How to Become a Music Publisher
The music publishing industry is an unusual and interesting field. The fundamental principle underlying the role is to be in a position in which you are collecting royalties for copyrighted songs every time they are used. Once you have established the rights to a song, you can earn money every time it is played on television and radio, in clubs, restaurants and bars and, more recently, on the Internet, which is a growing area for music publishing.
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Instructions
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Choose a performing rights company. The three to choose from are ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC. You can find information about each by doing an Internet search and determining for yourself which one best suits your criteria. You can obtain the necessary paperwork and information by contacting them with a phone call, email or written inquiry.
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Get name clearance. Select three names for your music publishing company. You should generate three choices due to the fact that there are a lot of music publishing companies already established, and performing rights companies won't allow a name if it is too similar to another. Using your own name is often a sure thing to establish uniqueness and individuality.
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Determine the form of your business. The complexity or simplicity of this step depends largely on how large or small your music publishing business is going to be. If you are working alone, you may be able to simply file an assumed business name or file a "doing-business-as" d/b/a registration. However, if there are more people involved, it may be in your best interest to form a Limited Liability Company, or LLC.
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Complete an application for a performing rights organization. Part of the process in this stage is to complete and submit the application that comes with the packet sent to you by the performing rights organization. There may or may not be a fee for this application, and in some cases, there is proof required that you are a legitimate music publisher. It is often helpful to get professional assistance, in the form of an entertainment lawyer or other more experienced professional, with this step to ensure acceptance of your application.
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Register songs and songwriters. Once your application is accepted, each of the songs you want to publish must be registered with the performing rights company. This is the way a music publisher earns money on each song. Anyone who wants potential income on the songs should also register as a songwriter in order to receive a percentage of the royalties.
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