Music Publishing — The Complete Guide Second Edition

Written by an attorney with over 30 years of experience in the music industry, Music Publishing: The Complete Guide is the definitive manual on music copyright. Whereas many books on the subject are aimed at artists and songwriters, this book serves as a guide for industry pros, lawyers, and music business and law students.

Subjects covered include copyright; performing rights organizations; mechanical, synchronization, and print licensing; songwriter and composer agreements; publishing administration and foreign sub-publishing; production music libraries; pitching and placement companies; sampling; and much more. The discussion also delves into historical perspective and current trends and revenue opportunities in the evolving digital marketplace. Easy-to-read narratives explain the key points for all of these types of deals.

There are many sample agreements included in the book, all annotated in simple terms that explain the often complex contract language. There are also links to copyright and publishing resources, listings of foreign performance and mechanical societies, and anecdotes and case studies from real world incidents. If you’re looking for a thorough grounding and go-to reference book on music copyright, not just a quick crash course, your search is over.

Updated second edition covers digital royalties and changes in the law, including the Music Modernization Act.