Music publisher (popular music) 2387895 220971805 2008-06-22T13:34:41Z Wiki edit Jonny 4374373 added template I created - [[Template:Music industry]] {{unreferenced|date=February 2008}}. ''This article deals with contemporary [[popular music]] publishing. For printed publishing of [[classical music]], see [[History of music publishing]].'' A publisher of [[popular music]], commonly called a '''music publisher''', deals in the marketing and commercial exploitation of [[song]]s and music catalogs. While the term originally referred to publishers of [[sheet music]], today's pop music publishers rarely deal with printed music or scores. (Those who do have come to be known as "music print publishers".) ==The music publisher's role== The primary job of the music publisher is to link up new songs by songwriters with suitable [[recording artist]]s to record them, with the intent of creating a [[hit record]] and generating large numbers of sales and [[airplay (song)|airplay]]. Promoting such songs, supervising the collection and payment of publishing [[royalties]] for sales to their writers, placing writers' songs in other media such as movie [[soundtrack]]s and commercials, and handling [[copyright registration]] and "ownership" matters for published songs, are among other jobs handled by a music publisher. Music print publishers also supervise the issue of [[songbook]]s and [[sheet music]] by their artists. Traditionally, music publishing royalties are split fifty/fifty, with half going to the publisher (as payment for their services) and the rest going to the songwriter – or songwriters, as the case may be. 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 [[Norman Petty]] and [[Phil Spector]]), and occasionally a publisher will insist on writer's credit (as [[Morris Levy]] did with several of his acts); these practices are listed in descending order of scrupulousness, as regarded by the music industry. The most unscrupulous type of music publisher is the [[songshark]], who does little if any real "legwork" or promotion on behalf of songwriters. Songsharks make their profit not on royalties from sales, but by charging inexperienced writers for "services" (some real, such as [[demo (music)|demo]] recording or [[musical arrangement|musical arranging]], some fictional, such as "audition" or "review" fees) a legitimate publisher would provide without cost to the writer, as part of their job. (By comparison, a bonafide publisher who charges admission to a [[workshop]] for writers, where songs may be auditioned or reviewed, isn't wrong to do so.) Some music publishers also fill other business roles, with regard to writers and artists – many serve as [[record producer]]s, and vice versa, or as artist managers. This is generally considered acceptable, although sometimes aspects of one role can negatively impact other dealings a publisher or manager may have with their client. Rock-n-roll pioneer [[Buddy Holly]] split with longtime manager Norman Petty over publishing matters in late 1958, as did the [[The Buckinghams|Buckinghams]] with producer [[James William Guercio]] almost a decade later. [[John Fogerty]] of [[Creedence Clearwater Revival]] 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.) ==Publishing catalogs== As [[intellectual property]], copyright ownership can be bought, sold, or inherited, as can rights to royalties under a [[publishing contract]]. 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 the [[Beatles]]' breakup was when their publisher [[Dick James]] sold his share of [[Northern Songs]], the company they'd formed with him in [[1963]] (then taken public in [[1967]], with shares trading on the [[London Stock Exchange]]), to Britain's Associated TeleVision ([[Associated TeleVision|ATV]]) in 1969. Neither the Beatles nor managers [[Lee Eastman]] and [[Allen Klein]] were able to prevent ATV from becoming majority stockholders in Northern Songs, whose assets included virtually all the group's song copyrights. Losing control of the company, [[John Lennon]] and [[Paul McCartney]] elected to sell their share of Northern Songs (and thus their own copyrights), while retaining their writer's royalties. ([[George Harrison]] and [[Ringo Starr]] retained minority holdings in the company.) The sale of one's publishing and copyrights can also be liberating, depending on the circumstances. Singer-songwriters [[Laura Nyro]] and [[Jimmy Webb]] both sold their publishing in their early twenties, and were able to retire or devote themselves to purely artistic efforts. [[Porter Wagoner]] and [[Janis Ian]] each ran into financial trouble due to mismanagement, and were only able to avoid bankruptcy by selling their publishing. (Wagoner, who'd sold his to former protégé [[Dolly Parton]], was able to recover it from her later.) ==See also== *[[History of music publishing]] *[[Transcription (music)]] *[http://www.myhitonline.com/features/interviews/lc/lisa_cullington.htm Interview with Universal Music Publishing Executive] *[http://www.allmusicindustrycontacts.com/music-publisher.htm Music Publisher information] * [http://www.musicpowers.com/publishing.html Starting A Music Publishing Company]– a reference for new music talent. {{Music industry}} [[Category:Music publishing]] [[Category:Occupations in music]] [[de:Musikverlag]] [[sv:Musikdistribution]]