Music Publishing, Explained.
A plain-language guide to how songwriters earn money and why publishing administration matters.
What Is Music Publishing?
Music publishing is the business of administering the rights in a song: its music and lyrics. Those songwriting rights are separate from the rights in a particular recording.
A publishing administrator registers songs and collects royalties for the shares you ask it to manage. We help you organize your songs, record who owns each share, and collect your publishing income.
Your distributor typically delivers recordings to music services and pays recording income. Check whether it also offers publishing administration, and which rights your existing society memberships cover.
Types of Royalties
There are three main ways songwriters earn money from their compositions.
Mechanical
Mechanical royalties come from reproductions of songs, including eligible streams, downloads, and physical copies. Licensing and collection arrangements vary by use and territory.
Performance
Earned when your song is performed publicly: played on the radio, streamed, performed live, or played in a venue. Performing rights organizations (PROs), such as ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC, collect these royalties.
Sync
Sync income comes from licensing a song for use with visual media, such as film, TV, advertising, or games. These opportunities are negotiated separately; signing up for administration does not guarantee a placement.
Why It Matters
Accurate song titles, songwriter details, identifiers, and ownership splits help collection societies connect music usage with the right rights holders.
Missing or conflicting information can delay registration and collection. Keeping your catalog organized is an important part of getting publishing income to the right people.
Society memberships, distribution services, and publishing agreements can cover different rights and territories. Check what you already have before adding another administrator.
How JukeHouse Fits In
Independent publishing administration for independent songwriters. You own your songs. We handle registration and collection for your share.
What We Do
- Register your songs with collection societies worldwide
- Collect performance and mechanical royalties for your share of the songs you submit
- See where your songs are registered and how each registration is progressing
- Get monthly statements and receive payments through Habitat Financial once your balance qualifies
What Makes Us Different
- Standard: $0 upfront and a 5% revenue share; Pro: $100 USD/year and no revenue share
- You retain ownership of your copyrights and creative control
- Independently owned and operated, with call, text, and email support on every plan
- Unlimited songs on both plans; a dedicated account manager on Pro
More about your songwriting royalties.
Does my distributor collect my songwriting royalties?
Your distributor usually delivers your recordings to music services and pays recording income. Songwriting royalties are a separate part of the picture. Some distributors also offer publishing administration, so check what your plan includes before adding another administrator.
What can a publishing administrator add if I already have a PRO?
We help you collect publishing royalties you have earned beyond what your PRO membership covers. We start by checking what your PRO already collects and where you may need additional registrations.
What are performance and mechanical royalties?
They are two kinds of songwriting income. Performance royalties relate to uses such as broadcasts, live performances, and streams. Mechanical royalties relate to reproductions, including downloads and the mechanical side of streaming. One use of your song can involve both.
How is publishing administration different from a publishing deal?
Administration focuses on registering songs and collecting publishing income. A broader publishing deal may also involve creative services, advances, or ownership rights. With JukeHouse, you keep ownership. You give us permission to register and collect for your share during the agreement.
How do co-writer splits affect collection?
Your split records how much of the song you own. Agree on those shares with your co-writers and make sure everyone submits consistent information. We manage the shares you ask us to handle. Adding a song does not give us control of your co-writers’ shares.
What information should I gather before registering a song?
Start with the song title, songwriter names, agreed ownership splits, and any existing society affiliations or identifiers. Include release and recording details where available. If another publisher or administrator already represents any of your rights, check that agreement before submitting them.
Can I collect publishing royalties from older releases?
An older release may still earn publishing income. Whether past royalties can be recovered depends on the society, its claim deadlines, the available records, and any existing administration. Bring us your catalog details so we can help you understand what may be possible.
Why can it take time for publishing royalties to arrive?
Song registration, usage matching, reporting, and payment happen at different stages. A registration status is not confirmation that income has arrived. JukeHouse accounts monthly for collected income; your first payment also depends on society processing and payment eligibility.
Explore your songwriting income.
Go deeper into the rights and royalties behind your music.
Real people in your corner.
Independent publishing administration, with human support on every plan. Questions about your songs, registrations, or royalties? Call, text, or email us.
Ready to get started?
Start with no upfront cost on Standard, or keep 100% of net publishing royalties on Pro. Your songs stay yours.
Create your account