Publisher and Songwriter Credits in Velveteen
Updated June 11, 2026
A publisher credit on a track pairs one songwriter (a person record) with their publishing house. A track with two co-writers has two credits, one per songwriter. Both the person and the publishing house are optional fields, with free-text fallbacks for cases where records do not exist yet.
What a publisher credit contains
Two records live in different places in your catalog. This table shows where each field sits:
| Field | Songwriter (person record) | Publishing house record |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Full legal name | Company or DBA name |
| IPI | Yes, on the person record | No IPI field |
| Role on credit | Composer or lyricist | Administers composition rights |
One credit equals one songwriter. Add one credit per co-writer. Credits do not include a percentage split. If your DSP or PRO requires split percentages, manage those in your PRO portal directly.
Co-writes
For a track written by two people, say you and a co-writer, the track has two publisher credits:
Credit 1
Your person record (with your IPI) linked to your publishing house.
Credit 2
Your co-writer's person record (with their IPI) linked to their publishing house.
Tip
Frequently asked questions
Does the IPI go on the person record or the publishing house?+
IPI goes on the person record (the composer or lyricist). The publishing house record in Velveteen stores only a name. It has no IPI field. This matches the actual structure: IPI identifies individuals, not entities.
What if two co-writers use the same publishing house?+
Each co-writer still gets their own publisher credit, both pointing to the same publishing house record. The structure is always one songwriter per credit, regardless of how the publishing house is shared.
Can I have a publishing house without a songwriter on the credit?+
Technically yes. The songwriter field is optional. But a publishing house without a linked songwriter provides no IPI for royalty matching. For royalty collection to work, always link a person record with a valid IPI.
Does the publisher credit row need a split percentage?+
No. Publisher credits in Velveteen record the songwriter and publishing house pairing only. They do not include percentage splits. If your DSP or PRO requires split percentages, manage those directly in your PRO portal.
Related articles
What is a publishing house?
The entity that owns composition rights: what it is, how it differs from a label, and when you need one.
Songwriting credits
How the track_publishers join connects a composer to their publishing house, and why it matters for royalty collection.
Adding publishers to tracks
The step-by-step workflow for adding publisher credits to a track, and the free-text fallback when a person record doesn't exist yet.