, consider a publishing administrator (services like Songtrust, Sentric, etc.) that handles the recovery of compositional royalties worldwide
Publishing and Digital Distribution: The Practical Difference
| Aspect | Digital Distribution | Publishing |
|---|---|---|
| What it manages | Master (recording) | Composition (melody, lyrics) |
| Channel | Distributor → DSP | Collecting society (PRO) → artist |
| Timeline | 30–60 days | 6–12 months |
| Who pays | The DSPs (Spotify, etc.) | Radio stations, live venues, DSPs (composition share) |
| How it's activated | Upload the release | Registration + work registration |
Many artists receive master royalties from the distributor but register nothing with their PRO, systematically losing the composition share.
Neighbouring Rights: A Third Stream
Beyond master and publishing, there is a third stream called neighbouring rights, which relates to compensation for use in radio, TV, and public venues. We cover this in a dedicated article.
Conclusion
Publishing is not optional: it's money you're entitled to as a songwriter. Registering with your PRO and registering your works is the first step to receiving the full share of compensation you're owed.