"Publishing Course" - Sample Page

I. Introduction:

[Note: Since the subject of Music Publishing is usually confusing, let alone misunderstood by most people, it's important to spend the first week's lesson immediately painting a clear picture of what Music Publishing is, and then go into greater detail later on in the course.]

When you think of the word "Publishing", most people think of "Books", and that a Publisher, sells books. Well, at one time there were no records or tapes, let alone, CDs, Videocassettes and DVDs. Originally, people received all their music in the form of Sheet Music, that is, printed documents that contained words and notes of songs that allowed people to stand around a piano and sing with their friends and relatives.

Sheet Music still sells, [as well as Books of Sheet Music, known as "folios"] but this is a very small part of one of the most profitable parts of the Music Business. Songwriters and Music Publishers also can make sizable amounts of money worldwide from…

1. Sale of Records, Tapes, CDs, DVDs, Videocassettes, etc. - anything containing Songs played on a mechanical device, and therefore called "Mechanicals".

2. Radio & TV [including Cable] Performances also known as "Airplay". This also includes "Jukeboxes", live and taped performances at restaurants, clubs, bars, hotels, casinos, health spas, etc., etc.

3. "Synchronization Rights" [when Songs are synchronized with Film and TV Movies, etc.]

4. Commercials [Advertisers are going more to Songs than Jingles, now]

5. "Elevator Music" [when U hear Songs played in an elevator, supermarket, when "on hold" with a telephone, etc.]

6. Computer Chips, Computer Programs, Cell Phones, Video Games

7. Etc., [including any new forms of technology and formats that seem to be appearing monthly!]

Simply put, whenever a Song is performed, no matter who performs it, the Songwriter and Publisher could [should] benefit! It is also the Music Business's best-kept secret- how it is possible to sometimes make quite a lot of money, with very little time and effort. Therefore, there's a lot of competition for publishing rights- and the money that goes with it. Today, many Songwriters and Producers, as well as many others in the Music Business have their own Publishing Companies, something unheard of 30 years ago, because they want the publishing rights and the money that goes with them. In most cases, two or more publishing companies will make deals with each other.

By the end of this course, you will have all the pieces to the puzzle- how you can be a part of this very profitable segment of the Industry. Of course, you have to first understand what Music Publishing is, and how that section of the Music Industry operates, so that you can become successful- without getting "ripped-off".

A little history of Music Publishing is necessary at this point. Before 1965, most people in the Industry, as a matter of course, went to Music Publishers for their Songs. The Publishers had Songwriters on staff as salaried employees, as well as other Songwriters constantly contributing Songs. But since then, many Singers/Bands/Groups began writing their own Songs. That isn't to say that Artists, Managers and Music Producers don't go to Publishers looking for material, or that Publishing Companies can't still place Songs for Songwriters. They can and still do, but not as often as they used to.

Also with the advent of technology, many of the pure definitions of roles in the industry have changed- mainly the Songwriter, the Arranger, and the Producer. Nowadays, a single person can sit at a computerized keyboard, in their home studio, and write, and/or arrange and produce Songs, not realizing which role(s) they are playing. Actually…

1. "The Song" is composed of only…

a. The Words

b. Lead Melody

[Note Regarding "Rap" music: Often I've noticed that the person doing the "Tracks" [see arrangement] is given credit as a writer. In actuality, the tracks person is not really a Writer, he/she is an Arranger, but as long as it's mutually agreed-to that they get credit as a Writer, then it's acceptable.]

2. "The Arrangement" [the "tracks"], what the instruments play and how they play it, includes…

a. Chords

b. Rhythms

c. Tempo

d. Instrument's and Background Singer's notes

3. "The Production" includes…

a. The mixing together of various elements, including setting/choosing…

(1). The Volumes of the Instruments

(2). The Tones

(3). The Frequencies

(4). The "Effects" (such as Reverb, Digital Delay, Compression)

(5). Other Sounds (such as prerecorded Samples and Loops often used in Recordings nowadays)

… to achieve the final "Sound" you hear on a Record.

Therefore, it is important, and therefore I am including in this course, information for Songwriters who are also Singers and Group or Band Members. Also, understanding Publishing is very important to the Managers & Producers of Artists.

It is important to note, also, that packaging the Artist and Song together, and selling them as one entity, has become a very important consideration to most Publishers - it makes the job much easier for them. They then don't have to search for an Artist willing to record the Song(s).

II. What is a Music Publisher's Job?