What does a music publisher do?

A music publisher works with the song, not the recording. We register the works, make sure the writers are paid and look for new places where the music can be heard. The creative side means listening, giving feedback, pairing writers and pitching songs to artists, film productions and commercials. The administrative side means registering every work correctly with STIM and its sister societies abroad and handling license requests and agreements. The financial side means collecting and checking the money, hunting down missing plays and correcting wrongly registered works.

A record label owns or licenses the recording. A publisher represents the composition, whoever records it, and earns a share of the income the work generates. STIM pays out what is registered, but it does not look for errors on your behalf. That is where a publisher comes in.

Do you write music? Submit your music and we will be in touch if it fits our catalogue.