Music Publishing Agreement Template by wansom.ai

This music publishing agreement template is designed for songwriters, composers, music publishers, independent artists, music catalogs, and entertainment companies who need to establish the terms for publishing, promoting, and monetizing musical compositions and lyrics. This template is adaptable for various jurisdictions and can be customized to comply with copyright laws, performing rights organization requirements, and music industry standards globally.

This comprehensive agreement establishes the legal relationship between songwriters and music publishers, defining the rights granted for exploiting musical compositions commercially. It covers essential provisions including transfer or assignment of publishing rights (full, co-publishing, or administration), territory and duration of the publishing agreement, royalty splits and payment percentages for mechanical royalties, performance royalties, synchronization fees, and print rights, recoupment of advances against future earnings, and accounting and reporting obligations. The template also addresses songwriter warranties regarding ownership and originality, publisher obligations for promoting and licensing compositions, reversion clauses returning rights after term expiration, creative control and approval rights for commercial uses, registration with performing rights organizations (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC), audit rights and royalty statement frequency, and termination conditions.

Ideal for emerging songwriters, established composers, music production companies, independent publishers, catalog acquisitions, and co-publishing arrangements across genres including pop, country, hip-hop, rock, and film scores, this template protects songwriters by ensuring fair compensation and proper exploitation of their works while providing publishers with clear rights to license, promote, and monetize musical compositions worldwide.