What Is a Publishing House in Velveteen
Updated June 11, 2026
A publishing house in Velveteen is the entity that owns the composition rights to a song: the copyright in the melody and lyrics. This is separate from the master recording, which is owned by the label. Every song has two separate sets of rights, and each generates its own royalty stream.
Two rights, one song
Every recorded song involves two separate sets of intellectual property rights. Understanding the distinction is the foundation of the whole publishing system.
Master recording
The specific audio file. Owned by the label. The label distributes it via Velveteen and receives master royalties (streaming, download, sync). The label can be you.
Composition
The underlying song: the melody and lyrics, independent of any specific recording. Owned by the publishing house. The publishing house collects composition royalties via a PRO.
When a listener streams your track on Spotify, two separate royalty streams are generated. One goes to the label for the master, which is Velveteen's territory. The other goes to the publishing house for the composition, collected by your PRO. Velveteen delivers the metadata that makes the second stream traceable.
Publisher vs. publishing house
In Velveteen, a publishing house is the entity record in your catalog: the company or DBA that holds composition rights. A publisher credit on a track pairs a specific songwriter (a person record) with a publishing house. "Publisher" is the credit; "publishing house" is the entity.
If you're an independent songwriter-artist
Most independent artists who write their own material are both the label (master rights) and the publisher (composition rights). In Velveteen you create four records: a label for master rights, an artist for your performing identity, a publishing house for composition rights, and a person record for yourself with your IPI number. Once those records exist, you reuse them on every track you create.
To link your publishing house and person record to a specific track, open the track, go to the Contributors tab, and scroll to the Publishers section. The step-by-step walkthrough lives in Adding publishers to tracks.
Tip
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a publishing house if I don't write my own songs?+
If you distribute covers or songs written by others, those songs already have publishers. You do not create a publishing house for them. Instead, ensure the correct songwriter and publishing house credits are entered on the track so the existing rights holders receive their royalties.
Can my publishing house name be the same as my artist name?+
Yes. Many independent artists name their publishing house after themselves or their artist name: 'Jane Doe Music' or 'Jane Doe Publishing'. The name just needs to match what you have registered with your PRO.
What is the difference between a publishing house and a label?+
The label owns the master recording (the specific audio file). The publishing house owns the composition: the underlying song, melody, and lyrics. A single release generates two royalty streams, one for the master (paid to the label) and one for the composition (paid to the publishing house via a PRO).
Do I need to register my publishing house with a PRO?+
To collect performance and mechanical royalties on the composition, yes. You need to register both yourself (as songwriter) and your publishing house with a PRO. Velveteen delivers the metadata to DSPs. The PRO collects the money. Without PRO registration, composition royalties may go uncollected.
Related articles
Overview
Everything about publishing houses: composition rights, the songwriter-publisher relationship, royalties, and how to add publishers to tracks.
Publisher & songwriter
How one track_publishers row pairs a composer with their publishing house, and what to do for co-writes.
Publishing & royalties
Mechanical vs. performance royalties, PRO registration, and what leaving publisher fields blank means for your payouts.