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· 5 min
Publishing vs distribution: stop mixing them up
Distribution gets your masters to Spotify. Publishing protects and monetizes the composition. Here is why you usually need both.
Different rights, different jobs
Distributors deliver sound recordings to stores and streaming services.
Publishers and publishing admins focus on the composition: registrations, writer shares, and composition royalty flows.
Independent careers need both lanes
Many artists release independently through a distributor while still needing publishing administration to chase composition income worldwide.
Treating them as the same service leaves money and metadata gaps on the table.