How to Sell Songs to Music Publishers: How to Get Heard, What a Deal Looks Like and What to Ask Before You Sign

You wrote a song you believe in, and you want a publisher to buy it. That is not quite how it works. A publisher does not buy a song the way a shop buys stock. It signs a song or a writer, keeps a share of the income and works to earn that income back.

This guide covers what publishers do, how songwriters get heard, what common deals give up and what to ask before you sign. It is general information, not legal advice.

What a music publisher does

Attorney Justin Jacobson, writing for TuneCore's blog, describes publishers as companies that manage a songwriter's rights in a track. They license the music, collect what users owe, and handle paperwork such as registering the copyright and indexing the track with your PRO (performing rights organization). A publisher may also 'shop' your tracks for placements, a job sometimes done by a 'song plugger.'

A publisher is paid out of what your songs earn, so it looks for writers who will keep delivering songs it can place. You do not need one to be paid. A writer can act as their own publisher. The MLC's help center defines a self-administered writer as someone who 'acts as music publisher, of the works they have created.' See our guide to publishing administrators and self-administering.

What publishers look for

SongTown's Marty Dodson lists five traits: consistency over time, a team player with a great attitude, reliability, hard work and commercial ears. Will Overton, an A&R director at Warner Chappell Music, told the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) that he wants songs that are 'meaningful and ready to pitch' and 'lyrically sound and unique in some way,' from writers with 'valuable connections and networks.'

Bring enough material. Songwriter Clay Mills suggests not looking for a deal until you have ten really strong songs: five to play and five in reserve. And match the publisher to the music. Jeremy Fabinyi of the Australasian Music Publishers' Association (AMPAL) notes that publishers specialise in different genres, and Disc Makers suggests searching the ASCAP and BMI websites for publishers that represent songs like yours.

How songwriters actually get heard

Cold submissions are rarely welcome. Disc Makers' guide says publishers 'typically don't take unsolicited material,' and Sonicbids explains the worry: if a company rejects a demo and later releases something similar, the writer could claim theft. So the goal is a yes to 'may I send you something?'

• Get an introduction. Overton says 'a lot of first meetings come through the PROs,' where writer reps 'will make connections between writers and publishers.' He adds that 'the majority of signed people have come through other people,' such as lawyers, managers or a publisher who cannot sign the writer at the time.
• Co-write. Mills reports that one publisher discovered new writers because they had started co-writing with a writer he had already signed.
• Ask before you send. When someone says yes, send a short list of your best songs as links, with a note. Disc Makers suggests a short bio, the size of your fanbase, your streams and downloads, and 'any other things you can brag about.'
• Lead with the song. Dodson says publishers ask, 'Can I get this song recorded?' and that for publishers 'the demo should be clean, clear, and compelling.' Disc Makers adds that it 'does not have to be professionally produced.' Our guide to how polished a demo needs to be goes deeper.

Be patient. Dodson calls pitching too soon 'the biggest mistake.' Overton says to expect at least two or three meetings and to give it 'a good month.' Mills warns against following up five times in a week.

What a publishing deal looks like

Deals vary, and a new writer has the least bargaining power.

• Single-song deal. The publisher takes one song or a few named songs. Entertainment lawyer Wallace Collins says it can come with little or no advance, and suggests asking for the song to revert to you if no recording is released within a year or two.
• Exclusive songwriter ('staff writer') deal. You write only for that publisher. Mills says it brings a monthly draw or advance anywhere from zero to several hundred thousand dollars a year, demo costs the publisher often covers and half-recoups, and usually no publishing share for a new writer.
• Co-publishing. You keep your writer's share and share the publisher's share. Romano Law's example: if the publisher owns half the publisher's share, it receives 25% of total publishing revenue and you receive 75%. Collins wrote in 2014 that most modern deals work this way.
• Administration. You keep ownership and pay a commission for registration and collection. Romano Law says it is usually 10% to 25% off the top of total revenue. Admin deals cover paperwork and collection, not pitching, as our administrator guide explains.

