A music publisher is a company that works with songwriters, composers, and other music rights holders to promote their music, protect their intellectual property rights, and generate revenue streams from their creative works. The role of a music publisher can vary depending on the specific needs and goals of the artist or composer, but some of their primary responsibilities include:

Administration

Music publishers handle the administrative tasks associated with managing and licensing music, including registering copyrights, collecting royalties, and negotiating licensing deals with music users such as record labels, streaming services, and advertisers.

Promotion

Music publishers work to promote their clients’ music to various media outlets, music supervisors, and other industry professionals to increase exposure and generate licensing opportunities.

Creative services

Music publishers may offer creative services such as song pitching, songwriting collaboration, and production support to help their clients create high-quality music that is well-suited for licensing opportunities.

Copyright protection

Music publishers work to protect their clients’ intellectual property rights by monitoring and enforcing copyright infringement, pursuing legal action when necessary.

Financial management

Music publishers provide financial management services such as budgeting, accounting, and payment processing to ensure that their clients receive fair compensation for their work.

In exchange for their services, music publishers typically take a percentage of the revenue generated by their clients’ music, typically around 15-25% of the gross income. By working with a music publisher, artists and composers can benefit from their expertise and connections in the industry, allowing them to focus on their creative work while their publisher handles the business side of their career.