Music Publishing Agreement

Estimated Reading Time: 10-12 minutes | Last Updated: August 2026 (Version 2.0)

Welcome to the Sugo Music Group Music Publishing Agreement.

We believe publishing agreements should be clear, transparent, and easy to understand. This Agreement outlines the terms under which Sugo Music Group provides worldwide music publishing administration services. Before reviewing the Agreement, we've provided a brief overview and answers to common questions to help you better understand its purpose.

This page is intended to provide a helpful overview of the Music Publishing Agreement and answers to common questions about music publishing administration. Please review the complete Agreement below, as it contains the full terms and conditions governing your relationship with Sugo Music Group.

Why Songwriters Choose This Music Publishing Agreement

✓ Agreement Type: Exclusive Music Publishing Administration
✓ Territory: Worldwide
✓ Ownership: You Retain 100% Ownership of Your Musical Works
✓ Writer's Share: 100%
✓ Publisher's Share: Publisher Receives 100%
✓ Worldwide Publishing Administration
✓ Worldwide Royalty Collection
✓ Registration with Collection Societies
✓ Synchronization Licensing Opportunities
✓ Detailed Quarterly Royalty Statements
✓ Quarterly Royalty Payments
✓ Initial Term: 2 Years
✓ Professional Customer Support
✓ Publishing Setup Fee: None

Why This Agreement Is Different

We believe legal agreements should be understandable—not intimidating.

That's why we've designed this Agreement to be concise, written in plain language, and accompanied by educational explanations and frequently asked questions. Our goal is to help songwriters, composers, publishers, and rights holders understand their rights, not simply ask them to sign a contract.

Music Publishing Agreement Highlights:

Simple and Transparent Agreement – This Music Publishing Agreement is written in clear, straightforward language to help songwriters understand their rights and the publishing administration services provided by Sugo Music Group.
You Retain Ownership – You retain ownership and copyright of your musical works. This Agreement authorizes Sugo Music Group to administer your compositions while you continue to own your copyrights.
100% Writer's Share – You continue to receive one hundred percent (100%) of the Writer's Share of your musical works, as provided in the Agreement.
Worldwide Publishing Administration – Sugo Music Group administers your musical works worldwide, including registration, licensing, royalty collection, synchronization licensing, and rights management.
Worldwide Royalty Collection – Sugo Music Group works to collect eligible publishing royalties generated by your musical works from performance rights organizations, mechanical licensing agencies, synchronization licenses, and other collection societies worldwide, as applicable under the Agreement.
Registration with Collection Societies – Your musical works may be registered with eligible performance rights organizations (PROs), mechanical licensing agencies, and other collection societies worldwide to help collect royalties generated by your compositions.
Synchronization Licensing Opportunities – Your musical works may be licensed for film, television, advertising, video games, and other commercial productions, creating additional licensing opportunities when available.
Detailed Quarterly Royalty Statements and Payments – You receive detailed quarterly royalty statements and royalty payments that provide transparency into the royalties collected on your behalf.
Transparent Accounting – You have the right to audit royalty statements, subject to the terms of the Agreement.
Two-Year Partnership – The Agreement has an initial two-year term, allowing sufficient time to register, administer, promote, license, and maximize the long-term value of your musical works.
Protection of Your Rights – To protect songwriters, publishers, collection societies, and licensing partners, unauthorized, infringing, or fraudulent musical works may be removed in accordance with the Agreement.

Songwriters often have questions before signing a publishing agreement—and they should. We've answered the most common questions below to help you better understand how the Agreement works and why we've structured it the way we have. If you don't find the answer you're looking for, we're always happy to help.

Music Publishing Agreement FAQs:

Agreement Basics:

Are there any publishing setup fees, annual fees, or hidden costs?

No. Sugo Music Group is committed to transparent pricing. Unlike some music publishers that charge upfront or recurring setup fees, Sugo Music Group does not charge publishing administration setup fees. Our straightforward revenue-sharing model means there are no upfront setup fees, annual subscription fees, or unexpected recurring service charges.

Why doesn't Sugo Music Group charge upfront publishing administration fees?

Unlike some publishers and publishing administrators that charge upfront setup or administration fees, Sugo's model aligns our success with yours. We invest in registering, administering, licensing, and supporting your musical works, and we earn revenue only when your music generates revenue.

What is the difference between music distribution and music publishing?

Music distribution delivers sound recordings to digital music services. Music publishing administers the underlying musical compositions by registering them with collection societies, licensing their use, collecting publishing royalties, and protecting your rights. If you own both the sound recording and the composition, you may benefit from both services.

