Rights & Services
Distribution vs. Publishing
Distribution gets your recording onto platforms and collects recording royalties; publishing covers the song itself and collects performance and mechanical royalties. You need both to get paid in full.
Where this sits
Distribution vs. Publishing
- Distribution
- Broadcast
- Publishing
- Performance
Distribution and publishing are two different jobs for the two different copyrights in every song, and confusing them is how artists end up collecting only half of what they earn.
Good to know
Distribution vs. Publishing: common questions
- Do I need both distribution and publishing?
- Yes. Distribution collects the recording side; publishing administration collects the composition side (performance and mechanical). With only distribution, the publishing royalties your music earns go uncollected.
- Does my distributor collect publishing royalties?
- Usually only if you add a separate publishing-admin service. Distribution on its own covers the recording. Notes handles both sides together.
- What's the difference between a distributor and a publisher?
- A distributor delivers and monetizes your recording; a publisher (or publishing administrator) registers and collects royalties for the underlying song. They cover different copyrights.
- Isn't a publishing add-on enough?
- Not reliably. A bolted-on add-on usually registers your songs separately from where your release, credits, and splits live, so the same data gaps that strand royalties remain, which is a big reason so much money sits unclaimed. An integrated system carries the same data into registration and collection, so far less leaks.