The Plain and Simple Guide to Music Publishing

by Randall D. Wixen

(Book). Since the publication of the first edition in 2005, "The Plain and Simple Guide to Music Publishing" has emerged as the premier guide to the subject. With sufficient depth to be used as a text at major college music industry programs including UCLA, NYU and Northeastern, the book also remains simple and clear enough for the lay songwriter to gain a crucial understanding of musical copyrights and licensing basics. To wit, the second edition garnered 33 customer reviews on Amazon.com, with a rating of 4.8 out of 5 possible stars. In this expanded and updated third edition, with a foreword by Tom Petty, the author adds greater depth to such increasingly important topics as the rapidly shifting industry paradigms, the growing importance of streaming and subscription models, a discussion of new compulsory license media, the impact of copyright terminations and reversions, updated advice on current license prices, as well as all the basics of copyright and rights management.

Genres: Music, Business

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2005

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as a refresher course before starting my new job as, well, a music publisher.
It's very helpful, but lacks some of the practical examples and more thorough explanations of "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Music Business" or whatever it's called by Don Passman. But there's plenty of useful information in here, and I think he covers all of the major bases.
And it's a damned quick read, even though I took my time finishing it (really probably read it over 3 days or so).
It's worth noting that this is really written from an independent artist's perspective, so if that something you need in our life, don't skip this one.

[Amelia Barnard · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an aspiring singer-songwriter, this is a great book if you want to find out more about the publishing world. I would now feel more comfortable and clued up if I was to ever be lucky enough to find myself in a publishing deal situation. I now don't feel as naïve about this world as I did before. My only criticism is that there were no clear distinctions between what a singer/songwriter needs to know, and what someone who is interested in setting up a publishing company needs to know. I felt like sometimes I was reading stuff I didn't really need to know. It would be good if there was a page at the back of the book that would highlight which bits you would need to read, depending on what role you were in....if that makes sense! Nevertheless, still a very helpful book.

[Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a really solid book. That's all.

[Thani Abuhamad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A monumental read for me as a starting independent musician. This can be a tough read, especially for the many creative types who may not be as accustomed to absorbing lots of technical material. But, take your time and stick it out! This information will save your music from being abused by the many ignorant and malicious parties in the music industry. Even if you don't opt to go the more traditional route and choose to “DIY” it, this book has a lot to offer you.

I also really appreciate the bits of comedy mixed into the technical-heavy sections to make the medicine go down.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Songwriters must both internalize and publicly exude the conviction that what they posses is valuable.”

This was the first book that clearly explained the different types of music royalties and gave good examples. It also outlines the the different types of publishing agreements and their advantages and disadvantages. It explains music copyright and has an excellent glossary of terms found on a typical music contract.

[Michael Gaertner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of publishing side of the record business. Must read for artists of all levels, as well as people within the industry to understand how publishing works. Covers important details such as mechanical royalties, performance income, performing rights society’s, synchronization, etc..

[mel]

research for work...

[Mopri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book on music publishing I have read, it is excellent.

[Fred S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book seems to be very helpful, but it doesn't explain how to set up your own publishing company, which was my burning question.