If you're a songwriter, there's a good chance you're missing out on royalties without realizing it. It's estimated that over $1 billion in publishing royalties, aka royalties for your songwriting, go uncollected every year.
Here's the thing: every time your music is streamed, sold, or used somewhere, two types of royalties are generated.
There are recording royalties for your actual audio recording (also known as your master recording). Then there are publishing royalties for your composition (the words and melody you wrote).
DistroKid already collects your recording royalties automatically. But publishing royalties are a lot more complicated: a bunch of orgs collect them all over the world, and you can’t easily access them as an independent artist.
Enter DistroKid Publishing: start collecting your publishing royalties right through your DistroKid account.
What we do (and don’t)
When you sign up for DistroKid Publishing, we become your publishing administrator. That means we register your songs, track where they're used worldwide, and collect your earnings. Payouts land right in your DistroKid Bank, the same place your other earnings show up.
This is an admin service, not a traditional publishing deal, so you’re not signing over any rights. We do the legwork, you keep full ownership of your music.
How DistroKid Publishing works
- Sign up for DistroKid and upload your first release, if you haven't already.
- Head to the "Publishing" page on the top navigation bar to get notified when you become eligible.
- Once you're eligible, sign up for Publishing and opt in your releases. Original songs you wrote or co-wrote qualify, even if you only own a share. (Covers, mash-ups, remixes, and fully AI-generated tracks don't.)
- From there, we handle the rest. We track and collect your publishing royalties worldwide. You don’t need a PRO (Performing Rights Organization) to sign up, though being affiliated with one can unlock even more royalties. Learn more about PROs.
What’s next
We're rolling out eligibility for DistroKid Publishing gradually. To stay tuned, just sign in to DistroKid, head to the "Publishing" page from the top nav, and opt in to notifications.
We'll let you know as soon as it's available for you. Enjoy!
