Music marketplace BeatStars launches publishing service

The development follows an earlier announcement that the platform had paid out more than $150m to creators globally. The new service is backed by Sony Music Publishing, and offers administration assistance through BeatStars’ portal, allowing users to register their songs and collect publishing royalties. Interested artists can sign up for the service here.

“Anyone who owns a stake in the intellectual property of a song that they’ve helped create can now collect on publishing administration royalties right on BeatStars,” the company’s founder and CEO, Abe Batshon, said. “If you created something in the music space, you are entitled to the publishing share of all of these songs when they are commercialised around the world.”

The two companies first announced that they were working together in April last year, when Sony said it would pitch original songs and beats for sync opportunities and recorded music on behalf of BeatStars.

The publishing service is free for BeatStars Pro Page premium members, and costs others $50 a year for an unlimited number of tracks. It features direct payments, one-year contracts, global royalty collection and an 80/20 split with creators retaining 100% ownership.

Interested users have to be registered with a performance rights organisation in their home country before they can sign up for the BeatStars’ publishing service.

BeatStars made a foray into distribution in July last year after partnering with the then Sony/ATV Publishing, and now boasts more than 2 million users. Its service costs $20 per year for unlimited tracks.

The platform gained much media attention in 2019 for being the source of the instrumental used for Lil Nas X’s global hit ‘Old Town Road’.