What is the purpose of this Music Publishing Agreement?

This Agreement authorizes Sugo Music Group to register, administer, license, protect, and collect publishing royalties on your behalf worldwide, while you retain ownership of your musical works.

Do I keep ownership of my musical works?

Yes. You retain ownership and copyright of your musical works. This Agreement grants Sugo Music Group the exclusive right to administer your musical works during the term of the Agreement, but ownership remains with you. You also continue to receive 100% of your Writer's Share, as provided in the Agreement. For additional information about copyright ownership and registration, visit the U.S. Copyright Office.

What does "exclusive" mean?

"Exclusive" means that, during the term of the Agreement, Sugo Music Group is the exclusive publishing administrator of the musical works covered by the Agreement. It does not transfer ownership of your copyrights, and you continue to own your musical works.

Royalties & Administration:

What publishing royalties does Sugo Music Group collect?

Sugo Music Group works to collect publishing royalties generated by your musical works, including performance royalties, mechanical royalties, synchronization income, and other applicable royalty income.

Will my musical works be registered with collection societies?

Yes. Sugo Music Group registers your musical works with applicable performance rights organizations (PROs), mechanical licensing agencies, and other collection societies worldwide, as appropriate for the administration of your musical works. For additional information about mechanical royalties in the United States, visit the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC).

Do I need to belong to a PRO?

Yes. Writers should be affiliated with a performing rights organization (PRO), preferably in the country where they reside, to receive their writer's share of performance royalties.

What information is included in my royalty statements?

Sugo Music Group provides detailed royalty statements to help you understand the publishing royalties generated by your musical works.

Depending on the information provided by collection societies and licensing partners, your royalty statements may include:

Individual songs and musical works
Performance rights organizations (PROs)
Mechanical licensing agencies
Synchronization licenses
Countries and territories
Royalty types and revenue sources
Reporting periods
Royalty amounts and earnings

The level of detail may vary depending on the reporting provided by individual collection societies and licensing partners.

Does this Agreement affect my Writer's Share?

No. You continue to receive 100% of your Writer's Share as provided in the Agreement.

Who receives the Publisher's Share?

Under this Agreement, Sugo Music Group receives the Publisher's Share generated by the musical works it administers, while you continue to receive 100% of the Writer's Share. This reflects the publishing relationship established under the Agreement.

Agreement Term & Licensing:

Can I terminate the Music Publishing Agreement?

Yes. The Music Publishing Agreement has an initial term of two (2) years and automatically renews unless written notice is provided at least ninety (90) days before the renewal date, as described in the Agreement.

The two-year term reflects Sugo Music Group's long-term partnership approach. Rather than charging upfront publishing administration fees, we invest significant time and resources in registering, administering, licensing, and supporting your musical works. Our success is tied directly to yours—we earn revenue only when your music generates revenue. The two-year term gives both parties sufficient time to maximize royalty collection, licensing, and synchronization opportunities.

Can my music be licensed for film, television, or advertising?

Yes. The Agreement authorizes Sugo Music Group to license your musical works for synchronization in film, television, advertising, and other commercial productions when opportunities arise. Existing synchronization licenses continue according to the terms of those licenses.

Can I register previously released musical works?

Yes. Sugo Music Group accepts both new and previously released musical works, provided you own or control the necessary rights to those musical works and have the legal authority to enter into the Music Publishing Agreement.

What happens if I submit musical works that I don't own or control?

You must own or control the rights to all musical works submitted under this Agreement. Musical works that are unauthorized, infringing, or fraudulent may be removed, and royalties relating to those works may be withheld, as provided in the Agreement.

How do I get started?

Getting started is easy. Simply create a Sugo Music Group account, upload your musical works and songwriter information through your Account Dashboard, complete the required documentation, and our team will review your submission for publishing administration. If you have questions at any point, we're here to help.

Download the Music Publishing Agreement

Prefer an offline copy or want to print the Agreement? Download the complete PDF version below.

Download PDF

Complete Music Publishing Agreement:

Agreement Introduction

This Publishing and Administration Agreement (“Agreement”) is by and between Sugo Music Group, a division of Soundlink Entertainment LLC, and its publishing affiliates, located at 80 Cabrillo Highway N., Suite Q-429, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019, USA (“Publisher/Licensee”), and You (“Writer”), as entered in this Agreement.

Section 1. Intent of Agreement

Writer acknowledges and agrees that Publisher/Licensee is authorized to register and administer the Musical Works with applicable performance rights organizations, mechanical licensing agencies, and other collection societies worldwide (collectively, the “Collection Societies”), and to collect statutory and all other applicable royalties on Writer’s behalf.

