"Royalties: The Money You Didn’t Know Your Music Could Earn"

If you’ve written, composed, or recorded music congratulations! You’ve created more than just art, you’ve created intellectual property. And that means you’re entitled to royalties payments for the use of your work. But here’s the catch: many artists in India are missing out on half their income simply because they don’t understand the different revenue streams. Let’s change that.

What Are Royalties, Really?

Royalties are payments made to rights holders the people or companies who own the copyright in a song whenever that song is used commercially.

A song actually has two separate copyrights:

1. The Composition → the lyrics and melody.
2. The Sound Recording (Master) → the actual performance/production.

Both of these generate income but through different channels.

Types of Royalties You Should Know

Here are the most common music royalties worldwide and in India:

  • Mechanical Royalties → earned when your composition is reproduced (downloads, CDs, vinyl, streaming).
  • Performance Royalties → earned when your music is publicly performed (radio, live concerts).
  • Sync Royalties → earned when your audio song is synced to visual media (films, ads, TV shows).

Distribution Revenue vs. Publishing Revenue

This is where things get confusing for many artists so let’s break it down clearly.

Aspect

Distribution Revenue

Publishing Revenue

Relates to

The recording (master rights)

The composition (lyrics + melody copyright)

Who gets paid

Record labels, producers, performing artists

Split 50/50: 50% Writer’s Share (songwriters, composers, lyricists) + 50% Publisher’s Share (copyright owner often the record label or a publisher)

How it’s collected

Through music distributors (e.g., DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby) and DSPs (Spotify, Apple Music, JioSaavn)

Through publishing administrators & PROs (e.g., ASCAP, BMI, PRS, IPRS in India)

Example

Money from Spotify for the master goes to the label/artist via the distributor

Money from Spotify for the composition is split between the songwriter and the copyright owner/publisher

An Indian Example

Let’s say you write and perform a track, then release it via a distributor:

  • Distribution Revenue: Paid to you/your label for the recording.
  • Publishing Revenue: Collected by IPRS (India) or a foreign PRO split into Writer's Share (50%) for you as the songwriter and Publisher's Share (50%) for the copyright owner (which could be you or your label).

If you own the publishing rights, you collect both halves. If not, the publisher/label gets their share.

Why This Matters for Indian Artists

Too many Indian creators only focus on streaming payouts from distributors missing out on publishing royalties entirely. Globally, publishing can often surpass distribution income, especially if your song gets synced to a movie, ad, or popular OTT series.

Three Common Mistakes We See in India

  1. Not working with a sub-publisher who handles registrations with PROs: Many artists think simply joining IPRS or a PRO is enough. The reality is, without a publishing partner or sub-publisher to register and track your works worldwide, large portions of your royalties can remain unclaimed.
  2. Signing away publishing rights without understanding their value: Publishing royalties are often as valuable as distribution income, sometimes more. Giving them up in contracts without clarity means losing long-term earnings.
  3. Assuming distribution money is the only income stream: Streaming payouts through your distributor are only one piece of the puzzle. Publishing royalties, sync placements, and neighbouring rights can make up a significant portion of your total revenue.

At Giant Robot Entertainment, we specialise in helping artists, labels, and producers collect the publishing royalties they’re owed in India and worldwide. Whether you’re an indie artist or part of a major label release, we make sure your creative work pays you fully.