What is a music publishing deal? Types, money and how to get one
A publishing deal is about your songs — the words and melody — not your recordings. Here is what a publisher does for that share, the four kinds of deal you will be offered, how advances and recoupment work, the clauses that decide how long your songs stay tied up, and how songwriters actually get signed.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Deals and customs change from country to country; before you sign, have the contract reviewed.
What a publishing deal covers
Every released song carries two copyrights: the composition (lyrics and melody, owned by the songwriters) and the master (the recording, owned by whoever paid for it — you or a label). A record deal is about the master. A publishing deal is about the composition.
The songwriting income of each song is traditionally split into two halves:
- The writer’s share belongs to the songwriters. In most countries the performance part of it is paid straight to each writer by their collecting society, whatever publishing deal they sign.
- The publisher’s share is what a publishing deal negotiates: who owns it, who collects it and how it is divided.
If you have never signed with a publisher, both halves are yours — but nobody may be collecting the publisher’s share for you. Where songwriting money comes from (performance, mechanical, sync and print) is explained in how music royalties work.
What a publisher does for its share
- Registers your songs with collecting societies and mechanical agencies, with the right writers, splits and codes, so the money finds you.
- Collects worldwide, directly or through sub-publishers in other territories, including income an independent writer often never claims.
- Licenses the songs: covers, printed and on-screen lyrics, samples of your composition and sync.
- Pitches your songs for films, series, ads and games, and to other artists who need songs.
- Develops writers: co-writing sessions, camps and introductions to producers and artists.
- Accounts to you: regular statements of what each song earned, and pays your share.
Not every publisher does all of this. Before signing, ask what they will actually do for your catalog and who will work on it day to day.
The four kinds of publishing deal
| Deal | Who owns the songs | What the publisher gets | Typical for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administration (admin deal) | You keep 100% | A commission on what it collects, for a set term | Writers who already earn and want the money collected, not pitched |
| Co-publishing | You and the publisher share the publisher’s share | In the classic form, half of the publisher’s share; usually with an advance | The most common deal for active songwriters and artist-writers |
| Full publishing | The publisher owns the publisher’s share | The whole publisher’s share; you keep the writer’s share | Older or very early-career deals with big development support |
| Single-song agreement | The publisher owns or administers only the songs listed | A share of those songs only | A placement or a song a publisher wants to pitch, without an exclusive deal |
The names are only a start: real contracts mix them, and the percentage, the term and the reversion clause matter more than the label on the cover. Two more shapes you may hear about: sub-publishing, where a publisher hands one territory to a local partner, and catalog purchases, where a buyer pays once to own existing songs outright.
Advances and recoupment
An advance is money paid up front against your future royalties. It is not a fee: the publisher keeps your share of what the songs earn until the advance is paid back (recouped), and only then do you start receiving statements with money on them.
- It is usually non-returnable: if the songs never earn it back, you don’t repay it from your own pocket — check that the contract says so.
- Cross-collateralization: an advance may be recouped from every song and every deal you have with that publisher, not just the songs it was paid for. Ask for it to be limited.
- Option periods: many deals run in periods, each with a new advance that the publisher can choose to pay to keep you signed.
- Your writer’s share of performance income normally keeps coming to you from your society, so it is not used to recoup.
The clauses that matter most
- Term and delivery commitment: how long the deal lasts and how many songs you must deliver (often counted by your share of each co-written song, and sometimes only songs that are commercially released).
- Retention period: how long the publisher keeps collecting on songs written during the term after the deal ends. This decides how long your songs are tied up.
- Reversion: when the songs come back to you — at the end of the retention period, once the advance is recouped, or if a song earns nothing or is never exploited within a set time.
- Prior catalog: whether songs you wrote before signing are included. Many writers leave them out, or include them for a better advance.
- Territory: the world, or only some countries.
- Approvals: your consent for sync in advertising, political or sensitive uses, changes to lyrics and translations.
- Accounting and audit: how often you get statements, how quickly you are paid and your right to check the books.
- Co-writes: what happens with the shares of co-writers signed to other publishers — another reason to sign a split sheet for every song.
A publishing deal can tie up songs for many years, so it is one of the contracts where a music lawyer is worth it. You can arrive prepared: TONTRIA Law (ours) reviews the contract you were sent and marks the term, the percentages, the retention and the reversion with the exact quote of each clause. The other contracts around your career are in the 14 contracts musicians sign.
How to get a publishing deal
Publishers sign songs they think will earn, and writers whose songs are already moving. In practice:
- Have songs that are working: streams growing, a cut with another artist, a sync placement or a following that releases help to grow.
- Clean up your catalog: every song registered with your collecting society, signed split sheets, and the ISRC of each recording. A publisher looks at what it can collect from day one — see how to copyright and register a song and ISRC codes.
- Write with others: co-writing with signed writers and producers is how most publishers first hear of someone.
- Get introduced: most deals come through managers, lawyers, producers and other writers, not unsolicited emails. Many publishers don’t accept unsolicited demos at all — check before you send.
- When you pitch, keep it short: who you are, what you write, two or three songs as streaming or private links, and what is already happening with them.
- Compare offers: an admin deal from one company against a co-publishing offer from another, the advance against the term and the reversion.
Do you need one at all?
Not always. If your songs earn little so far, the main risk is uncollected money, not the lack of a publisher: register every song with your collecting society, and in countries where that is possible, set up your own publishing entity or use an administrator to collect the publisher’s share for a commission while you keep ownership. A co-publishing or full deal makes more sense when you want an advance, active pitching for sync and cuts, and a team that develops you as a writer.
Running a publishing company yourself? TONTRIA for Publishers keeps works, writers, splits, deals and registrations by territory in one place.