Please note: These articles provide a general overview to help you get started with understanding copyrights in the music industry. They’re for informational purposes only and not intended as legal advice. For more detailed information, see the Publishing royalty collection on Bandcamp page.
What are publishing royalties, and how are they generated?
To understand publishing royalties, you first need to identify who owns or contributed to the composition. On Bandcamp, a composition isn't just melody and lyrics on a page; it is the musical work you have created. There are many different ways a composition can be created, but some common scenarios include:
Solo Artists: If you wrote the music and lyrics yourself, then you own the composition.
Bands: If you wrote the songs together - whether through jamming or collaborating on lyrics - you likely share ownership of the composition (either equally or as otherwise agreed).
Producers: If you created a track using a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) such as Ableton or Logic, that arrangement is your composition.
On Bandcamp, there are two main types of publishing royalties generated by the sale of compositions:
Mechanical Royalties: This is the primary publishing royalty on Bandcamp. Mechanical royalties are owed to the songwriter and/or publisher for the right to reproduce the music physically or digitally. On Bandcamp, this is owed when a fan purchases a digital track or album, as well as certain types of merchandise.
Performance Royalties: Performance royalties are owed whenever a composition is "performed" or communicated (online) to the public. In many territories, these are bundled together with Mechanical royalties at the point of purchase.
The primary exception is North American (US, CA) sales, where these royalties are managed separately. For sales in these territories, performance royalties can be owed when a fan previews music prior to purchase.
Who collects publishing royalties?
Publishing royalties may be collected by:
The artist themselves (if they are the sole songwriter and self-published)
A publisher or publishing administrator who has a direct contract with the songwriter and assists in administering, marketing, and licensing their work
A collection society:
A Performance Rights Organization (PRO), such as ASCAP (US) or SOCAN (Canada)
A Collective Management Organization (CMO), such as the Harry Fox Agency (US), GEMA (Germany), SACEM (France), PRS for Music (UK), or APRA AMCOS (AUNZ)
Independent Management Entity (IME), a newer form of copyright management organisation, such as Unison
The Writer’s Share
As a songwriter (or composer), you retain a distinct right to the ‘Writer’s Share’ of the performing rights royalties generated by your song. This means you will generally receive a share directly from your collection society, separate from any royalties collected by any publisher you may be signed with.