{"id":14736,"date":"2020-07-20T09:17:42","date_gmt":"2020-07-20T14:17:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/?p=14736"},"modified":"2026-01-19T17:09:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T22:09:39","slug":"how-music-publishers-pick-hit-songs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-music-publishers-pick-hit-songs\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does a Music Publisher Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How a Music Publisher Helps Songwriters Maximize the Commercial Potential of Their Songs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The following information on what a music publisher does is excerpted from the Berklee Online course Music Publishing 101<\/a><\/em>, written by Eric Beall<\/a>, and currently enrolling.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a songwriter, congratulations! You\u2019re also a music publisher. You become one the moment you write your first song. Music publishing is one of the most promising areas for growth in today\u2019s music business because it reaches across so many different products, services, and media. Anywhere
music is being used in the world, there is a music publisher involved and profiting from that use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, whatever sector of the music business you happen to be in, whether you\u2019re a songwriter, a performer, a booking agent, a record label owner, a DJ, a radio programmer, or a recording engineer, it\u2019s possible to add a music publishing component to your business. In order to do that, you must become familiar with the process of hearing music critically and objectively to predict its commercial success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be a Great Critic (To Yourself and Others)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No artist likes a critic. This means that trying to provide songwriters with an honest appraisal of their work is rarely a simple task. It\u2019s even less simple if you inhabit both roles at the same time\u2014creator of the song, as well as the critical voice of reality. Not an easy gig. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem with most critics is that it is too easy to be a \u201cjudge\u201d\u2014criticism can too quickly become a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, make-it-or-break-it proposition. But if your goal is to develop your songwriter or the song in question, that sort of black\/white, yes\/no judgment will not be helpful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question for a critical music publisher should not be, \u201cDo I like the song?\u201d The question should be, \u201cWhat are the song\u2019s strengths and weaknesses, and how can it be improved?\u201d That means taking an approach that\u2019s constructive; your critique should be specific and done from a commercial point of view. The first step in the critique process is to break the song into individual components. This is tricky because many songs succeed largely on the strength of one element: a great track that covers up a lack of melody or a great melody that lifts a mediocre lyric. But it\u2019s important to assess the song\u2019s strengths and weaknesses in a very specific way: melody, lyric, structure, or groove. Figure out what\u2019s good in the song, what\u2019s just okay, and what needs to be fixed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

STUDY MUSIC BUSINESS AT BERKLEE ONLINE<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Songwriting is an Art, Publishing is a Business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a publisher, your role is to maximize the commercial potential of the song. When you consider the tempo of the song, keep in mind that there\u2019s much greater demand for midtempo or uptempo songs than there is for slow ballads. When you look at the lyric, consider whether it\u2019s specific to one gender and could be made more saleable with an alternate male or female version. The songwriter creates, but the publisher sells. It\u2019s up to you, the publisher, to fit the song into some commercial format, in a specific genre, for a particular audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it might not seem like a terribly creative approach, the truth is that there are specific qualities common to most hit songs, and those characteristics can be the measure by which you critique a stack of new demos. A&R execs that you pitch the song to will be looking for elements like a provocative or surprising title, a strong structure with a natural build and release, or a demo production that suits a target audience. Here are some questions to consider when hearing a song for the first time:<\/p>\n\n\n\n