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What a publisher does

Discover what it takes to be a music publisher before you apply for membership

Thinking about becoming a music publisher?

Forming a music publishing business requires you to apply your creative and industry knowledge and experience to the development of other writers and their catalogues, in return for a percentage of their royalty income.

Music publishing entails a high level of accounting processes and responsibilities. Are you ready to become a music publisher?

Considerations before you start a music publishing business

  • Are you adequately prepared and resourced to market, administer and monitor the work of other writers so that it will generate a meaningful royalty income?
  • You will be expected to register the works and agreements with APRA AMCOS. Do you have the required software, hardware, computer literacy and copyright knowledge for how to Do this?
  • How do you intend to earn your percentage of royalty income?
  • Do you have a network of music users and the means to promote your writers’ works to them?
  • Are you in a position to advance money to a writer before collecting any income? (this may be an important incentive to songwriters)

Industry knowledge is a requirement

  • Is your music industry experience adequate to creatively and strategically guide your writers?
  • Do you have strong relationships within the creative industries that will allow you to exploit your writers’ works in different environments?
  • Are you in a position to market your writers’ works to the key business partners: record companies, media networks, film and television production companies, online service providers, advertising agencies, and print publishers?

Business acumen is essential

  • Do you have a detailed understanding of copyright, locally and overseas?
  • Do you understand the difference between performance, mechanical, print and synchronisation rights and how they are administered?
  • What is your understanding of how the changing technological landscape is shaping the way that music is marketed and sold?
  • Do you have the ability to create and issue legal licences to multiple businesses?
  • Are you equipped to monitor the use of your writers’ music around the world?
  • Do you understand the legal terms and obligations of a publishing agreement? Have you used the services of a lawyer to construct your songwriting agreements?
  • Are you in a position to administer your writers’ finances, deduct tax, and correctly report to your writers about how their works are performing financially?
  • If registered in Australia your ABN/ACN, GST registration status and bank details will need to be up to date. If registered in New Zealand your NZBN/NZ Company No./IRD, GST registration status and bank details will need to be up to date. These are things we’ll need in order to pay you your royalties.

Looking for a list of APRA AMCOS publisher members?

If you're a songwriter and you're looking for a publisher for your own works, view a list of APRA publisher members and AMCOS publisher members.

Publishers specialise in genres of music and some do not accept unsolicited material, so be sure to research which publishers work within your area of composition or songwriting.

Frequently asked questions

Do I really need to become a publisher member?

Only if you represent other writers’ catalogues do you need to become a publisher member. If you are a songwriter who only represents your own catalogue you should, however, make sure you’ve joined both APRA and, if you are unpublished, AMCOS as a writer member.

Read the criteria to join as a publisher member.

I just joined as an APRA AMCOS writer member, do I need to join as a publisher member as well?

In most cases, no. You should only join as a publisher member if you are intending to administer, promote and commercially exploit the work of other writers. Music publishers require in-depth industry knowledge and experience, as well as legal contracts in place with songwriters. Find out more about what a publisher does.

I am operating a record label, do I need to apply for publisher membership?

APRA and AMCOS publisher membership is not open to record labels, so your business needs to also be operating as a music publisher in order to be eligible for membership. If not already, you may like the business to join Independent Music NZ and you should also visit the Recorded Music NZ website to see if you are eligible to become a member.

In addition to the application requirements, what else will I need to do?

Once you are an elected Publisher Member you must submit registrations to notify us of:

  • agreements the company has signed with writers or other publishers (publishing and sub-publishing agreements)
  • musical works (titles) in which the publishing company or business has a publishing or sub-publishing interest (by virtue of agreements it has signed).

Agreement and work registrations must be submitted in a timely manner. Publisher members may register agreements and works by registering directly into our Copyright Management System (CMS) database. Publishers who have the software to create CWR files may also submit work registrations in CWR format.

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