Please note: These articles provide a general overview to help you get started with understanding copyrights in the music industry. They’re just for informational purposes and not intended as legal advice.
What are publishing royalties and how are they generated?
On Bandcamp, there are two types of publishing royalties in relation to your compositions (which is the writing of the music and the lyrics): performance royalties and mechanical royalties. Performance royalty is money owed to the songwriter whenever the composition is used commercially. “Used commercially” on Bandcamp means a fan purchased a track or album.
The second type of publishing royalty on Bandcamp is mechanical royalties, which means money 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 and certain types of merchandise.
Who collects publishing royalties?
Publishing royalties may be collected by:
- The artist themselves (if they are the songwriter and self-published)
- A publisher who has a direct contract with the songwriter and assists in marketing and licensing their work
- A Performance Rights Organization (PRO), such as ASCAP (US) or PRS (UK)
- A Collective Management Organization (CMO), such as the Harry Fox Agency (US), GEMA (Germany), or SACEM (France), PRS for Music (UK)
What are exclusive rights for songwriters?
As a songwriter (or composer), you have an ‘exclusive’ right to the performing rights of your song. This means you will generally receive a share of the performing rights directly from your performing rights society, even if you are also signed with a publisher who handles other publishing rights.