Royalties are payments made on a blanket or per-use basis as established by a license agreement. In the context of music publishing, royalties refer to the income earned through the use of a song. This can include album sales, digital downloads, streams, radio airplay, and a host of other forms through which songs earn income for songwriters and music publishers.

Once you’ve written, produced, and/or composed a song and started to distribute it, royalties are earned anytime it is reproduced or publicly performed. This revenue is split into recording-generated and composition (its underlying lyrics and melody) royalties.  As a songwriter, it’s important to know the difference between these royalties and how they’re collected, whether they are earned from streams on Spotify or a live performance at a local coffee shop.

The music industry can be overwhelming and confusing to both new and experienced songwriters. Having a system in place to check your revenue streams is vital. YWP Music Group can keep track of where your songs are being used, make sure you’re affiliated with your local collection society, and have your publisher or publishing administrator collect your global mechanical and performance publishing royalties.