What is the Writer’s Share and Publisher’s Share?

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The writer's share of performance royalties refers to the portion of royalties that is paid to the songwriter(s) of a musical work. When a song is played publicly, such as on the radio, TV, or in a live performance, the PROs collect royalties on behalf of the songwriters and music publishers. These royalties are then split into two parts: the writer's share and the publisher's share.

The writer's share is typically 50% of the total performance royalties, and it goes directly to the songwriter(s) who created the music. The remaining 50% is the publisher's share, which goes to the music publisher(s) who own the rights to the song. 

The publisher's share of performance royalties is an important source of income for music publishers, as it represents their ownership stake in the rights to a song and their role in managing and promoting the song to generate revenue.

It's worth noting that the writer's share is separate from other royalties, such as mechanical royalties (paid for the reproduction of a song) or synchronization royalties (paid for the use of a song in a film, TV show, or commercial).

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