Music Publishers Association

It All Starts With The Song

At the heart of everything we do is the musical work, and its author. For this reason, the business of music publishing is above all a partnership between publisher and writer. A songwriter or composer will, when signing a publishing contract, assign the copyright in their music to the publisher. In return the publisher commits to promote, exploit and protect that music, and agrees to pay them a percentage of any income earned from such exploitation as royalties.

Unpublished writers looking for a deal can find contact details of MPA member publishers in our members directory. Not all publishers are looking to sign new writers, and some publishers will concentrate on a particular type of music, so please read our advice on who to send your music to before using the directory.

The MPA exists to serve the needs of its music publisher members, so we are unfortunately unable to provide advice to individual writers and composers. Other organisations you may wish to investigate include the Ivors Academy and the Musicians Union. If your works are being performed or broadcast in public, and you have not already done so, you should look at joining PRS for Music.

The MPA does offer a wide range of training events and seminars, many of which are open to non-members. If you are considering self-publishing then our Induction Course provides an invaluable overview of what that might involve.