A sub publisher agreement assures proprietary rights of intellectual property. A sub publisher negotiates permission for copyrighted artistic materials (plays, music, etc.) produced in the United States to be used in countries outside the United States. Agreements made by sub publishers allow American artists to receive royalties for their intellectual properties, no matter where works are performed.

Each sub publisher agreement is negotiated independently and determines such factors as advances, royalties to be received, length of agreement, and other financial, use, and performance rights and matters.

A great deal of money is earned from international sources, when U.S.-produced music and theatrical materials are used in other countries. Sub publishers representing various territories in the world collect and distribute royalties on behalf of the owner of copyrighted music.

Sub publisher agreements can appear on the face to be quite simple, stating the song title, the author or composer of the song, the extent (length of time) of the agreement, the territory in which the agreement applies, the date of the agreement, the owner’s signature, and the sub publisher’s signature. The details of each sub publisher agreement, however, can be extremely complex, stating when and how royalties will be collected and distributed, album release agreements, recoupment, breach of contract statements, etc.

A sub publisher in a foreign territory must be trustworthy, thorough, and persistent on behalf of copyright owners. It is important that a sub publisher is focused, experienced, and has solid connections and relationships with others the industry.

Sub publishers represent various territories and are located in France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Holland, Sweden, Japan, South Africa, Spain, Israel, Hong Kong, Australia, Latin America, and North America.

This article provides an overview of sub publishers. If you would like to submit an article about sub publishers or any other music-related subject, please feel free to do so here at Media Positive Radio.