Every song has two halves of publishing: the writer’s share and the publisher’s share. The writer’s share always belongs to the songwriter and can never be taken. The publisher’s share is what companies fight over. Understanding this split is the difference between owning your catalog and watching someone else collect on it.
Deal Structures Compared
In a full publishing deal, you assign the publisher’s share to the company for an advance. In a co-publishing deal, you keep half the publisher’s share, so you effectively hold 75 percent of total income. An admin deal lets you keep 100 percent of ownership while the administrator collects for a small fee, usually 10 to 15 percent. For most independents, admin is the smartest play.
Register your works with a performance rights organization and keep your splits documented. Publishing is the long money in music. Protect it like the asset it is.
Registration turns splits into money. After the split sheet is signed, register each song with your performing rights organization — ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC — listing every writer and publisher with correct percentages and CAE/IPI numbers. For film and TV placements, accurate cue sheets are how performance royalties find you, so confirm your publisher files them. If you take a co-publishing advance, understand it recoups from the publisher’s share only, while your writer’s share keeps paying you directly. Sloppy registration is how songwriters lose royalties they already earned, so treat the paperwork as part of the creative process.
Remember this hierarchy: the writer’s share is sacred, the publisher’s share is negotiable, and an admin deal keeps you holding nearly everything. Protect the songwriter first.
About the Author – Ruben Burgos: Ruben Burgos brings over 25 years of music expertise and more than 15 years of model guidance to the table. He is the indie major pinnacle to retaining credits for musicians and helping them navigate this wicked industry without the fuckery.