FAQ

WHAT IS MUSIC PUBLISHING?
Music publishing is the management of performance royalties for the composition of copyrighted music that is used commercially. Among other tasks, a publisher administers the collection of performance royalties. In order to collect these royalties, the songwriter needs to be registered with a Performing Rights Organization (PRO) and affiliated with a publisher.

WHAT’S A PRO?
A Performing Rights Organization (PRO) collects performance royalties between copyright holders and parties who wish to use copyrighted works in public broadcasts such as in film, television and radio. Most countries have their own PROs; BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC are the main players in the United States.

WHY IS REGISTERING WITH A PRO AS A WRITER GOOD FOR ME?
The royalties collected by your PRO (and distributed to you four times a year) can be a substantial recurring revenue stream that can outweigh one-time sync license fees.

WHAT’S THE BENEFIT OF POND5 ACTING AS PUBLISHER?
Since Pond5 doesn’t share buyer/seller information, you’re on your own when it comes to finding out where your Pond5 tracks wind up. The advantage of enrolling in Pond5 Publishing as a PRO-affiliated writer is that we partnered with a publishing administrator who specializes in collecting advertising publishing rights (the majority of our sync license use cases). They use digital fingerprinting technology to detect usage all over the world which will maximize royalties collected for all parties.

HOW ARE PERFORMANCE ROYALTIES SPLIT UP?
Performing Rights Organizations split performance royalties 50/50 between songwriters and publishers.

WHAT’S A CUE SHEET?
Cue sheets are filled out by the production company (usually a producer or editor) on behalf of the broadcaster (usually a TV network or film studio). The cue sheet lists all the music “cues” used in a production. When completed, the cue sheet is submitted electronically to each relevant PRO associated with a piece of music used in the production. There is no charge for submitting a cue sheet.

WHAT RIGHTS AM I GIVING POND5 BY ENROLLING IN POND5 PUBLISHING?
Please refer to terms outlined here.

IS THERE AN OPT-OUT?
Pond5 Publishing is optional. If you choose to enroll, the term of your enrollment will be 18 months, with auto-renewal. However, the Pond5 publishing rights⁠—the right of Pond5 to collect royalties related to tracks downloaded from the Pond5 marketplace or licensed by one of our Distributors⁠—will continue and survive.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PUBLISHER SHARE?
After admin fees, the writer receives 50% of the publishing share. For a detailed breakdown, please see the publishing terms: https://explore.pond5.com/publishing-terms/

ON WHAT WILL POND5 BE COLLECTING ROYALTIES?
We’ll be collecting for broadcast film, TV and advertising usage.

I’M ALREADY A MEMBER OF A PRO – DO I HAVE TO DO ANYTHING AFTER I ENROLL IN POND5 PUBLISHING?
No, Pond5 or our publishing admin partner will handle revising your metadata, registering the works with the relevant PRO and filing cue sheets.

WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY WRITER ROYALTIES?
You’ll receive your writer royalties directly from your PRO per their distribution cycle timeline. Please refer to your affiliated PRO for any questions regarding your composer royalties.

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO WHEN I UPLOAD NEW TRACKS?
Nothing. Our publishing admin partner will register the work with the relevant PRO.

Please review the Pond5 Music Publishing Terms for more details. Pond5 reserves the right to modify or terminate this service, this FAQ and these terms at any time.