Publishing
Metro Mofo Music: a world-class publishing operation administered by Kobalt Music, with credits spanning Rihanna, BTS, David Guetta and the biggest names in Asian pop.
Our Team
A world-class roster of songwriters and producers
Writing / Production Credits
RihannaJ-LoJohn LegendDavid GuettaCraig DavidBTSGirls GenerationSHINeeTaeminKumi KodaNamie AmuroSandy Lam 林憶蓮Mayday 五月天Nicholas Tse 謝霆鋒Li YuChun 李宇春Joey Yung 容祖兒Andy Hui 許志安Tia Ray 袁娅维Justin Lo 羅定偉William So 蘇永康Kary Ng 吳雨霏Jason Chan 陳柏宇Jun Kung 恭碩良Charlene Choi 蔡卓妍Michael Wong 王敏德Jay Fung 馮允謙Tien 张天
Our Publishing Track Record
What Is Music Publishing?
Understanding the business behind the song
The Rights Behind Every Song
Music publishing is the business of managing, protecting and monetising the intellectual property in songs; specifically the underlying composition (melody and lyrics), as distinct from the sound recording itself. Every time a song is performed, broadcast, streamed, synchronised to film or TV, or reproduced in any form, the songwriters and their publishers are entitled to royalties.
A music publisher acts as the custodian of those rights. They register songs with performing rights organisations (PROs), license compositions to third parties, collect income from every territory worldwide, and ensure that the writers behind the music receive every penny they're owed. Often this includes revenue streams the writers themselves would never have been aware of.
Key Revenue Streams
- Performance Royalties: Generated when a song is broadcast on radio, TV, streamed online or performed live in public.
- Mechanical Royalties: Paid when a song is reproduced: on a physical release, download, or interactive stream.
- Synchronisation Fees: Earned when music is licensed for use in film, TV, advertising, games or online video.
- Print Royalties: Generated from the sale of sheet music and lyric reproductions.
- Neighbouring Rights: Secondary royalties paid to performers and labels for the broadcast of master recordings.
The Role of a Music Publisher
Far more than an administrator; a creative and commercial partner for every songwriter
Rights Protection
Registering compositions globally to ensure full legal protection across all territories and platforms.
Global Collection
Collecting royalties from every PRO, streaming platform and licensing body worldwide on the writer's behalf.
Sync Licensing
Pitching and licensing compositions for film, TV, advertising and brand placements to maximise sync income.
Creative Development
Connecting writers with co-writing opportunities, artist relationships and commercial pitching strategies.
Why Professional Publishing Matters
Most songwriters leave significant money on the table without professional publishing representation
Unclaimed Royalties
Without proper PRO registration and international sub-publishing deals, a significant proportion of performance and mechanical royalties are simply never collected. They expire unclaimed.
Missed Sync Opportunities
Sync placements in film, TV and advertising are among the most lucrative income sources for songwriters. A professional publisher with established industry relationships opens doors that are impossible to access independently.
Kobalt-Powered Infrastructure
Metro Mofo Music is administered by Kobalt Music, one of the world's most technologically advanced publishing companies, providing unrivalled transparency, global collection reach and real-time royalty reporting.
Metro Mofo Music
Administered by Kobalt Music, MoFo Music partnered with Metronumm Music in 2023 to form Metro Mofo Music: a small but formidable team of writers and producers capable of writing across all genres and markets. From Rihanna to BTS, and Sandy Lam to David Guetta, our catalogue speaks for itself.