Below, we’ve put together some of the essential information on publishing rights and royalties on Bandcamp from our help center, though you can find more specific information here.
The Two Core Music Rights: Know the Difference
Every piece of music has two distinct copyrights. Understanding them is the foundation of understanding any royalties.
Right | What It Covers | Who Typically Owns It |
Publishing Rights (Composition) | The underlying musical work: the melody, chords, and lyrics. | The songwriter(s) and/or their publisher. |
Master Rights (Sound Recording) | The copyright in the specific recording of that musical work. | The artist(s) who recorded it, and/or the record label that financed it. |
The Takeaway: Publishing royalties are income generated by the composition, separate from the money you earn from the sale of the sound recording on Bandcamp.
The Two Publishing Royalties Triggered by Bandcamp Sales
When a fan purchases a digital track or album (or certain types of merchandise) on Bandcamp, the following publishing royalties are generated for the composition:
Mechanical Royalties: Owed when the music is reproduced or copied digitally. On Bandcamp, these are owed when a fan purchases a digital track or album.
Performance Royalties: Owed when the composition is communicated or transmitted online. On Bandcamp, this can also be triggered by the purchase or may be when a fan previews music prior to purchase (depending on the territory of the fan).
Important Distinction: DIY or Affiliated?
It is entirely up to you whether you join a collection society or sign a music publishing deal - you can use Bandcamp either way.
Scenario | Bandcamp's Process | Key Action for the Artist |
The DIY Artist (Unaffiliated) | If you write, record, and upload all of your original music and are not affiliated with a society or publisher, Bandcamp will continue to pay you directly, as you have always been. | None - Your direct payment process remains the same. |
The Affiliated Artist/Co-writer | If you or any of your collaborators are members of a collection society or have a publisher, Bandcamp must collect and pay out a "collection society share" from the sale. Bandcamp pays this share to the society, which then pays you/your collaborator according to the affiliated party’s membership agreement with them. | Registration - You and your co-writers/publisher must be correctly registered with your society to receive your share. |
IMPORTANT EXCEPTION: Mechanical Royalties in the US
For sales made to fans in the United States, the process for mechanical royalties is different:
Bandcamp does not deduct or pay mechanical royalties on your behalf for US sales.
As the seller/artist, you remain responsible for licensing the compositions and paying any mechanical royalties due to the relevant publisher or songwriter from your sales revenue for those US sales.
Performance royalties for US sales are still handled by Bandcamp.
Key Steps to Ensure You Are Paid Accurately
Register Your Works: If you are affiliated, you and your co-writers must properly register your track/album with a collection society. Bandcamp has introduced new fields in the track and album upload/editor to help you self-identify your affiliation and credit all contributors.
Agree Splits with Collaborators: If you work with co-writers, it is vital to have clear, documented agreements on ownership splits for the composition. Collection societies rely on this information for accurate and timely distributions.
Check Your Sales Receipts: For all affected digital and merch-bundle sales, you will see a line item called the "collection society share" on your sales receipt and Payment Summary page, clearly showing the amount allocated to publishing rights holders.
Dispute or Change Affiliation: If you need to make changes or believe a royalty collection is incorrect (e.g., if you are not affiliated), follow the instructions in the Help Center to update your track registration or initiate a dispute.
Metadata Best Practices
Accurate music metadata is critical for ensuring you and your collaborators are properly paid publishing royalties on Bandcamp. See here for more details.
What to Submit | You should input all descriptive (title, artist, genre) and creative (songwriter, composer, publisher) information, as well as standardized identifiers (ISRC, ISWC, UPC) if you have them. |
Royalty Collection | Bandcamp uses this metadata to identify works registered with a collection society and allocate the "collection society share" of sales revenue correctly. |
Collaborators | If your co-writers are affiliated with a collection society, you must include their information in the Songwriter/Composer field. |
For Compilations | For compilation albums, it is especially critical to ensure that the individual Artist field for each track is correctly submitted, and the Artist name is not mistakenly entered into the Track Title field. This level of detail is vital for correct royalty allocation and accurate reporting to collection societies. |
No Affiliation? | Even if you are not currently affiliated, good metadata (especially an ISRC) is essential for future-proofing your royalties, ensuring fan discoverability, and meeting professional industry standards. |
Action Plan | Confirm your affiliation status, input all writer details, use consistent naming, and double-check all metadata before publishing. |