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1. The Publishing Royalty: An Overview

Part 1 • Two Components of the Publishing Royalty: Performance and Mechanical

The Publishing Royalty is money generated from the use of the underlying musical composition (the song itself—lyrics, melody, harmony). This is distinct from the master recording. Whether your song is streamed, played on the radio, performed live, or covered by another artist, it generates publishing income. This income is divided into two primary categories, each with its own trigger and collection society.

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In this module: Two Components of the Publishing Royalty: Performance and Mechanical10 steps
  1. 1The Publishing Royalty: An Overview
  2. 2Performance Royalties: For Public Performance
  3. 3Collecting Performance Royalties: Performing Rights Organizations (PROs)
  4. 4Mechanical Royalties: For Reproduction and Distribution
  5. 5Collecting Mechanical Royalties: The MLC and Publishing Administrators
  6. 6The "Black Box" Problem: Uncollected Royalties
  7. 7The Publisher Role: Even If It's Just You
  8. 8Strategic Implications: Maximizing Income from Every Stream
  9. 9The Dual Registration Mandate
  10. 10Your Actionable Royalty Collection Checklist