Publishing

If you’re a songwriter considering a music publishing agreement, focus on the excitement of your achievements and lean on Sanicki Lawyers to negotiate terms, explain the legalese in plain English, and protect your rights.

Music publishers represent songwriters and manage the rights of songwriters’ musical compositions. They collect royalties on behalf of songwriters, and (often) act as intermediaries between creators of music and those who want to use it, e.g. artists, producers, broadcasters, and businesses.

A music publisher can help administer your musical and literary copyrights, collect royalties, secure licensing opportunities, and even connect you with other songwriters and artists. However, publishing agreements can be complex, involving terminology like ‘retention period’, ‘recoupment’, ‘controlled composition’, ‘mechanical license’, ‘pipeline income’, ‘public performance royalty’, or ‘mechanical royalty,’ which may be unfamiliar to you.

On the other hand, some publishing agreements lack necessary detail required for a fair deal for the songwriter.

Getting expert legal advice before signing a music publishing agreement helps to ensure you understand your rights, entitlements, and obligations to the publisher, and is an opportunity to negotiate the terms that are important to you. At Sanicki Lawyers, we are up to date with the current ‘industry standards’ in the publishing world (in Australia, and around the world) and will be able to guide you accordingly.

At Sanicki Lawyers, we also act for various publishers, and can help you or your company become a registered publisher in Australia.