Most artists don’t spend all their time thinking about music publishing, understandably. Musicians and audio engineers are usually busy putting their noses to the grindstone in the recording studio and out on the road. That’s how it should be if you’re still making a name for yourself in the music industry!
Getting your name out and building a fan base might be vastly more appealing than worrying about the complex world of music publishing, but keep in mind these music publishing deals that are important to know if you plan to be a successful music producer!
5 DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSIC PUBLISHING DEALS THAT MAKE REAL MONEY
Once you’ve built a professional foundation, you’ll need to learn a little bit about the publishing field. There are many types of publishing deals; it’s a complex world, but you don’t have to go at it alone. With the right music production school, you too can be a successful music producer or publisher. Here are 5 types of publishing deals to know:
1. INDIVIDUAL SONG PRODUCTION DEALS
This is one of the most common types of publishing deals, and also one of the easiest to understand. In this arrangement, an artist gives the copyright of one of their songs to a publisher. In return, the company pays the artist a percentage of the money earned from that song.
Since this type of contract only applies to a set number of songs, it’s easier to work with than others. Plus, it doesn’t tie an artist down to one publisher forever. You can decide in advance exactly how many songs for which you trade rights.
2. EXCLUSIVE SONGWRITER PRODUCTION DEALS
This is one of the types of publishing deals talked about a lot in the media. It’s where you trade away the rights to all music you’ve created during a set time period, usually a period of several years. In this deal, the publisher pays you an agreed-upon amount of money regularly, regardless of how much money your songs are actually making.
As an exclusive songwriter, the money you are making will be set, even if the publisher is making a fortune off of your music. This could be frustrating if you suddenly become hugely famous, but it’s stable. It’ll keep money flowing in, regardless of what else is happening in your music production career.
3. CO-PUBLISHING MUSIC PUBLISHING DEALS
This type of publishing deal is a bit more complex than the others mentioned thus far. Under these terms, a songwriter co-owns copyrights to his/her songs with the publisher. This is nice for artists who are uncomfortable just giving up the rights to their creative output. Typically, songwriters won’t technically own the copyrights, instead they will be owned by a company they start.
4. ADMINISTRATION MUSIC PUBLISHING DEALS
These agreements are usually drawn out over a longer period of time. In this type of music publishing deal, the publisher won’t actually own the rights to your work. Instead, they have the right to license it out to others.
Creatives will earn a lower percentage with an administration deal. However, the publisher is motivated to make money while they have the rights to license your songs, so you can end up making a lot of money with administration deals.
5. FOREIGN SUB-PUBLISHING MUSIC PUBLISHING DEALS
This type of publishing deal involves licensing your music, but with foreign partners. A publisher in the US may not have the resources or network available to properly push your songs internationally. So, they’ll work with foreign companies to make it happen. This is referred to as a sub-publishing agreement.
READY TO LEARN WHAT IT TAKES TO LAUNCH YOUR MUSIC PRODUCTION CAREER?
A quality education from a good audio engineering school like F.I.R.S.T. Institute, one of the best audio engineering schools in Florida, can teach you the skills you need to succeed in the Audio engineering industry. There you’ll learn what you need to get your new audio production career off the ground, you’ll even learn your way around a studio and how to make your own music.
You won’t get our quality, hands on learning experience with passionate audio industry professionals anywhere else! Check out the Audio Engineering and Music Production program at the F.I.R.S.T. Institute audio production school today. You’re only months away from your dream audio engineering career!