Section 2. Ownership and Royalty Share

For each Musical Work that Publisher/Licensee secures placement and a license for, Writer will be entitled to one hundred percent (100%) Writer’s share of the Musical Works, and Publisher/Licensee will be entitled to one hundred percent (100%) publishing share of the Musical Works. See example below:

Writer’s Share: Writer receives 100%

Publisher’s Share: Publisher/Licensee receives 100%

Section 3. Term

The term of this Agreement shall be two (2) years (“Term”) and will automatically renew unless notice is given to Publisher/Licensee at least 90 days prior to the renewal date. If the Musical Works are licensed for synchronization in film, television, advertising, or other commercial productions during the Term of this Agreement, those synchronization licenses will remain in effect for the duration of the applicable license, but only with respect to the specific production or productions covered by that license.

Section 4. Grant of Administration Rights

Writer grants Publisher/Licensee the exclusive right to act as the administrator and agent of the Musical Works throughout the universe, including the exclusive authority to administer, register, protect, manage, license, synchronize, and monetize the Musical Works (collectively, the “Administration Rights”). Writer further authorizes Publisher/Licensee to use Writer’s name, professional name, trade names, trademarks, likeness, and the titles of the Musical Works in connection with the publication, licensing, reproduction, distribution, recordings, performances, promotion, publicity, advertising, and other exploitation of the Musical Works.

Section 5. Statement, Payments, and Accounting

Statement of Account (“Statement”) will be submitted by Publisher/Licensee to Writer on a quarterly-annual basis by January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1 of each calendar year. Payments shall be delivered to the address provided herein and will be sent to Writer within 15 days after Statement is delivered (“Payment”). If the Payment date falls on a weekend, the Payment will be sent on the following Monday or next business workday. Any Statement balance due under US$10.00 shall be rolled into the following quarter and paid only when the balance exceeds US$10.00. Payment is contingent on Publisher/Licensee’s receipt of Writer’s tax forms.

For Non-USA Writers, Publisher/Licensee will use its reasonable efforts to collect taxes owed on the royalties generated from the distribution and sale of Musical Works, and to remit tax payments on behalf of the Writer to relevant government authorities. Statement shall be subject to an audit by Writer, but not more than once in each twelve (12) month period, at Publisher/Licensee’s principal place of business during normal business hours on no less than thirty (30) days prior written notice. Any objections to Statement or Payment submitted to Writer shall be made within one (1) year of their submission, or all objections shall be barred.

Section 6. Writer's Warranty

Writer warrants that it: is free to enter into this Agreement; is not under any commitments or restrictions, contractual or otherwise, with third parties whose services, content, or licenses are embodied on the Musical Works, that prohibit or restrict Writer’s commitments and grant of rights to Publisher/Licensee under this Agreement; has not sold, assigned, leased, or licensed Musical Works, or encumbered the rights granted to Publisher/Licensee pursuant to this Agreement, and none of the services, nor the services of anyone else retained by Writer to perform on or provide work for the Musical Works, nor the use of Writer’s name and trademark, nor the use of the name and images of the musicians and producers whose services are embodied on the Musical Works, shall interfere or infringe with the rights of any other party, including without limitation, contract rights, copyrights, trademarks, service marks, logos, and rights of privacy and publicity, nor shall the Musical Works, their title, or contents constitute a libel or a slander of any person.

To protect the integrity of our platform and partners, Publisher/Licensee reserves the right to remove any Musical Works or suspend the Writer’s account if fraudulent, infringing, or unauthorized activity is identified. Royalties resulting from plagiarized, infringing, or unlicensed use of the Musical Works will not be paid. Any related costs, chargebacks, or liabilities incurred by Publisher/Licensee may be deducted from any amounts otherwise payable to the Writer.

Section 7. General

This Agreement constitutes the entire Agreement between Publisher/Licensee and Writer, and supersedes all prior agreements between both parties, whether oral or written, relating to the Musical Works, and may not be modified except in writing signed by both parties. This Agreement will be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, and delivered by facsimile or via E-Agreement, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which shall constitute one and the same instrument.

Exhibit A

The Musical Works will be delivered to Publisher/Licensee’s Account Dashboard or FTP site (Publisher/Licensee shall provide easy-to-use login access to Account Dashboard or FTP).

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Questions About the Music Publishing Agreement?

If you have questions before signing the Agreement, our team is happy to help explain any provision or discuss your music publishing needs.

Contact Sugo Music Group: [email protected]