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What are the terms of the CD Baby Pro Publishing administration agreement?

  • Updated

By signing the Publishing Administration Addendum, you grant CD Baby exclusive rights to administer your publishing worldwide. 

This article provides a general overview of what the agreement covers, including term length, rights granted, and royalty collection. CD Baby does not offer legal advice, so we strongly recommend consulting an attorney before signing.

Important Reminder

What is CD Baby Pro Publishing?

  • CD Baby Pro Publishing is an exclusive worldwide publishing administration service.
  • You cannot have an active agreement with another publisher or publishing administrator for any works signed up with CD Baby Pro Publishing.
  • While you can set territory restrictions for digital distribution, these do not apply to publishing registration or royalty collection.

Term and Termination

  • The agreement has a minimum term of one year, starting when you finalize your Pro Publishing submission.
  • After the first year, the term automatically renews quarterly unless you submit a cancellation request.
  • Cancelling triggers a one-year post-term collection period, allowing CD Baby to continue collecting royalties generated during the agreement.

Grant of Rights

  • This section of the agreement outlines the exclusive rights you grant CD Baby to:
    • Register your works
    • Collect publishing royalties globally
  • CD Baby does not take ownership of your publishing.
    • Instead, we retain a 15% administrative fee from the royalties we collect on your behalf.
  • For full details, view the agreement in your CD Baby account or access it here.

Things to note

  • The publisher is the owner or administrator of the song copyright (melody, harmony, lyrics)—not the sound recording.
  • If a songwriter has never signed a publishing deal, they are considered their own publisher.
  • CD Baby Pro Publishing is not compatible with other active publishing agreements.
  • Always consult an attorney if you have questions about the agreement or your rights.

*The CD Baby Pro Publishing service was discontinued as of August 8th, 2023. Any paid release which was signed up for CD Baby Pro Publishing prior to August 8th, 2023 is considered a legacy Pro release and will continue to receive Pro Publishing services. CD Baby now offers a new expanded suite of revenue amplifiers called CDB Boost instead.

 

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