This article deals with contemporary popular music publishing. For printed publishing of classical music, see History of music publishing. For the music genre, see Pop music. ... This article is about Western art music from 1000 AD to the 2000s . ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

A publisher of popular music, commonly called a music publisher, deals in the marketing and commercial exploitation of songs 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".) For the music genre, see Pop music. ... For other uses, see Song (disambiguation). ... Sheet music is written representation of music. ...

The music publisher's role

The primary job of the music publisher is to link up new songs by songwriters with suitable recording artists to record them, with the intent of creating a hit record and generating large numbers of sales and 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 soundtracks 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 songbooks and sheet music by their artists. A musician is a person who plays or composes music. ... A sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, or inclusion in a soundtrack. ... Airplay is a technical term used in the radio industry to state how frequently a song is being played on a radio station. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In film formats, the soundtrack is the physical area of the film which records the synchronized sound. ... In some forms of copyright laws, only a copyright registration makes a creative work eligible for protection. ... 31 Songs (published in the United States as Songbook) is a 2003 collection of essays by English writer Nick Hornby about songs and (more often) the particular emotional resonance they carry for him. ... Sheet music is written representation of music. ...

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. Norman Petty (May 25, 1927 - August 15, 1984) was an American musician, songwriter, and pioneer record producer who helped shape modern pop music. ... Harvey Philip Spector (born December 26, 1939) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. ... Morris Levy (August 27, 1927 - May 21, 1990) was an American music industry executive, who is best known as the owner of the record label Roulette Records. ...

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 recording or 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.) A dubiously-honest music publisher, whose main source of income is the naivete of new songwriters, whom they charge for services a reputable publisher would provide free to their clients. ... For other uses, see demo. ... In popular music an arrangement is a setting of a piece of music, which may have been composed by the arranger or by someone else. ... A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. ...

Some music publishers also fill other business roles, with regard to writers and artists – many serve as record producers, 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 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.) In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... For the Weezer song, see Buddy Holly (song). ... First album cover, 1967 The Buckinghams were an American pop rock band which saw enormous radio popularity in 1967 (see 1967 in music), selling more records that year than any American artist except The Monkees. ... James William Guercio (born in 1945 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American music producer, musician and songwriter (occasionally credited as Jim Guercio), and is probably best known for his work as the producer of Chicagos early albums. ... This article is about the musician. ... Creedence Clearwater Revival (commonly referred to by its initials CCR or simply as Creedence) was an American rock band, which consisted of John Fogerty (vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano), Tom Fogerty (guitar, vocals, piano), Stu Cook (bass guitar, vocals), and Doug Clifford (drums, percussion, vocals). ... It has been suggested that The Saul Zaentz Film Center be merged into this article or section. ...

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. For the 2006 film, see Intellectual Property (film). ... A publishing contract is a legal contract between a publisher and a writer or author (or more than one), to publish written material by the writer(s) or author(s). ... Richard Wayne Penniman (born December 5, 1932), better known by the stage name Little Richard, is an African-American singer, songwriter, and pianist, who began performing in the 1940s and was a key figure in the transition from rhythm & blues to rock and roll in the mid-1950s. ... For other persons named Brian Wilson, see Brian Wilson (disambiguation). ... This article is about The Beach Boys band member. ... The Beach Boys are an American rock and roll band. ... Murry Gage Wilson (July 2, 1917 – June 4, 1973) was a musician and record producer, best remembered as father to Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Carl Wilson. ... A music publishing company, founded in 1962 by Murry Wilson, father to three of the Beach Boys (Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson), and uncle of another member (Mike Love), to publish and promote the original songs written by Brian and Mike. ... A&M Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Universal Music Group. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ...

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 (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 Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 as part of their first tour of the United States, promoting their first hit single there, I Want To Hold Your Hand. ... Dick James (born Reginald Leon Vapnick, in 1920, in London died 2 January 1986) was the singer of the Robin Hood and The Buccaneers themes, from British television in the 1950s and was a friend and associate of renowned record producer George Martin. ... Northern Songs Ltd. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... The Source by Greyworld, in the new LSE building Paternoster Square. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Lee Eastman (12 January 1910 - 30 July 1991) was a New York show business attorney, the son of Louis and Della (Freyer) Epstein. ... Allen Klein (born December 18, 1931) is an American businessman and record label executive. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles. ... For other persons named George Harrison, see George Harrison (disambiguation). ... Richard Starkey Jr, MBE (born 7 July 1940), known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor, best known as the drummer for The Beatles. ...

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.) Laura Nyro (born Laura Nigro) (October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter and singer, one of the most influential musicians to emerge in the 1960s. ... Jimmy Webb (born August 15, 1946 in Elk City, Oklahoma) is an idiosyncratic American popular music composer. ... Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer. ... Janis Ian (born April 7, 1951[1]) is a Grammy Award-winning American songwriter, singer, multi-instrumental musician, columnist, and science fiction author. ... Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is a Grammy-winning and Academy Award-nominated American country singer, songwriter, composer, musician, author, actress, and philanthropist. ...

See also

• History of music publishing
• Transcription (music)
• Interview with Universal Music Publishing Executive

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In music, transcription is the act of notating a piece or a sound which was previously unnotated. ...

External links

Music Business Solutions