Print

- The last source of publishing income is print royalties. As the name suggests, this royalty, generated from the public display copyright, has to do with printed materials, lyrics, sheet music, tablature, etc. When music publishers like Hal Leonard or Alfred Music Publishing create sheet music or a company prints t-shirts with the lyrics on them, they're required to pay a print royalty. There is no government rate for this royalty. It's a one-on-one negotiation. If we're talking sheet music, the royalty is usually 15% of retail price and/or a one time fee for pressing. That's the old world though. In today's music business, a lot of that activity is now happening on the web. Google any song and you'll immediately find dozens of sites with song lyrics, sheet music, tablature available, whatever you might need. The use of music on these sites is yet another form of public display, and the lyric sites, musician sites, and even sites with avatars wearing virtual t-shirts with song…