Two copyrights exist in music: the copyright to the composition (which encompasses the music and lyrics composed by the songwriter or songwriters) and the copyright to the sound recording (which encompasses a performance of a composition.) Any income generated by these copyrights is referred to as publishing royalties.
On Bandcamp, you may be entitled to two types of publishing royalties in relation to your compositions: performance royalties and mechanical royalties. Performance royalties are owed to the songwriter whenever their composition is used commercially. On Bandcamp, “used commercially” means a fan purchased a track or album.
The second type of publishing royalties on Bandcamp are mechanical royalties, which means money owed to the songwriter and/or publisher for the right to reproduce the music physically or digitally. On Bandcamp, these are owed when a fan purchases a digital track or album and certain types of merchandise.
If you're a member of a publishing collection society (such as MCPS, PRS, GEMA, etc.)—whether a PRO (performing rights organization) or a CMO (collective management organization that handles both mechanical and performing royalties)—they will collect and distribute these royalties from your Bandcamp sales. The royalties owed are defined in your agreement with your society. Any co-writers who are society members will receive their share, too. If you have an agreement with a music publisher, they will collect and distribute the publishing royalties they control for you, according to your agreement with them. So, if you have a society membership and/or a publishing agreement, those parties should ensure you get all your royalties.
Whether or not you are a member of a publishing collection society is entirely up to you – you can use Bandcamp either way.
Over the next few months, Bandcamp will be refining its processes for collecting and distributing royalties for digital sales and certain types of merch sales (such as a tote bag or t-shirt that includes a digital download.) We aim to ease the administrative load on artists and labels, ensuring payments are accurate, timely, and transparent. Managing publishing royalties is an essential aspect of digital transactions and ensures that Bandcamp operates in compliance with industry practices.
Bandcamp is committed to being an inclusive community for artists and fans alike. If you write, perform, and upload original music and do not belong to a society or have a publishing deal, you will be paid directly by Bandcamp as you always have been.
For detailed and current information on publishing rights and royalties, please refer to the additional resources listed in our FAQ.
How Bandcamp Handles Your Publishing Royalties
If you're a member of one or more publishing collection societies, Bandcamp will ensure that your publishing royalties from affected sales are collected and allocated to the society managing your royalties.
You’ll notice a line item in your sales receipt called the “collection society share,” which reflects the portion of royalties allocated for the collection society. The collection society will then pay royalties to you based on your agreement with them. If you have recorded a cover version of a composition by another songwriter, Bandcamp will pay these performance royalties to the collection society associated with the original songwriter. For sales made to fans in the US, you, as the artist, are responsible for paying any applicable mechanical royalties from your share of Bandcamp proceeds.
Publishing Royalty Calculation and Distribution on Bandcamp
On Bandcamp, the collection society share is calculated based on the specific agreement between Bandcamp and the applicable collection society. This rate is applied to the sales revenue from affected sales in the territory where it was purchased, excluding any relevant sales taxes.
Following eligible sales, Bandcamp pays the collection society directly, and the society then distributes the payment to the songwriter according to the agreed-upon sales and streaming rates and royalty arrangements in their membership agreement with you. So, if you are the songwriter, the share that Bandcamp pays to your collection society will be distributed to you based on your membership agreement with your society.
Bandcamp provides sellers with detailed receipts showing the collection society shares for applicable sales. This allows you to clearly see how much revenue is being allocated to the songs managed by the collection society for distribution.
Feedback and Resources
The process of prioritizing and getting features right depends heavily on feedback from our artist community. An open dialogue with our artist base has been and will always be key to our decision-making process. If you have any questions about this information or about your Bandcamp royalties please feel free to reach out to us here.
For more information about how royalties work on Bandcamp, please see our FAQ below. If you have questions on how publishing royalties work in general, we have compiled a list of resources to get you started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I view publishing royalties collected on Bandcamp?
For digital sales that include one or more tracks registered with a collection society, you will see a line item in your sales receipt called the “collection society share.”
You will also see this information on your Payment Summary page.
We’ve also added a column displaying the collection society share collected per sale in your sales reports and raw data reports, which can be found in your Tools section. More information on reading your sales reports can be found here.
If your works share a publisher or co-writer who is a member of these societies, Bandcamp will ensure that their publishing royalties are collected from sales of those works.
What sales are affected by publishing royalty collection?
We collect and distribute publishing royalties from both digital music sales and merch items that include digital downloads (such as, for example, tote bags, hats, and shirts that are bundled with a digital download) are calculated and distributed. This won’t affect sales of CDs, vinyl, cassettes, or minidiscs.
For example, if you include a digital album or track with your t-shirt sales, we’ll only take a percentage of the value of the digital album or track, not of the merch price. So if you have a t-shirt for sale for $20 and it includes your newest digital album, which sells for $10, we’ll only collect a percentage of the cost of the digital album.
In another example, a $10 digital album bundled with a $3 patch, we will take a cut of the minimum price between the two (a % from the lesser priced $3 patch)
How does each collection society calculate royalties for their members?
Collection societies will calculate their members’ royalties based on the sales and streaming rates set by each society and then pay according to the agreed-upon terms in each membership agreement. The details of agreements between collection societies and their members are managed directly by those parties. Please consult your contracts or contact the applicable society directly.
How can I notify Bandcamp of any changes needed to the publishing designation on my track or album?
If you need to make changes to the publishing designation of a track or album, you can easily notify Bandcamp of the status and desired corrections by filling out this form. Simply click the link, fill out the form with the necessary details, and submit it. Bandcamp will review your request and update the publishing designation accordingly.
If you believe a track has been assigned to the wrong publishing designation, use the form referenced above to inform us of the issue and request corrections.
If you have a significant number of changes required, please contact our Support team.
How do I list my collection society affiliation on Bandcamp?
In the coming months, we’ll provide a way to self-identify your affiliation to a PRO, CMO, or collection society on your Artist page. Stay tuned for more information as we roll this feature out to more and more artists. If you have questions, please contact Support.