The following information is regarding TuneCore's Publishing Administration service
A composition has two sets of rights: the writer’s share and the publisher’s share. The writer’s share is the right attributed to the songwriter/composer and the publisher’s share refers to the share of revenue for which admin rights can be attributed to a music publishing administrator such as TuneCore Publishing.
As a songwriter, you own both the writer and the publisher shares but can transfer rights in the publisher share through a publishing deal. Under a publishing deal, the publisher of the composition is authorised to issue licences and collect royalties for the works subject to the deal. In a Publishing Administration agreement, no ownership is transferred, simply the right to administer the songs.
By attributing the publisher’s share to a publishing administrator, you are maximizing the potential royalties for the writer’s share by ensuring a more complete and efficient royalty collection process globally. This is done via the direct registration of songs with your local PRO and thousands of other income sources worldwide.
For example, take the song “Bad Guy” performed by Billie Eilish. This song is co-written by Billie and her brother Finneas O’Connell. Finneas has entered into an administration agreement with Kobalt. Because of this, Kobalt is responsible for registering his works, not only with his local PRO ASCAP, but many more income sources around the world. Kobalt are responsible for collecting the publisher’s share from ASCAP and thousands of other income sources globally while the writer’s share continues to be paid direct to Finneas by ASCAP.
By handing over the administration of his songs, Finneas can focus on writing music instead of worrying about registering his songs and collecting the money they generate.