Publishing vs Distribution: What’s the Difference?

Most musicians start out driven by artistic passion and a dream of connecting with an audience. However, they quickly find out that the key to success — besides talent — is learning to navigate the complex world of the music industry. For the artist, understanding publishing vs distribution is key to success in this business.

While the two may sound similar, they each cover distinct (but connected) areas of the music business. Knowing the difference can help you protect your rights, grow your audience, and ensure you’re paid what you’re rightfully owed for your work.

In this post, we’ll break down what each term means, how they’re different, and how you can decide which one (or both) can help you reach your goals in the music industry.

What is an Original Song?

Let’s start at the beginning. What’s a song, anyway? We all know it’s that thing we just listened to on Spotify or YouTube. Okay, but what is a song actually made of? In fact, songs are two completely distinct creative acts — writing and performance — combined into one seamless artistic experience.

While the same person may both write and perform, that isn’t always the case. Either way, the music industry recognizes each task as distinct with separate revenue streams.

Songwriting and Music Publishing

Music publishing is all about managing the songwriter’s rights to — and royalties for — original compositions. The songwriter is entitled to royalties any time a song is used, including for on-stage performance, online streaming, and TV licensing. The publishing process ensures the songwriter receives the royalties they are owed.

Songwriters can try publishing DIY-style, but most real pros depend on professional publishers to manage this task. Publishers do all the hard work of tracking how your songs are used and ensuring you receive everything you’re owed.

Publishers also help pitch your songs for sync placements, connect you with co-writing opportunities, and assist with licensing. For songwriters, having a good publisher is critical to success. They handle all this stuff so you can focus on writing.

For more on publishing, check out this blog post.

Performance and Music Distribution

Technically, a song composition is a piece of sheet music — and we can’t listen to a piece of paper. To reach an audience, a song must be performed and recorded by an artist. Music distribution is the process of getting a song recording to audiences and managing revenue generated through downloads, streams, and physical media.

Again, you could try the DIY approach, but professionals rely on expert distributors to manage this process for them. Distributors push your music out to streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. Again, this is distinct from songwriting royalties. In this case, the performer is paid for access to a master recording of a particular performance (but the songwriter will still receive royalties for the composition).

Distribution is crucial for performing artists who want to grow a fanbase and increase visibility across various music platforms throughout the world — and to get paid.

Publishing vs Distribution: What’s the Difference?

Now, let’s summarize the main differences between these two aspects of the music industry.

Rights Involved

Publishing focuses on the rights associated with a song’s composition (lyrics and melody). The songwriter always initially owns the rights to the song, not the performer.

Distribution focuses on the rights to a specific master sound recording. The performer only owns the right to their performance, not the underlying song.

Revenue Streams

With publishing, you earn royalties whenever your song is used, whether it’s on the radio, streamed, or featured in a TV show — no matter who sings or performs it.

With distribution, you earn money directly from sales of your recordings. You don’t receive royalties from songs you didn’t write, even if you made that song famous by performing it.

Industry Gatekeepers

Publishers work with performing rights organizations, sync licensing agencies, and film and media outlets — they are finding ways the song can be used.

Distributors work directly with streaming platforms, digital music stores, and sometimes physical retail outlets — they are trying to connect your recordings with an audience.

Which Do You Need?

Are you a songwriter or performer or both?

Publishing vs Distribution for Songwriters and Composers

If you primarily write music but don’t necessarily record or perform it yourself, you need a publisher. Your publisher tracks where and how your songs are used, finds new opportunities, and collects royalties owed to you.

Publishing vs Distribution for Performing Artists

If you’re a recording artist who performs and releases music, you need a distributor. This means finding a company that can get your recording on as many digital distribution platforms as possible — a key step for an independent artist to reach an audience.

Publishing vs Distribution for Musicians Who Write and Perform

Of course, if you are a double threat who writes and performs, you will need both a publisher and a distributor. If you can, partner with a company that handles both publishing and distribution to oversee your assets.

Final Word

Just remember, when it comes to publishing vs distribution, the key distinction is who gets paid. Songwriters are paid through publishing while recording artists are paid through distribution. Obviously, there is overlap, but this can help clear up most of the confusion. Whether you need publishing, distribution, or both, knowing how these fit into the big picture can help you figure out your path in the music industry.

If you’re an aspiring songwriter ready to publish, an artist seeking distribution, or a singer-songwriter looking for both, partner with an experienced publisher/distributor you can trust. Sugo Music Group has been helping artists publish and distribute music worldwide for over 40 years. By working with one of the industry’s top leaders, you can get your music the exposure it deserves and become the musician you’ve always wanted to be.