With step-by-step guidance, learn how to launch and manage your own music publishing company. This undergraduate music business course covers copyright administration, performance rights, accounting, marketing, and promotion—giving DIY songwriters and music professionals the tools to build and run a successful independent publishing business.
Key Learning Outcomes
- Launch and operate an independent music publishing company by executing the five core functions of music publishing
- Identify, activate, and manage all primary music publishing income streams across domestic and international markets
- Administer a publishing catalog by handling copyrights, registrations, splits, and royalty workflows accurately and efficiently
- Create and pursue creative and commercial opportunities that exploit songs through pitching, licensing, and writer development
Course Description
Music Publishing 101 provides a step-by-step guide to setting up your own music publishing company—from copyright administration and performance rights organizations to preparing a functioning accounting system for a songwriting catalog, whether it’s your own or a client’s. With a curriculum authored by Eric Beall—the former Vice President, Creative at Sony/ATV Music and current A&R executive for Shapiro Bernstein—you’ll learn how to market and promote the compositions in a catalog by developing effective pitch and promotion strategies, and discover how to turn that stack of demos and lyrics in the closet into a real, independent music publishing business. This class is designed for DIY songwriters looking to be their own publisher, and music professionals looking to get into the business of music publishing or work as executives at music publishing companies, performing rights organizations, or digital platforms for music rights management.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Develop a publishing business plan that defines structure, goals, and growth strategy
- Build and manage a professional publishing team, including legal, administrative, and creative partners
- Design and implement systems for accounting, catalog management, and digital archiving
- Negotiate and manage publishing agreements, licenses, and deal structures with writers and partners
- Protect and defend intellectual property through copyright registration, monitoring, and enforcement strategies
Syllabus
Lesson 1: The Fundamentals: “What Is Music Publishing, Anyway?”
- What Is Music Publishing?
- The Five Functions of a Music Publisher
- A Quick History of Music Publishing
- The Writer/Publisher Relationship
- Assignment 1: Market Leaders and Understanding the Writer/Publisher Relationships
Lesson 2: The Financial Structure of Music Publishing: “Show Me the Money”
- Where the Income Stream Begins, Leads, and Ends
- The Big Payback
- Assignment 2: Distribute the Money
Lesson 3: Understanding the Catalog: “It All Starts with the Song”
- Do You Own the Songs?
- Solving the Splits
- Interpolations
- Translations and Adaptations
- Can You Find the Songs?
- Are These Songs Any Good?
- Assignment 3: Song Split Case Study
Lesson 4: The Basics of Business: “Start Me Up”
- Choosing a Business Structure: What Am I?
- Choosing the Office: Where Am I? and Gearing Up: What Do I Need?
- Designing a Website: What Do I Do?
- Information Is Power: What Do I Know?
- Making a Plan: Where Am I Going?
- Assignment 4: Book Quiz
Lesson 5: Setting Up Systems
- Managing the Music
- Digital Archiving
- Distributing the Music
- Managing the Administration
- The File Folder
- Accounting Systems
- Conclusion: The First Line of Defense
- Assignment 5: Financial Management Case Study
Lesson 6: Building a Team: “You Got to Have Friends”
- “Get Me My Lawyer!!”
- Payment Structures
- Finding a Lawyer
- A Writer's Best Friend
- PROs Continued
- A Global Perspective
- Interns
- Developing Your Contacts: Music Conventions
- Award Shows
- Songwriter and Music Business Organizations
- Assignment 6: Let's Count Our Friends
- Michael Eames on the AIMP
Lesson 7: The Art of Exploitation: Getting the Music Right
- The Constructive Critic
- The Song Quality Checklist
- Constructive Criticism
- “Hits Only, Please”
- Demo Dos and Don'ts
- What Works and What Doesn't
- Redemoing
- “It Takes Two to Make a Thing Go Right”
- The Wise Weasel's Credo
- Assignment 7: Post One Song from Your Catalog
Lesson 8: The Art of Exploitation: Getting the Music Out
- Looking at the Landscape
- Landscape Examples: Rihanna or Drake to Fifth Harmony
- Landscape Examples: Charlie Wilson and Beyonce to ESPN
- Other Opportunities for Music Exploitation
- Who's Looking?
