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A Beginner’s Guide to Music Publishing: Maximizing Your Revenue

Chapter 2 of Hobby Killer. Intro To Becoming An Independent Artist

Author

Brett Curtis
April 14, 2025

As we are packing up magazine orders today, it got me thinking about the different types of deals, resources, and information most artists miss out on. While it might be common knowledge for the types of artists who end up on the cover of our magazines. For independent artists, these resources are not so readily available. Sometimes this info is even gate kept. I know this because I just learned about publishing last year and i’ve been trying to get my career off the ground for quite some time now. And so, this is what inspired chapter 2 of Hobby Killer. Understanding music publishing is crucial to ensuring artists receive all the revenue their music generates. While many artists focus on streaming and sales revenue, they often overlook the various publishing royalties that can add significant income. To fully capitalize on your music, you must register with the right organizations.

The Basics: What is Music Publishing?

Music publishing refers to the business of managing and monetizing the composition of a song—its lyrics, melody, and arrangement—not the recording itself. While distribution platforms like DistroKid, TuneCore, or SoundCloud Repost pay artists for streams of their recordings (known as master rights), publishing deals with the underlying songwriting rights, which can generate income from a wide range of sources.

There are three main types of publishing deals artists should know about:

1. Traditional Publishing Deals

Revenue Split: Usually 50/50 between publisher and songwriter.

In this setup, the publisher handles all aspects of monetizing your compositions—sync licensing, mechanical royalties, performance royalties, and more—in exchange for 50% of your publishing revenue. This deal is beneficial for artists who want to focus solely on making music and leave the business side to professionals. Traditional publishers often offer advances, plug your music into TV, films, commercials, and help with international royalty collection.

Who it's for: Songwriters with growing traction or artists who prefer hands-off management of their catalog in exchange for less control.

2. Publishing Administration Deals

Revenue Split: Typically 85/15 or 90/10 in favor of the songwriter.

Publishing admin services—like Songtrust, TuneCore Publishing, or CD Baby Pro—don’t claim ownership of your songs. Instead, they register your works with global Performing Rights Organizations (PROs), collect royalties on your behalf, and take a small fee for doing so. Admin deals are ideal for independent artists who want to maintain control but still need help tracking down global royalties.

Who it's for: DIY artists, beatmakers, or bands who write their own music and want to stay independent while maximizing backend income.

3. Co-Publishing Deals

Revenue Split: Usually 75/25 in favor of the artist/songwriter.

A co-publishing deal is a hybrid: you and the publisher share ownership of the compositions, but you keep a larger slice than in a traditional publishing deal. These deals are more common in the professional songwriting world (think: Nashville or LA), where publishers are investing in long-term creative development.

Who it's for: Artists with a track record of hits, or those collaborating with industry-level songwriters and producers.

Why This Matters: Distributors Pay Only a Fraction

When you upload music through a digital distributor, you’re only earning from master royalties—roughly $0.003 to $0.005 per stream on Spotify, for instance. If a song hits one million streams, you might make around $3,000 to $5,000 in distribution revenue.

However, that same song could also be generating money from:

  • Performance royalties (radio, live shows, public plays)

  • Mechanical royalties (reproductions like vinyl, CDs, downloads)

  • Sync licensing (film, TV, commercials)

  • Micro-sync (YouTube videos, TikToks)

  • Global royalties (from foreign PROs)

Publishing royalties often account for 25% to 50% or more of a song’s total revenue. That means if you’re only collecting from your distributor, you’re potentially losing half your income.

The 5 Main Types of Music Publishing Registrations

  1. Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) – PROs collect performance royalties whenever your music is played publicly, such as on the radio, in clubs, on TV, or during live performances. These organizations ensure songwriters and composers receive their rightful earnings.

  2. Mechanical Rights Organizations – These organizations collect mechanical royalties, which are generated whenever your music is streamed or sold in digital or physical formats. If you’re not registered, you won’t receive these royalties from streaming services.

  3. Publishing Administration Services – These services help independent artists collect all of their global publishing royalties, including mechanical, performance, and sync royalties. They act as intermediaries to ensure you receive your full earnings.

  4. YouTube Content ID Registration – This system tracks when your music is used in videos on YouTube and ensures you earn ad revenue from it. This is essential for artists looking to monetize their music through user-generated content on YouTube.

  5. Sync Licensing Agencies – Sync licensing helps artists place their music in films, TV shows, commercials, and video games. This not only provides upfront payments but also generates additional performance royalties when the content airs.

Best Registration Options for Each Publishing Type

1. Performing Rights Organizations (PROs)

2. Mechanical Rights Organizations

3. Publishing Administration Services

4. YouTube Content ID Registration

5. Sync Licensing Agencies

Additional Resources for Maximizing Revenue

To ensure you make the most money from your craft, consider registering with these alternative resources:

  • SoundExchange (www.soundexchange.com) – Collects digital performance royalties from non-interactive streaming services like Pandora and SiriusXM.

  • Harry Fox Agency (HFA) (www.harryfox.com) – Helps collect mechanical royalties for physical and digital sales.

  • Music Reports (www.musicreports.com) – Assists with licensing and collecting royalties from various streaming and broadcast sources.

  • Bandcamp (www.bandcamp.com) – A direct-to-fan platform allowing artists to sell music and merchandise with minimal fees.

    These are just a few alternative examples. We will go into this more in-depth in later chapters.

Conclusion

For independent artists, properly handling music publishing registrations is just as important as distributing your music. Registering with a PRO, a publishing administrator, YouTube Content ID, and a sync licensing agency ensures you capture every dollar your music earns. By taking these steps and utilizing additional resources you set yourself up for long-term financial success in a tech driven music industry.

Is there anything else an artist can do to maximize their profits with music releases? Absolutely! Marketing and Merch play huge roles monetizing your music outside of releasing and distributing your music. We will both topics in upcoming chapters. So make sure you subscribe!