There are songwriters who may not have a music publishing A common term used in the music industry to describe an agreement or contract between a creator and a record label or publishing company., which means they are self-published.
As a self-published songwriter, you retain all the The controls creators or rights holders have over what they have created or produced and over their identity and image. in your An original musical composition with or without lyrics., except if you collaborated with others and have negotiated Each rights holder's share of the rights in and income from a musical work. with them. Explore our page on Songwriter Splits to learn more.
It is also important to understand the different The controls creators or rights holders have over what they have created or produced and over their identity and image. protected by National laws that protect creators' and other rights holders' moral and economic rights in musical works, performances, and sound recordings. and how they apply to musical works and Typically, the recorded performance of a musical work protected as a phonogram under copyright law., so visit our topics on Music Creators´Rights, Rights Transfer and Licensing, and Scope of Protection to learn more.
What you need to do if you self-publish
If you act as your own A creator who publishes their own music without the support of a music publisher. music publisher, you are responsible for the monetization of your musical works, the The process of managing music-related rights and royalties on behalf of rights holders. of your rights and the collection of your Money paid for the right to use a musical work, performance, or sound recording, typically, but not always, in the form of recurring payments. and other income. This means the responsibility to To submit information relating to musical works and sound recordings to an appropriate registration body, for example, copyright ownership information submitted to a Collective Management Organization or copyright office. your musical works with a An organization that acts collectively on behalf of the rights holders it represents and collects and pays remuneration to rights holders. and ensure you receive all the income owed rests with you. Your CMO will also need to know you're the publisher of your own musical works, and may request that you register as a corporation.
Learn more about royalties in our Getting Credited and Paid topic.
Being self-published means you take on all the actions a music publisher might carry out for their songwriters, including;
Developing and building your own career
Pitching, promoting, and marketing your musical works
Registering new musical works with CMOs
The process of granting permission to use copyrighted material, such as a musical work or sound recording. musical works for use in films, TV shows, and commercials
Administrating rights, tracking and collecting royalties.
Being self-published can be a daunting task, but a A provider of music publishing services who does not attain any actual copyright from songwriters. can help. Typically, for a small percentage of the income your works earn, a publishing administrator will manage your rights and collect your income for you. A publishing administrator does not have copyright ownership of your musical works.
Quiz
Test your music publishing knowledge
Image credit: Jakob Johansson, Parapix