Music publisher
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A music publisher is a type of
Music print publishing
The term music publisher originally referred to publishers who issued hand-copied or printed sheet music.
Examples (who are actively in business as of June 2019[update]) include:
- Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig, Germany, founded 1719
- Schott, Mainz, Germany, 1770
- Oxford University Press, University of Oxford, England, founded 18th century
- Edition Peters, Leipzig, 1800
- Casa Ricordi, Milan, Italy, founded 1808 (now owned by Universal Music Publishing Group)
- G. Schirmer, Inc., New York, United States, founded 1861 (now owned by Wise Music Group)
- Universal Edition, Vienna, Austria, 1901
- Bärenreiter, Germany, founded 1923
- Boosey & Hawkes, London, England, founded 1930 (now owned by Concord)
- Hans Sikorski, Hamburg, Germany, 1935 (now owned by Concord)
- PWM, Kraków, Poland, founded 1945
- G. Henle Verlag, Munich, Germany, founded 1948[1]
Other media
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Intellectual property management
In the
The copyrights owned and administered by publishing companies are one of the most important forms of intellectual property in the music industry. (The other is the copyright on a
The music publisher's role
Successful songwriters and composers have a relationship with a publishing company defined by a publishing contract. Publishers also sometimes provide substantial advances against future income. In return, the publishing company receives a percentage, which can be as high as 50% and varies for different kinds of royalty.
There are several types of royalty:
- CDs or digital downloads. These royalties are paid to publishers by record companies (through the Harry Fox Agencyas well as through American Mechanical Rights Agency in the U.S.).
- performance rights organizations such as SESAC, Broadcast Music, Inc., American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers or PRSand are paid by radio stations and others who broadcast recorded music; and are paid by venues, event organizers for live performances of the compositions.
- Synchronization royalties are required when a composition is used in a film or television soundtrack. These royalties typically pass through the hands of a music publisher before they reach the composer.[3]
Publishers also work to link up new songs by songwriters with suitable recording artists to record them and to place writers' songs in other media such as movie
Publishing disputes
Traditionally, music publishing royalties are split seventy/thirty, with thirty percent going to the publisher (as payment for their services) and the rest going to the songwriter or songwriters. Other arrangements have been made in the past, and continue to be; some better for the writers, some better for the publishers. Occasionally a recording artist will ask for a co-writer's credit on a song (thus sharing in both the artist and publishing royalties) in exchange for selecting it to perform, particularly if the writer is not well known. Sometimes an artist's manager or producer will expect a co-credit or share of the publishing (as with
The most unscrupulous type of music publisher is the
Rock-n-roll pioneer Buddy Holly split with longtime manager Petty over publishing matters in late 1958, as did the Buckinghams with producer James William Guercio almost a decade later. John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) was sued by his former publisher Saul Zaentz (who'd also served as his manager) over a later Fogerty song that sounded slightly like a CCR song Zaentz published. (Fogerty won in court.)
Several bands and artists own (or later purchase) their own publishing, and start their own companies, with or without help from an outside agent. The sale or loss of publishing ownership can be devastating to a given artist or writer, financially and emotionally. R&B legend Little Richard was largely cheated on his music publishing and copyrights, as were many performers. Brian Wilson and Mike Love of The Beach Boys were crushed to learn that Murry Wilson (father to three of the Beach Boys, Love's uncle, and the band's music publisher) had sold their company Sea of Tunes to A&M Records during 1969 for a fraction of what it was worth – or earned in the following years.
A large factor in
See also
- Broadcast Music, Inc.
- American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
- Transcription (music)
- List of record labels
Notes
- ^ "Home". G. Henle Verlag. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- ^ "What is music publishing?". Music Publishers Association.
- ^ "Music Royalties 101 – Publishing Royalties – Royalty Exchange". www.royaltyexchange.com. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
Further reading
- Kepper, Johannes (2011). Musikedition im Zeichen neuer Medien: historische Entwicklung und gegenwärtige Perspektiven musikalischer Gesamtausgaben (in German). ISBN 9783844800760.
- Krasilovsky, M. William; Shemel, Sidney; Gross, John M.; Feinstein, Jonathan (2007), This Business of Music (10th ed.), Billboard Books, ISBN 0-8230-7729-2
External links
- How To Start A Music Publishing Company on Music Powers
- Beware the Song Shark! on BMI.com