Publishing and Royalties
The short answer
Royalty rates, bundles, registrations, and the fights over what writers get paid.
2026-06-11 · Source: NMPA News
NMPA: Streaming Bundles Have Cost Publishers Nearly $500 Million Since 2024
The National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) reported that Spotify and Amazon's practice of bundling music with other services, such as audiobooks, has reduced the mechanical royalty rate paid on those subscriptions. The NMPA estimates the sustained effect at nearly $500 million in lost publisher royalties since 2024 and presented the data as a significant hit to songwriter income.
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