Co-Publishing Deals

Co-publishing deals represent the most common publishing arrangement for working musicians and songwriters. Understanding how co-publishing works is fundamental to protecting your creative rights and maximizing your revenue.

What Is a Co-Publishing Deal?

In a co-publishing deal, a songwriter retains a portion of their publishing rights while granting the other portion to a publisher or larger company. This is different from a full publishing deal where the songwriter transfers all publishing rights to another entity.

A typical co-publishing deal might give the publisher 50 percent of the publishing copyright while the songwriter retains 50 percent. This split of ownership also extends to the revenue derived from the publishing rights.

The Publishing Income Split

When a song earns royalties, the income is divided among multiple parties. The songwriter receives writer royalties, typically 50 percent of performance and mechanical royalties. The publisher receives publisher royalties, the remaining percentage.

In a co-publishing arrangement, both the songwriter and publisher collect their respective shares of these royalties through their respective collection agencies and organizations.

Advantages of Co-Publishing

Co-publishing deals provide several benefits compared to full publishing assignments. You retain partial ownership and control of your compositions, protecting your legacy and long-term interests.

Publishers actively work to exploit co-published compositions through placement opportunities, licensing deals, and derivative works. This active promotion can increase your earnings significantly. Co-publishing also offers a middle ground between full control as an independent publisher and losing all rights in a traditional publishing deal.

Advance Payments

Publishers often provide advance payments on future royalties in co-publishing deals. These advances are recoupable against future royalties earned. The size of an advance depends on the publisher's confidence in the composition's earning potential, your track record, and market conditions.

For emerging artists, advances might be modest, while established songwriters with proven track records can command substantial advances.

Administration and Collection

Publishers in co-publishing deals handle administration, including registering compositions, monitoring broadcasts and streaming, and collecting royalties. This administrative burden can be significant, making publisher expertise valuable.

Publishers maintain relationships with collection agencies worldwide, ensuring you receive royalties from international sources that might be difficult to access independently.

Reversion Clauses

Many co-publishing deals include reversion clauses that return publishing rights to the songwriter after a specified period if certain conditions are met. These clauses protect songwriters and ensure rights aren't held indefinitely by a publisher who fails to actively exploit the compositions.

Common reversion triggers include the publisher's inactivity, bankruptcy, or passage of time, typically ranging from five to ten years.

Choosing a Co-Publishing Partner

Selecting the right co-publishing partner is crucial. Look for publishers with relevant industry connections, demonstrated success in your genre, transparent accounting practices, and reasonable contract terms.

Successful co-publishing relationships require trust, communication, and shared vision for your catalog's development and growth.