Drummer’s Survival Guide: Publishing Part 1

If you are a drummer and you play in a band, you’re screwed.

Kidding. Well, kind of. It’s more like this- if there is one person that gets screwed first or gets screwed the most, it usually is the drummer. Not that the drummer doesn’t deserve it much of the time though. I can say that because I am a drummer of course.

Here’s how the drummer gets screwed the most. It’s on a little thing called ‘publishing’.

What’s publishing? If you don’t know you’re screwed already. OK I’m being dramatic but you need to know, otherwise, you will get the short end of the stick and I’m not talking the drumstick.

Here is a lesson on publishing in a nutshell; a very small nutshell. To get a bigger nutshell you really really must read Donald Passman’s book. He breaks it down quite nicely and it’s a must read for any and every musician. Oh, and drummers too. I say that because many drummers are not musicians -they could be, but they’re not. Hence the reason they sometimes deserve to get screwed, but I digress.

what’s commonly referred to as ‘Publishing’ is the money that gets paid to the songwriter and the publisher. Oftentimes the songwriter acts as his own publisher or publishing company but many times he hires a publisher to get his songs performed and gives up some of the money. Thing is, this is where the money is at. The big money. That’s why Paul Simon has enough money to buy first class tickets to the exosphere when Richard Branson makes them available and Art Garfunkel has enough money to buy first class tickets to Baltimore. After he saves up enough frequent flier miles. (It’s not always just the drummer that gets screwed…)

Now back in the day it was a simple thing to figure out. Fat suit-big cigar-polka dot tie-business guy went to the backroom-screw loose-brilliant songwriter and said, “I’ll get your song recorded, played on the radio, making lotsa cash and we split the money, deal?” Deal. Then the publisher went to the country girl, or crooner guy and said, “I gotta great song for you to sing -your voice is perfect for it -it’ll make you a star…deal?” Deal. Simple. Publisher happy, songwriter happy, performer happy. Every buddy happy.

Now, things are not so simple.

Actually they haven’t been that simple since…at least the Beatles.

Ringo was the first drummer to get screwed.

I don’t think he deserved it.

Part 2