- Who Are These People and How Do I Get to Them?
- Contacting People in the Industry
- Here Comes the Pitch . . .
- Assignment 8: Pitching Your Music
- Helping Hands
- Conclusion: The Soft Sell
Lesson 9: The Art of Exploitation: Moving the Writer Up
- Getting the Writers In: The Art of Acquisition
- A Quick Reminder: What You're Acquiring and Deal Structures
- Deal Duration and Money
- Contracts
- Four Rules of Star-Making
- Friends in High Places
- A Moment of Inspiration
- Assignment 9: Acquiring Songwriters for Your Catalog
Lesson 10: Getting the Money In: “You Get What You Give”
- Confronting Contemporary Pressures
- Knowing What You Have and Duration
- Territory and Alterations/Adaptations
- Special Uses and First Use
- “License Please”
- Mechanical License
- Synchronization License
- Special Uses
- The Bones of Contention: Mechanical Licenses, Sync Licenses, 360 Deals, and Streaming
- Assignment 10: Find the Most Profitable Writer
- You Get What You Bargain For
- Use the Tools Available
Lesson 11: Getting the Money In: “Help Is on the Way”
- Collection Options No. 1, 2, 3, and 4
- A Quick Diversion on Dealing with Digital
- “I Hear Music in the Air”
- “All Around the World”
- One Size (Large) Fits All
- Go with the Locals
- Buffet or à la Carte?
- Assignment 11: Collecting Your Income
Lesson 12: Protect and Defend: Protecting Your Copyrights
- Understanding the Threat: “Where Evil Lurks…”
- Protecting the Jewels: “Lines of Defense”
- The Circle of Friends
- The Three Secret Weapons of Negotiating: Knowledge, Patience, and Flexibility
- The Outer Limits
- Stop, Look, and Listen
- The Death of Mechanical Income and the Frustration of Freemium
- The Record Labels' Revenge and the Endless Game of “Whack a Mole”
- Get on Board and Get Your Share
- Assignment 12: Negotiation and Identifying Threats
- Registering Your Copyrights: The Claim to Fame
- The Berne Convention
- Register Songs in the Copyright Office
Requirements
Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements
Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
This course does not have any prerequisites.
Textbook(s)
- Making Music Make Money by Eric Beall (Berklee Press, 2022)
- Recommended: The Plain & Simple Guide to Music Publishing by Randall Wixen (Hal Leonard, 2014)
- Recommended: What They'll Never Tell You About The Music Business by Peter Thall (Watson-Guptill, 2016)
- Recommended: The Billboard Guide to Writing and Producing Songs That Sell: How to Create Hits in Today's Music Industry by Eric Beall (Billboard Books, 2009)
Student Deals
After enrolling, be sure to check out our Student Deals page for various offers on software, hardware, and more. Please contact support@online.berklee.edu with any questions.
General Course Requirements
Below are the minimum requirements to access the course environment and participate in Live Classes. Please make sure to also check the Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements section above, and ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements for all software needed for your course.
Mac Users
- macOS Monterey 12.0 or later
PC Users
All Users
- Latest version of Google Chrome
- Zoom meeting software
- Webcam
- Speakers or headphones
- External or internal microphone
- Broadband Internet connection
Instructors
Author
Eric Beall is the author of Making Music Make Money (An Insider's Guide To Becoming Your Own Music Publisher) and a respected music industry veteran, having held senior Creative posts at Zomba Music, Jive Records, and Sony/ATV Music. Currently, he handles A&R for Shapiro Bernstein, one of the industry's most venerable and respected independent music publishers. In his role as a music publishing executive, Eric has signed and developed top writers like Stargate, Steve Robson, Billy Mann, Steve Diamond, Richard Julian and many others. At the same time, in his role at Jive Records and Zomba Music, he has coordinated and directed Zomba writers in the development of material for Jive Records superstars like Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, and Britney Spears.