Here is the math, in round numbers that show the pattern and do not predict a real deal. Say a song earns $1,000. Self-published, you keep $1,000. With an administrator taking 15% off the top, you keep $850. Co-published at 75/25, you keep $750. Under the basic 50/50 deal Romano Law describes, where the writer assigns the whole copyright for its life, you keep $500. An advance, if you took one, is recouped from the royalties you earn.

So what does a publisher pay for a song? For a single song it can be little or nothing up front. Otherwise it is a draw or advance against future royalties. Think of an advance as your own royalties paid early. Collins says it is 'later recouped by the publisher,' Symphonic's guide says 'an advance is NOT free money,' and Fabinyi says that 'often the more money upfront, the less attractive the royalty rates.'

What to ask before you sign

• Which songs are covered? Jacobson says the grant can reach every existing composition you own, and that it may be advisable to try to exclude some.
• What if nothing happens? Ask for a reversion if songs go unplaced or unreleased. Collins suggests a year or two for a single-song deal.
• Can they recoup across deals? Jacobson warns that a publisher may recoup against royalties from other agreements with the same company, or credit one co-writer's royalties toward another's balance.
• How are the numbers worked out? Collins says it is best to insist that calculations be made 'at source.' Ask your lawyer what that means in your contract.
• Who controls licensing? Jacobson suggests limiting the types of works your songs can be used in and keeping a right to approve changes to your music.
• Is this the right publisher? Dodson warns that 'having a bad or just mediocre publisher is often worse than not having one at all.'

Then have a music lawyer read it. Fabinyi calls advice from a lawyer who knows the music industry 'essential,' and Disc Makers says to hire a music lawyer before any licensing or publishing deal. In the U.S., a transfer of copyright ownership is not valid unless it is in writing and signed by the owner of the rights (17 U.S.C. § 204(a)). The Copyright Act also lets authors terminate certain grants after thirty-five years, whatever the contract says, but that is far off and no substitute for good terms. Our guide to exclusive licenses and assignments explains the difference between permission and ownership.

If your songs are already licensed or listed

If you list songs for licensing while you look for a publisher, keep a simple list of which songs are licensed, to whom and on what terms. A publisher will want to know, and a deal may reach songs you have already placed. On Starchild, partners keep their copyright and earn 50% of each sale, minus the payment fee, and sales show in the dashboard as they happen. See how to sell your songs, and use our back-catalog rights check to sort which songs are clear to pitch.

Whatever door you try, never pay anyone for a chance to be heard. Our guide to spotting songwriter scams explains why.

A pitch checklist for this week

• Pick your best songs: five to pitch and five in reserve.
• Write down the writers, splits and PRO details for each, and where each song is licensed.
• Ask one person for an introduction: a PRO writer rep, a signed co-writer, a lawyer or a manager.
• Find a music lawyer you could call before you sign anything.

Sources

• Hypebot (TuneCore Blog): The Songwriter/Music Publisher Relationship Examined, Part 1, by Justin M. Jacobson (2017)
• Hypebot: What Is A Music Publishing Deal, and Do I Really Need One?, by Wallace Collins (2014)
• Hypebot (Symphonic Blog): 3 Types Of Publishing Deals and How They Work, by Randi Zimmerman (2020)
• Romano Law: What Are the Three Basic Types of Music Publishing Deals for Songwriters? (2022)
• Nashville Songwriters Association International: Advice on Getting A Publishing Deal from Warner Chappell's Will Overton (2022)
• SongTown: Songwriters, How To Get A Publishing Deal, by Clay Mills (2022)
• SongTown: 5 Things Music Publishers Look For In A Songwriter, by Marty Dodson (2024)
• SongTown: How to Submit Songs as a Songwriter Without Burning Bridges, 2026 Guide, by Marty Dodson
• AMPAL: Tips of the Trade, Publishing Deals, the Dos and Don'ts (2014)
• Hypebot (Disc Makers): You've written a song, now what? How to sell your music (2023)
• Sonicbids Blog: What 'No Unsolicited Material' Means and Why You Should Take It Seriously (2016)
• The MLC Help Center: What is a self-administered songwriter?
• U.S. Copyright Office: Title 17, Chapter 2, Copyright Ownership and Transfer (Sections 203 and 204)