What is publishing?

Publishing rights are the rights to a song. If you write a song by yourself, you own the publishing (and copyright) from the moment you finish the song. You don't have to set up shop as a music publisher to own those rights - they automatically come with authorship.

There are actually two halves in every publishing dollar. One of the halves is called the "Writer's Share," and that half almost always stays with the writer for life. The other half is called the "Publisher's Share'" and you own that half as well, unless you sign a publishing or co-publishing deal. You can give up some of the publishing rights you own (typically half or all of the "Publisher's Share") in exchange for a cash advance from a music publisher. The publisher will then act as a songplugger to get your song cut by an artist or placed in a movie or TV show. They don't make money unless they get the song used.