Music Publishing Royalties Explained (Writer vs Publisher Splits)
How publishing royalties work. Performance, mechanical, and sync royalties explained for songwriters.
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You wrote a song. Someone streams it, plays it on the radio, or uses it in a TV show. You're owed money from multiple sources. Here's who pays what.
Three Types of Publishing Royalties
1. Performance Royalties
Paid when your song is performed publicly: radio, TV, live venues, streaming, restaurants playing Spotify. Collected by PROs (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC in the US). Split 50/50 between writer and publisher.
2. Mechanical Royalties
Paid when your song is reproduced: physical copies (CDs, vinyl), digital downloads, and interactive streams (Spotify, Apple Music). The current US mechanical rate is $0.12 per copy for physical/download. Streaming mechanicals are calculated through a complex formula.
3. Sync Royalties
Paid when your song is used in visual media: TV shows, movies, commercials, video games, YouTube videos. These are negotiated per-use. A major TV sync can pay $5,000 to $500,000+.
Calculate Your Publishing Income
The Publishing Royalty Calculator estimates your royalties across all three types. Enter your stream counts, radio spins, and sync placements.
Do You Need a Publisher?
A publisher's job is to get your songs placed (syncs, covers, compilations) and collect royalties you'd otherwise miss. They take 15-50% of your publishing royalties for this service. If your songs are getting syncs and covers, a publisher earns their cut. If you're self-releasing and mainly streaming, you might be fine with a publishing administrator (like Songtrust or CD Baby Pro) that collects royalties for 10-15% without taking ownership.