What is music publishing?
Publishing concerns the intellectual copyright of music you have written.
In music law, there are two types of copyright:

• Physical ( the actual recording )
• Intellectual is the song in its ‘intelectual form’, i.e. in musical notation, lyrics etc

Intellectual copyright also covers the licensing of music to companies , i.e. for
use in Televsion, Games, Films, Adverts and online. This use of music is often
referred to as ’sync’ which is short for ’synchronisation’, the process of setting
sound to picture so that one complements the other, creating a synergistic
relationship between two forms of streaming media.

What does a publishing company do?
A publishing company registers your compositions thereby protecting your
music. We can also collect royalties on your behalf from:

• physical sales (vinyl, cd, dvd),
• radio plays
• TV broadcast
• film projection and rental
• computer game sales and rental

Mai Plues also submits your music for potential licensing deals, for example
TV & film production companies, title/credit sequences & incidental music,
advertising companies for use in radio & tv adverts, and computer games
developers.

How does this work for me as an artist/songwriter?
You sign a contract which gives us the exclusive right to collect royalties
on the agreed tracks. This works on a track asignment basis , meaning
that we only manage the tracks which we agree on, not all of the tracks
you write.

Does that mean that you can put my music on a Coca Cola advert
without asking me?
No, all syncs ( licensing ) of tracks must be approved by the artist before
any deal can be done.

What kind of money are we talking?
Most profits from collection and royalties are split as follows:

Artist - 80%
Publisher - 20%

If we find or negotiate a licensing deal, the profit split changes to:

Artist - 70%
Publisher - 30%

this reflects the work done by us on your behalf in sourcing, negotiating &
securing the deal, as well as paying our office & administration costs.
Licensing deals vary hugely depending on the client, the intended purpose,
and the artist. An artist might recieve £200 for having their track included
in a dj mix or dance music compilation. Or they might receive
thousands of pounds for a multi track deal for the sound track of a movie.
It is our job to ensure the licensing fee is as high as possible.

If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.