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Every time you hear "Sweet Child O' Mine" on the radio, take a moment to appreciate that no matter how long it takes for the next Guns N Roses album to come out, its members can live off the royalties they earn off this song. Publishing plays a huge role in financially supporting the music industry and ensuring artists get paid for their work.
Time Frame
The minute someone writes a song, they are the copyright holder and publisher of that piece of music. They own 50 percent of the writing share and 50 percent of the publishing share.
Benefits
Copyright owners can transfer publishing rights to a music publisher by assigning copyright to them in a publishing deal. These deals vary but most involve the publisher and copyright holder splitting any royalties earned by the licensing and use of songs.
Benefits
Working with a music publisher is beneficial because they can help artists and songwriters get their music places they would be hard pressed to do on their own. They plug and promote songs, helping artists and songwriters get them placed in movies and secure record deals.
Types
Music publishers help songwriters and artists collect royalties every time one of their songs is used. These include mechanical and performance royalties. Mechanical royalties are earned when a songs appears on a CD. Performance royalties are earned when a song is used in a public place or on television.
Warning
Some music publishers, known as songsharks, charge naive songwriters for services reputable publishers offer for free. They do none of the work promoting and plugging songs that real music publishers do.
Source:
Ultimate Songwriting: What is Music Publishing? The Role of a Music Publisher
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