How to Start a Music Publishing Company in the UK

What a music publishing company actually does

Before setting up a publishing company, it is worth being precise about what you are creating. A music publishing company holds or administers the copyright in musical compositions. Its primary role is to register works with collection societies (PRS for Music, MCPS), collect performance and mechanical royalties on behalf of the songwriters it represents, and optionally pitch the catalog for sync licensing. If you are a songwriter setting up your own company primarily to collect your own publisher's share, you are creating what is known as a self-publishing vehicle. If you intend to sign and represent other songwriters, you are creating a full publishing operation.

Step 1 - Set up a legal business structure

You need a registered business entity before you can apply for PRS publisher membership. Your options:

• Private Limited Company (Ltd): the most common structure for a UK music publishing company. Offers limited liability, a clear legal identity, and is required by most PRS publisher applications. Register via Companies House (companieshouse.gov.uk). Cost is £12 online. You will need a company name, a registered address, and at least one director.
• Sole trader: simpler and cheaper to set up but offers no limited liability and can look less professional when dealing with third parties. PRS accepts sole trader publishers but a Ltd company is generally preferable for anyone with a serious catalog.
• Partnership: relevant if two or more people are setting up the publishing company together. A formal partnership agreement is strongly recommended.

Step 2 - Register as a PRS publisher member

To collect the publisher's share of performance royalties through PRS, you must join PRS as a publisher member. This is a separate application from songwriter membership. Steps:

• Go to prsformusic.com and apply for publisher membership.
• You will need your company registration number (if Ltd), your company's contact details, and bank account information.
• PRS charges a one-time publisher membership fee. As of 2026 this is in the range of £400 to £500 - confirm the current fee on the PRS website before applying.
• Once approved, PRS assigns you a publisher IPI number. This is the identifier used to link published works to your company in the PRS database.
• You can then register works under your publishing company and PRS will route the publisher's share of royalties to your account.

Step 3 - Register your works

Once your PRS publisher membership is active, register all the works you intend to publish. For self-publishing (your own songs), register each work with your writer IPI as the writer and your publisher IPI as the publisher. Set the split as 100% writer's share to you (or divided between co-writers) and 100% publisher's share to your publishing company. For works by other songwriters you have signed, register with the agreed split percentages as set out in the publishing agreement.

Step 4 - Consider MCPS membership and mechanical royalties

PRS membership covers performance royalties. Mechanical royalties (generated from physical sales, downloads, and some streaming) are administered by MCPS (Mechanical Copyright Protection Society), which operates under the PRS for Music umbrella. In most cases, joining PRS as a publisher also gives you access to MCPS mechanical royalty collection without a separate application, but confirm this when completing your PRS publisher application.

Admin publishing vs full service - which are you building

There is a meaningful distinction between the two models:

• Admin publishing: you collect royalties for writers but do not take any ownership of their copyright. Writers assign administration rights only, for a defined term. You charge a commission on royalties collected. Lower risk, no advances, but also smaller income potential.
• Full publishing: you take a share of copyright ownership in exchange for services and potentially an advance. Higher income potential but you are also taking on financial and legal obligations to the writers you sign.
• Most new publishing companies start with admin-only arrangements to build a catalog and relationships before moving to full publishing deals.

Label services as an alternative

If your primary goal is to manage your own catalog rather than sign other songwriters, a label services arrangement through an existing provider may give you more of what you need with less setup overhead. Label services providers handle royalty collection, distribution, and rights administration without requiring you to build the infrastructure yourself. Compare the two options before committing to setting up a full publishing company.

If you are deciding between setting up your own publishing company or using a publishing administrator for your catalog, Code Group Music's catalog assessment can map the right approach for your specific situation. Start at codegroupmusic.co.uk/#catalog-assessment.

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