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Documentation

Managing Publishers

Publishers handle the business side of your songs—collecting royalties, licensing compositions, and protecting your works. Setting up publishers correctly ensures royalties flow to the right places.

Why Publishers Matter

  • Royalty collection - Publishers collect mechanical and performance royalties
  • Licensing - Handle sync requests for TV, film, and advertising
  • Rights protection - Monitor and enforce copyright
  • Platform credits - Appear in detailed credits on streaming platforms

Creating a Publisher

To create a new publisher in LabelGrid:

  1. Navigate to Catalogue → Publishers
  2. Click Add Publisher
  3. Fill in the publisher information
  4. Click Finish to save the publisher profile

Publisher Fields

FieldRequiredDescription
NameYesOfficial publisher name
PRORecommendedPerformance Rights Organization affiliation
IPIRequired if PRO is specified9-11 digit Interested Parties Information number
ISNIOptional16-character International Standard Name Identifier
ControlledOptionalWhether this is your own controlled publisher (boolean)

Important: If you specify a PRO affiliation, the IPI number becomes required. This ensures proper royalty routing through the PRO system.

IPI Number Format

SpecificationValue
Length9-11 digits
FormatNumeric only (spaces and hyphens are automatically removed)
Example00123456789 or 001-2345-6789

Tip: Your publisher’s IPI number is assigned by their PRO. Ask your publisher for this number if you don’t have it.

ISNI Format

SpecificationValue
LengthExactly 16 characters
FormatAlphanumeric
Example0000000121212121

Publisher Types

Self-Publishing

If you haven’t signed with a publisher, you can self-publish:

  1. Create a publisher with your own name or a business name
  2. Register as a publisher with your PRO (ASCAP, BMI, etc.)
  3. Collect both the writer’s share AND publisher’s share

Third-Party Publishers

If you’ve signed a publishing deal:

  1. Add your publisher’s information
  2. Use their official name and IPI
  3. Set the correct ownership percentage

Administration Deals

Some publishers offer “admin” deals where they collect royalties but you retain ownership:

  • Add them as a publisher on your tracks
  • Specify the admin percentage
  • Your PRO registration may need updating

Adding Publishers to Tracks

Publishers are linked to tracks through the composition splits:

  1. Open your release
  2. Navigate to a track’s Splits tab
  3. Under Publishing Splits, click Add Publisher
  4. Select or create the publisher
  5. Set the ownership percentage
  6. Save your changes

Ownership Percentages

Publishing splits should reflect your actual agreements:

Standard publishing deal (50/50):

  • Writer: 50% (writer’s share)
  • Publisher: 50% (publisher’s share)

Self-published:

  • Writer/Self-Publisher: 100%

Co-publishing deal:

  • Writer: 50%
  • Writer’s Publisher: 25%
  • Label Publisher: 25%

Important: Publishing splits should total 100% across all publishers for a track.

PRO Affiliations

What is a PRO?

A Performance Rights Organization (PRO) collects royalties when your music is publicly performed (radio, TV, venues, streaming).

Major PROs

RegionOrganizations
USAASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR
UKPRS for Music
CanadaSOCAN
AustraliaAPRA AMCOS
GermanyGEMA
FranceSACEM

Publisher PRO Requirements

Your publisher should be registered with a PRO. When adding a publisher:

  • Include their PRO affiliation
  • Use their registered name exactly
  • Add their IPI number

Controlled Publishers

The “Controlled” flag indicates publishers you own or control:

When to Mark as Controlled

  • ✅ Your own self-publishing company
  • ✅ A publishing entity you created
  • ✅ Publishers where you’re the sole owner

When NOT to Mark as Controlled

  • ❌ Third-party publishers you’ve signed with
  • ❌ Major label publishing divisions
  • ❌ Co-publishers you don’t control

Troubleshooting

Publisher not appearing in credits

  1. Verify the publisher was added to the track
  2. Check that the release has been delivered
  3. Allow time for platform updates (can take days)
  4. Ensure the publisher name is spelled correctly

Don’t know publisher’s IPI

  1. Ask your publisher directly
  2. Search PRO databases:
  3. Leave blank if unavailable (not recommended)

Multiple publishers for one song

This is common in co-publishing situations:

  1. Add each publisher separately
  2. Set the correct percentage for each
  3. Ensure percentages total 100%

Best Practices

  1. Get IPI numbers - Always include IPI numbers when possible
  2. Match PRO registration - Use names exactly as registered
  3. Keep records - Document all publishing agreements
  4. Update when changes occur - Keep publisher info current
  5. Verify percentages - Ensure splits match your contracts

Need Help?

If you have questions about publishers or publishing royalties, contact our support team.