What Is Music Publishing?

Music publishing is the business of owning and managing the rights in musical compositions, the melodies and lyrics themselves, as distinct from any particular recording of them. Publishers register works, license them for use, collect songwriting royalties and pay the writers they represent an agreed share of that income.

Music Publishing in Practice

Publishing is the half of the music business that owns songs rather than recordings. A publisher controls the composition: it registers works with collection societies, pitches them for films, adverts and covers, issues sync licences, collects mechanical and performance royalties and splits the income with the songwriter. The scale of that asset became vivid in December 2020, when Bob Dylan sold his entire songwriting catalogue of more than 600 songs to Universal Music Publishing Group in one of the largest such deals ever reported. For brands, publishing is the side of clearance that never disappears: even a re-recorded or sound-alike version of a song still requires permission from the publisher, because the composition itself, not the recording, is what is being borrowed.

Famous Example

Bob Dylan selling his entire songwriting catalogue to Universal Music Publishing in December 2020