The relationship between music publisher and artist is much like the relationship between a novelist and a book publisher. The music publisher is responsible for royalty collection, song registration, licensing and creative aspects of artist's music.
Many music publishers relay these activities with performance rights societies such as American Society of Composers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) and Performing Right Society (PRS), as they provide a service of tracking, collecting and paying out 'performance royalties' to publishers and songwriters. Whenever an artist's songs are played on TV, film, online or even in live performances, they are paid royalties, along with their publishers.
One of the most crucial roles of a music publisher is protect songwriters' rights. Registering the songs for copyright protection is one of the most common ways. A publisher will often play the part of the 'enforcer' - protecting the artist's rights to ensure they are professionally established and granted. However, a bad music publisher may take advantage of an artist by taking more than their fair share of the deal, so if you're an artist, be careful what you sign.
The biggest question is this - if you're an artist, do you need a music publisher? A lot of that depends on what kind of artist you are. If you're a rookie artist then you may want to explore this option and see how it could work for your music. If you're already on a label the likelihood is they'll already have a music publisher in mind for you to work with. If you actively enjoy songwriting and composing but don't really have the time to seek out opportunities (or don't want to), then a music publisher may be an ideal option for you, as they'll seek various opportunities and uses for your music.
The music publishing world is a diverse and interesting area to explore for an artist. It could prove to be an incredibly lucrative step for an artist, especially if they sign a good publishing deal.
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