If you've released music independently, you've probably heard other artists talk about having their own publishing company. Maybe a distribution platform asked you to name a publisher. Maybe a sync licensing contact wanted to know who controlled your publishing. Maybe you just want to make sure you're collecting every dollar your songs generate.
The good news: setting up your own music publishing company isn't nearly as complicated as it sounds. You don't need a label deal, a music attorney on retainer, or a pile of money. You need a few hours, some paperwork, and a clear understanding of what you're actually doing.
Here's how it works.
What a Music Publishing Company Actually Does
Before you set anything up, it helps to understand what a music publishing company is responsible for.
When you write a song, you automatically own two things: the master recording (the actual audio file) and the composition (the underlying melody and lyrics). Your publishing company exists to own and administer the composition side.
In practical terms, that means:
- Registering your songs with your performing rights organization (PRO)
- Collecting performance royalties (radio, streaming, live shows)
- Collecting mechanical royalties (paid per stream or download)
- Licensing your music for sync, film, TV, and commercial use
- Enforcing your rights if someone uses your music without permission
If you don't have your own publishing company, you're still collecting some of these royalties — but you might be leaving money on the table, especially if a label or publisher is involved and has a claim on your catalog.
Step 1: Join a PRO as a Publisher
You're probably already registered as a songwriter member with ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC. If not, stop here and do that first — it's free to join ASCAP and BMI, and you need a songwriter membership before you can create a publishing affiliate.
Once you're registered as a songwriter, you need to create a publishing affiliate — a separate account that represents your publishing company. This is where your publishing royalties flow to.
The process varies slightly by PRO:
- ASCAP: Create a publisher account at ascap.com. You can name your company anything that doesn't conflict with an existing ASCAP publisher.
- BMI: Go to bmi.com and register as a publisher. There's a one-time $150 filing fee.
- SESAC: SESAC is invitation-only, so if you're a SESAC member, you'll need to reach out to them directly.
Your publishing company name matters. It has to be unique in the PRO's system, and it's going to appear on licensing agreements, royalty statements, and anywhere your songs are registered. Pick something professional.
Related: ASCAP vs BMI vs SESAC: Which PRO Should Independent Artists Choose?
Step 2: Register Your Business
You don't legally have to form a business entity to have a music publishing company, but most working artists eventually do — usually as a sole proprietorship or LLC.
A sole proprietorship is the simplest: if you're collecting money as a publisher under your business name, you may just need to file a DBA ("doing business as") with your county or state. This lets you open a business bank account and receive payments in your company's name.
An LLC adds a layer of liability protection and can make you look more credible to licensing contacts and collaborators. The filing fee varies by state — usually $50–200. You'll use your company name, and you can operate under it for tax purposes.
Either way, you'll want:
- A business bank account separate from your personal finances
- Potentially an EIN (Employer Identification Number) from the IRS — free to apply for online
- A simple way to invoice clients if you're doing licensing deals
This doesn't have to happen before you start collecting royalties. Many artists operate as solo publisher-songwriters for years before formalizing anything. But if you're making real money, an LLC is worth the paperwork.
Step 3: Register Your Songs Under Your Publishing Company
Once your publishing affiliate is set up at your PRO, you need to register each song you've written — or plan to write — under your company.
This means logging into your PRO account and submitting each work with:
- Song title
- Your songwriter information (IPI number, share percentage)
- Your publisher information (your company's IPI number, share percentage)
- Co-writer and co-publisher information, if applicable
The split between your songwriter share and publisher share is typically 50/50 by default. If you're self-published (which you are when you set up your own company), you're collecting both — 100% of the total royalty.
If you've collaborated with other writers, this is where things get important. Before you register anything, make sure you have a split sheet documenting exactly who owns what percentage of the composition. Registering a song incorrectly with your PRO can create disputes down the road that are genuinely painful to resolve.
A split sheet is the source document for all of this — it defines who gets what. You can generate one at musicsplitsheets.com/pages/create in a few minutes. It's signed by everyone involved and becomes the reference point when you register the song.
Step 4: Register with the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC)
PROs collect performance royalties. The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) handles mechanical royalties — money paid when your song is streamed or downloaded on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music.
If you're distributing music yourself and not signed to a label with a publishing deal, you should register directly with the MLC at themlc.com. It's free. Once you're set up, you can register your songs and claim unmatched royalties that may have been sitting uncollected.
This is one of the most overlooked parts of independent publishing — a lot of artists don't know the MLC exists, or they assume their distributor handles it. Distributors typically collect mechanical royalties on the master side but not always on the composition side. The MLC covers the gap.
Related: How to Register with the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC)
Step 5: Keep Clean Records for Every Song
A publishing company is only as useful as its records. Once you start owning and licensing songs, you need to be organized.
At minimum, keep a working document or spreadsheet with:
- Song title and date written
- Co-writers (names and IPI numbers)
- Split percentages — tied to the signed split sheet for each song
- PRO registration date and confirmation
- MLC registration status
- Any licensing deals you've made
When sync opportunities come up, whoever is licensing your music will want to know who controls the master and the composition, what the splits are, and how to pay you. Having this ready to go makes the difference between landing a placement and losing it to someone more organized.
The split sheet is the foundation of clean records. Before any song gets registered, before any licensing discussion happens, a signed split sheet should exist. It's not a legal formality — it's what protects you and your collaborators if anything ever gets contested.
Related: What Is a Music Split Sheet? (And Why Every Collaboration Needs One)
You Don't Need a Publishing Deal to Publish Your Music
The phrase "music publishing company" sounds corporate, but it just means you're the one administering your own work. Thousands of independent artists do this. It doesn't require hiring staff, leasing office space, or signing anyone else to your roster.
What it requires is knowing the system — and making sure every song you write is documented, registered, and owned correctly from the start.
That starts with the split sheet. If you've written with anyone else — a co-producer, a co-writer, a vocalist who added a hook — that conversation needs to happen before the song goes anywhere. Once the split sheet is signed, everything else follows from it.
Generate yours at musicsplitsheets.com/pages/create. $3 for a split sheet PDF, or $5 for the split sheet plus a Letter of Direction for routing SoundExchange royalties. Takes about two minutes.