The Pros & Cons of Signing A Publishing Deal

Cliff Goldmacher is a songwriter/engineer/producer/author and owner of recording studios in Nashville and New York City.

A Little Background Before We Begin…

For those of you that are artists writing your own songs or simply songwriters who don’t perform but who would like others to use their songs, a publishing company is one way of helping you get your music to the next level.

Publishing companies can be huge with hundreds of writers or as small as a single writer but they all share the common trait of trying to find ways to exploit the songs in their catalog by getting artists to record them, music supervisors to use them on television or in movies or any one of a number of other uses. In exchange for marketing a song or songs in this fashion, publishers will take part or total ownership of the copyrights. This is otherwise known as owning the publishing.

For most songwriters in the early stages of their careers, the idea of being hired as a staff songwriter for a publishing company is close to the Holy Grail. It represents that most coveted prize of industry recognition and validation of your talent along with a gateway to cuts, movie placements and any one of a number of other exciting possibilities. However, keep in mind that wanting or entering into a relationship with a publisher in order to simply validate your talent is probably not the best approach. As with any business relationship, it's essential that you, as the songwriter, understand what you're giving up as well as what you stand to gain by signing over partial (or complete) ownership of your copyrights to a music publisher.

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