Sub-Publishing Deals

When your music is played, downloaded, or broadcast outside your home country, collecting royalties becomes significantly more complex. Sub-publishing deals are the mechanism that enables songwriters and publishers to get paid for their work globally, even as different countries have different collection societies and payment rules.

What Is Sub-Publishing

Sub-publishing occurs when a publisher in one country appoints a publisher in another country to collect royalties on their behalf. Your home country publisher retains ownership of your compositions but hires local administrators in other territories to manage licensing, registration, and collection.

For example, if you're based in the United States and your song gets played on French radio, you can't directly collect from SACEM, the French PRO. Instead, you appoint a French sub-publisher who handles registration, licensing, and collection. The French sub-publisher collects royalties, takes their commission, and remits the balance back to you.

Why Sub-Publishing Matters

Every country has its own collection infrastructure. The United States has ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC; France has SACEM; the United Kingdom has PRS for Music; Germany has GEMA. These performing rights organizations don't efficiently collect across borders without partnerships and sub-publishing agreements.

Sub-publishing ensures that when your music is performed, broadcast, or mechanically reproduced in a foreign territory, someone is actively registering your works, licensing them, and pursuing payment. Without sub-publishers, your music would be played abroad without generating income because no one would be collecting on your behalf.

Types of Sub-Publishing Deals

Sub-publishing agreements vary widely. Some publishers appoint a sub-publisher to handle one country; others sign deals covering entire regions like Scandinavia or Southeast Asia. The publisher you appoint may handle only performing rights (broadcast, public performance) or may also administer mechanical licenses (streaming, digital downloads) and sync licenses (film, television, advertising).

Agreements specify how much commission the sub-publisher retains. Typical rates range from 10 to 25 percent of collected royalties, depending on territory, scope, and the sub-publisher's services. In competitive markets like the UK or Germany, commissions tend to be lower. In developing territories with challenging collection, commissions may be higher.

Costs and Administration

Sub-publishing involves real costs. The sub-publisher must register your works with local PROs, pursue sync licensing opportunities, monitor broadcasts and performances, and manage complex accounting and currency conversion. These costs are reflected in their commission.

However, sub-publishing creates asymmetries in cash flow. A sub-publisher might collect significant royalties that take months to remit back to you, and exchange rate fluctuations can affect your actual payment. Large publishers often negotiate quarterly or semi-annual payments to minimize cash flow delays.

Choosing a Sub-Publisher

Selecting the right sub-publisher for each territory is critical. You want someone with strong relationships with local broadcasters, sync supervisors, and collection societies. They should have a track record of aggressive registration and licensing. Reviews, references, and performance audits matter.

Many publishers use aggregators or administrative services that coordinate sub-publishing across multiple territories, providing a single point of contact while managing regional sub-publishers behind the scenes. This approach simplifies administration but may introduce additional layers of commission.

Sub-publishing is essential for artists and publishers wanting global reach. While the process is complex and involves surrendering some control, it's currently the most reliable way to ensure your music generates income wherever it's heard.