Publishing administration

Every song has two royalty streams: the writer's share and the publisher's share. Your PRO pays the writer's share to you automatically once you have registered. The publisher's share, which is roughly half of performance income plus most mechanical and sync income, sits unclaimed unless a publisher is named on the registration.

An admin publisher fills that gap. The work is:

• Registering each work with collection societies worldwide, not just your home society
• Validating metadata — titles, ISWC and ISRC codes, writer names, IPI numbers, splits — before filing
• Claiming and matching royalties against usage reports from streaming, radio, TV and live
• Recovering unclaimed and retroactive royalties from previous periods
• Licensing and pitching for sync in film, TV, advertising and sport
• Paying out on a fixed schedule with a statement you can audit

If you want to keep your catalog and simply be paid properly, administration is the lighter option. If you need funding up front and are willing to trade ownership for it, a traditional deal is the other route.

MusicPublishing.org, operated by EDM Publishing, charges 15% of the publishing royalties we collect. You keep 85%. There is no setup fee, no subscription, and no charge until money comes in. If we source a sync placement, that placement fee is split 50/50; incoming and society sync stays 15/85, as do performance and mechanical royalties.

You can model the split on the pricing calculator.

• A flat 15% of collections — you keep 85%, with no up-front fee, no subscription and no minimum catalog
• You keep 100% of your copyrights, always. We administer; we never take ownership
• Worldwide registration across 60+ societies, not just your home PRO
• Active sync pitching for film, TV, advertising, games and sport — something most admin-only companies simply do not do
• Retroactive recovery of unclaimed royalties from earlier periods
• Clear quarterly statements you can audit, and a real person to email

Registration and collection is the baseline. The difference here is that your catalog is also being pitched for placements while it earns.

Add your songs manually or upload a spreadsheet, set your share of each work, review the deal, and submit. We email the agreement within one working day and start putting the catalog on collection once it is signed. Nothing is registered before then. Most writers are set up in under ten minutes — send your catalog and we will take it from there.

Related reading: how music publishing royalties work and how to choose a publishing admin deal.

What is publishing administration?

Publishing administration is a service that registers your songs with collection societies worldwide, tracks their use, and collects the publishing royalties they generate. You keep 100% of your copyrights. MusicPublishing.org keeps only 15% of what we collect, so 85% of every royalty goes straight to you.

What is the difference between an admin deal and a publishing deal?

In a traditional publishing deal you assign a share of the copyright, often for the life of copyright, usually in exchange for an advance. In an administration deal you assign nothing. The administrator has the right to register and collect on your behalf for a set term, and takes a percentage of collections only.

Do I still need my PRO?

Yes. Your PRO or society (ASCAP, BMI, PRS, GEMA, SOCAN and others) pays the writer's share directly to you. A publishing administrator collects the publisher's share, which most self-published writers never set up.

How much does music publishing administration cost?

MusicPublishing.org charges a flat 15% of the publishing royalties we collect, so you keep 85%. There is no up-front fee, no subscription and no minimum catalog size. We only earn when you earn.

Do you pitch songs for sync?

Yes. Most admin-only publishers simply register and collect. We also actively pitch your catalog for film, TV, advertising, games and sport through EDM Publishing's network. Placements we source are split 50/50 on the placement fee; sync that comes in on its own stays 15/85.