The Music Publisher.Some music artist and songwriters some times ask them self, what does a music-publisher actually do? Well, they do as there name says, they publish songs, and a music-publisher is in fact a company who owns the copyrights in your songs. He's the man (or woman) who issue licenses to radio stations-and TV companies to give them permission to play your songs and do the performing on TV programs. Also, a publisher collects your royalties trough his membership of the copyright society.
In the UK, PRS-MCPS and in the US, ASCAP- BMI and others. For the pure songwriter this is his exclusive domain to target. And...your package must look impressive. Your demo must look and sound professional. our promotion letter must be typed and printed. The case of your CD must have a J-card that slips in your CD case. Put some art work on the card and create a logo. So, be creative, as usually. Your CD must be properly labeled and on every piece of your package stand your contact info. Address,phone number,mobile number,e-mail address and your website info if you have one. If a piece get lost in the music-publishers office, with your name and address on every piece, they can easily trace the stuff . And don't forget to include the lyric sheets each one with the same information.
Also..Before sending any submissions, find out first what kind of style of music that company want to receive. You have no idea how many times the music-publisher and record companies get the wrong kind of music. So, do some research before sending anything. Otherwise it's a waste time and money.
Normaly spoken..You have a publishing deal before you have a record deal. If you have both deals(lucky you) then you can release a record or better an artist can. When you've been offered a contract, you have to look for how long and how much.
Make sure to enclose in the contract, that it's is for a limited time. Let's say six month. If the music-publisher has found in time a record company that will bring out your songs,then you can negotiate the contract and sign an other one with better conditions. If he doesn't find a record deal in that time , you can try your luck with another company. A contract means a lot of money, so don't sign to quickly. If you can't figure out yourself how much you will get, ask a lawyer-solicitor for advice. In the US , publishing contracts or other contracts are difficult to read. Before signing a contract with a US company, ask advice to someone who knows the US contracts well. I know it's a hard thing to do, when you get an offer not to sign immediately.That's the horrifying truth for many songwriters and artist who get their first contract. Not to sign but to read it carefully and ask for legal advice. Some songwriters who get their first offer are willing to sign with both hands immediately ( and some really have done). Some times they signing their soul and their good money away. That's why you have to look out for the pitfalls in contract. Never sign a contract with a percentage below 50%. After all, it's all about a lot of money, isn't it? Maybe a lawyer or solicitor would be worth their money, or not?
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