From the course: Music Law: Recording, Management, Rights, and Performance Contracts

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Copublishing

Copublishing

From the course: Music Law: Recording, Management, Rights, and Performance Contracts

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Copublishing

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- A co-publishing provision allows the record label to own a piece of the artist's songwriting revenue. Songwriting revenue is distinct from recording revenue. For example, the song owner gets separate payments when radio stations play a song, when a song is used in a commercial, when a song is used on TV or in movies, or even when the song is used on a ring tone. When a recording artist also writes the songs, the label may want to obtain some of that revenue. In order to make that happen, the label uses a co-publishing provision. Note that these deals, though still popular, are becoming less prevalent. A little background about song ownership is necessary here. The artist who writes the song is the initial owner of that song. Because of an antiquated system used by the music business, songwriters must create or affiliate with a music publisher, an entity that supposedly represents the songwriter's interests, although in many cases it is simply a shell company receiving income on…

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