Prior to joining the executive ranks, Eric wrote and produced the pop hits "Nothin' My Love Can't Fix" for Joey Lawrence (Top Ten Billboard Hot 100) and "Carry On" for Martha Wash (#1 Billboard Dance Chart), as well as songs for Diana Ross, The Jacksons, Safire, Samantha Fox, Brenda K. Starr, and many others. He also co-founded Class-X Recordings, an independent dance label in New York. Read Less
Instructor
Jon Bonci began his career in the music business by working at a 24-track recording studio in New York City. This led him to a job at Chrysalis Records where A&R legend, Bruce Dickinson recommended him for a position at Chappell Music Publishing. As Chappell Music transitioned into the leading music publisher of the day, Warner/Chappell Music, Jon rose from position of Archivist in sheet music and tape library to that of Creative Manager.
As Creative Manager at Warner/Chappell, Jon scouted bands and writers in the evenings and worked with songwriters and record labels, to secure cover recordings by day. He’s had songs cut with Milli Vanilli’s multi-platinum debut album, Hot Tuna, several boy bands and secured the first Country cut for Michael Bolton and Jonathan Cain of Journey by legendary Country artist, Conway Twitty.
While BMG Music Publishing, Jon headed the New York office and continued to sign bands and songwriters to the company. Most notably, Jon signed Russ Freeman and The Rippingtons to a publishing deal.
While working for Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., Jon held a position in the Synchronization Licensing department, where he delt with all forms of licensing of their catalog. It was here that he worked alongside Eric Beall, author of the Berklee Online class, Music Publishing 101. Eric introduced Jon to Berklee in 2008 and Jon has been onboard ever since, teaching Music Publishing, Artist Management, Music Licensing, and Music Business 101.
Following his tenure at Shapiro, Bernstein, Jon became the Music Associate Director for ESPN’s Monday Night Football, where he traveled with the game for five seasons. In 2012 and 2013 Jon was nominated for an EMMY for “Outstanding Sports Series.”
Between jobs in the music industry, Jon worked on his Masters in Education, working in several school districts, learning the art of teaching. This has proven helpful during his time at Berklee College of Music.
These days, Jon is a consultant for U.K. music publisher, Blank Canvas Music Publishing. In his role, Jon is working on the company’s annual New Christmas Classics album where the company will both publish and release new original holiday music each year.
Jon belongs to many professional organizations including The National Music Publisher’s Association and The Association of Independent Music Publishers where he is an active member in the New York City chapter. Read Less
Instructor
Entertainment attorney Thomas Valentino is the founder of The Counsel, PLLC, providing legal counsel and strategic advice for songwriters, recording artists, digital properties, media organizations and entertainment executives with an expertise and focus on the sale of music publishing catalogues. He has negotiated global publishing and recording contracts with Sony/ATV, Universal Music Publishing, BMG, Hipgnosis, Warner/Chappell, Reservoir Media among others.
Tommy is a regular contributor to the SiriusXM morning show FEEDBACK, offering unique breakdowns of complex and controversial legal cases affecting the music industry. He is a shareholder in the Zach Sang Show, nationally syndicated by Westwood One/Cumulus Media. Valentino is the founder and principal of Zen Bulldog Entertainment, a music publishing and production joint venture with BMG specializing in music for film and television projects.
A respected authority on performing rights issues and passionate advocate for the art of songwriting, Valentino successfully lobbied for copyright legislation improving royalty payments to publishers and songwriters. He is credited as legal advisor for artists such as Kid Rock, Zach Sang, Jose Feliciano and legendary Leon Russell with Elton John.
A graduate of New York University, Valentino attended Hofstra University School of Law and clerked under the Court of Appeals for admission to the New York State Bar. Read Less
What's Next?
When taken for credit, Music Publishing 101 can be applied towards the completion of these related programs:
Related Certificate Programs
Related Degree Majors
Related Music Career Roles
Employers look for skills learned in this course, when hiring for the following music career roles:
Questions?
Contact our Academic Advisors by phone at 1-866-BERKLEE (U.S.), 1-617-747-2146 (INT'L), or by email at advisors@online.berklee.edu.
