About Water Music Publishing

Water Music Publishing is a full-service music publisher and entertainment company, home to an eclectic roster of songwriters, artists, and producers. Water Music has a joint venture with Stella Songs, LTD/EMI Music Publishing and Grammy nominated producers Stargate (Beyonce’; “Irreplaceable”, Chris Brown; “With You”, Rihanna; “Rude Boy”) and many others. Founded in 2004, WMP spans titles over 30 years of popular music, becoming one of the most prominent independent music publishing companies in the world.
Awarded by ASCAP in 2008 for the most played record on the Radio for artist Elliot Yamin and Grammy nominated “I Call It Love” by Lionel Richie, Water Music’s goal is to be the number one independent publishing company throughout the world. Comprised of Smack Water Music (Record Label) & Rich Water Publishing, Water Music has worked with some of the world’s most well-known artists including Mario (How Do I Breathe), Kelly Rowland (Broken), Janet Jackson (2Nite), Trey Songz (Missing You), Leona Lewis (You Bring Me Down), Monica (Believing in Me), Alexis Jordan and many others. They have also worked with various hit producers including Carlos McKinney LOS, Soul Diggers, Jim Johnson, Elvis Williams, Cut Father, Phull Phat, Jack Splash, Rodney Jerkins, Dr. Luke, Tricky Stewart, David Guetta, Sandy V & Salaam Remi.
Water Music’s immense catalog of hit records contributes to the boutique style formula they have mastered bringing over years of experience in publishing, active in record placement, working with artists and studios throughout the country and acquiring the top writers in the industry. Known for their good judgment of music and keen skills in publishing, Water Music has partnered with other major publishing companies including EMI Publishing UK, Warner Chapel & Universal.
Water Music is reinventing a new wave of R&B, Hip Hop, Pop & House music transcending from the early 80’s to 2012. WMP’s pioneering contributions to the industry have been instrumental to various artists, helping them reach their full potential in various arenas. With a new era of reinvention, WMP will gain greater mass appeal, not only within the entertainment and music industries, but throughout the world.

Music Publishing

What is music publishing? Music publishing is the business of managing songs (melodies and lyrics) and their copyrights. When an individual songwriter creates a song, he or she is the 100% writer and 100% publisher. If the writer has a publisher other than himself working for him, then the publisher typically participates in the ownership, promotion and administrative activities relating to the song. A music publisher's functions are many, but the most important aspect is making sure that songwriters get paid for their art!		How is revenue split up for songwriting and publishing? All music publishing revenue is typically split 50%-50% between the writer and the publisher, typically referred to as " the writer share" and "the publisher share." For instance, if a music publisher collects $100 in royalties, $50 goes to the writer(s) and $50 goes to the publisher (who is often the writer as well). If a writer has assigned the publisher share on a given song to a publisher other than himself, the writer nonetheless always retains the writer share and the associated royalties.
What is sync licensing? Sync is an abbreviation for "synchronization," which refers to the process of embedding, or fixing, an audio element in time-relation to some form of visual production.		What steps need to be taken for a sync license to be approved? There are two components to authorizing a use for synchronization in an audiovisual project. (1) The master recording rights and (2) the publishing (also called synchronization right). The master recording is the physical recording that has been put to tape by a record label, or by an independent artist. The publishing right is the right to license the underlying copyright, itself.
What are the fees for licensing compositions and masters to film/TV? Up-front music licensing fees are entirely negotiable, have a very broad range, and often depend on many factors such as the nature of the use, the type of project, the territory, term, the media being requested and a project's production budget. The master owner and the publisher can each quote whatever dollar value they choose for the sync use, but often the master and sync fee are the same (i.e., $5,000 master fee; $5,000 sync fee = $10,000 all-in licensing fee for the use).		What other income can be earned from licensing music to film/TV and other media? In addition to the up-front license fees paid by licensees such as television producers and film studios, performance royalties are distributed to writers and publishers for broadcasts of the programming containing their songs (in television, Internet, and foreign territory movie theaters). These are royalties collected and paid out by performing rights organizations (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC). Performance royalties are based on songs (not recordings) and are paid directly to writers and publishers by the performing rights societies.

 

Music Licensing

We work in tandem with your management team to decide an artist's optimal direction, message, and image. We have a team of in-house producers, writers, and arrangers working toward the same goal: to make YOU successful. Some of the access and the services we offer through our network include matching up songwriters for co-writing ventures, producing, engineering, studio services, tour development and support, website developement and social media, and music video directing.

For more information, contact our Director of Creative Services:

Joe Adams (joeadams@watermusicpub.com)