Publishing 101

The business of songs — broken down into the parts that actually pay.

The Two Copyrights

Every recorded song contains two separate copyrights. Owning one doesn't give you the other.

Composition (publishing) — the song itself: melody, lyrics, structure. Owned by writers + publishers.
Sound recording (master) — the specific recorded version. Owned by the artist or label.

Mechanical	Reproductions of the song (streams, downloads, vinyl, CDs).	Collected by The MLC (US digital), HFA, or your publisher.
Performance	Public performance: radio, TV, venues, streaming.	Collected by ASCAP / BMI / SESAC / GMR / PRS.
Sync	Use in film, TV, ads, video games.	Direct license — fees + backend performance.
Print	Sheet music, lyric reprints.	Hal Leonard, Alfred.
Neighboring Rights	Public performance of the master (intl + US non-interactive).	SoundExchange (US), PPL (UK), GVL etc.
Digital Performance	Non-interactive streams (Pandora, SiriusXM).	SoundExchange — pays the master owner + featured artist.

Admin Deal	You keep 100% of writer's share + 80–90% of publisher's share.	Best for established writers.
Co-Publishing	50/50 split of the publisher's share. You keep 100% of writer's share.	Industry standard for signed writers.
Full Publishing	Publisher takes 100% of publisher's share. Avoid unless huge advance.	Old-school deal — rarely worth it now.
Sync-Only	Non-exclusive license to a sync agency. They pitch + take 30–50% of sync income.	Great for indie writers.

Always negotiate term length, reversion clauses, and audit rights. Never sign in perpetuity.

▸ US Mechanical (CRB Phonorecords IV): Headline rate climbs from 15.35% → 15.84% of streaming revenue across 2023–2027.
▸ Statutory mechanical (physical/downloads): 12.7¢ per song under 5 minutes.
▸ Sync fees: $500–$50,000+ per placement; trailers and national ads pay six figures.
▸ Per-stream payouts: Spotify ~$0.003–$0.005, Apple ~$0.01, Tidal HiFi ~$0.013. Splits before publishing/master shares.

▸ US Copyright Office (2024 ruling): Purely AI-generated audio with no human authorship is NOT copyrightable.
▸ Human-authored portions of AI-assisted works can be registered, but you must disclose the AI involvement.
▸ Major DSPs (Spotify, Deezer) actively remove fully synthetic AI tracks; some demonetize repeat uploads.
▸ The NO FAKES Act and state-level laws (TN ELVIS Act) protect voice + likeness — never train on or clone an artist without written consent.
▸ Best practice at Anthem Forge: human writes the melody, lyrics & arrangement; AI is a tool, not the author.

Form an LLC or S-Corp under a unique publishing name.
Affiliate the company with a PRO (ASCAP/BMI/SESAC) — separate from your writer affiliation.
Get an IPI/CAE number for both writer and publisher entities.
Register with The MLC for digital mechanicals + SoundExchange for digital performance.
Sign a publishing admin (Songtrust, CD Baby Pro, Sentric) to collect global royalties.
Build split sheets, work-for-hire agreements, and a co-writer template library.
Track everything inside Anthem Forge — that's why we built it.