Study Music Publishing, Sync & Licensing With An Industry Leader
Whether you’re a songwriter, publisher, sync agent or music supervisor, or you hope to become one in the future, our Music Publishing, Sync & Licensing course presents a unique opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of every aspect of music publishing and to learn from one of the most respected professionals in the business. Our course will demystify how the important world of music publishing works and provide the skills you need to succeed.
During the course, you’ll be working closely alongside your tutor James Cooper. He began his career in advertising at MTV and Saatchi & Saatchi, before being appointed as Head of Sync at the biggest music publisher in the world - Sony/ATV – a position he held for over ten years. He represented songs from writers such as Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Taylor Swift and even The Beatles! He licensed music for major brands including John Lewis, Adidas, Audi, Barclaycard and BT. Today, James is a highly regarded publishing consultant and music supervisor.
With his expertise and passion for the industry, James will guide you through every facet of music publishing including the commercial exploitation of works, copyright, mechanical licensing, public performance royalties, collection societies, synchronisation (the use of music in TV, film, advertising and games), writer development, contracts and much more.
Students from this course have gone on to secure work at music publishers, sync agencies and as music supervisors, and songwriters have benefitted from the comprehensive understanding of the business we provide. We’re proud of their achievements and enjoy keeping in touch through our Alumni Community. You can read about their experiences of studying at SMB: The School of Music Business here.
We look forward to welcoming you to our Music Publishing, Sync & Licensing course and supporting you on your own music industry journey.
Available Course Dates
Online in our virtual classroom:
(Find out more about how our online courses work)
New dates coming soon
* UK time
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The passionate, engaging and personal tutorship we’re renowned for
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An opportunity to learn from a respected music industry professional
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The most up-to-date, relevant and immediately applicable skills available
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A feature rich, immersive and interactive online learning platform
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A certificate of successful course completion, posted to you
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An invite to join an active and supportive online alumni community
We will provide:
Speak with a course advisor
+44 (0) 207 078 4022
Meet The Tutor | James Cooper
Hi, I’m James Cooper, your tutor for the Music Publishing, Sync and Licensing course at SMB.
I’m very much looking forward to meeting you all. It will be an honour to support you on your journey into music publishing and to share my passion for this important sector of the industry. I am a music supervisor, consultant and former Head of Sync & Creative Licensing at Sony/ATV Music Publishing. The Sync & Creative Licensing team is an integral department specialising in all aspects of music licensing for ads, films, TV, video games, digital and new media. I worked at Sony/ATV for 10 years and in synch for over 15 years and have placed and licensed music for brands such as John Lewis, Sony, Nike, Adidas, Audi, BT, and Barclaycard to name a few. I worked closely with our roster of songwriters and artists, and my clients were advertising agencies, brands and music supervisors.
Before working in the music industry, I worked in advertising and film production at Grand Central Studios, Saatchi & Saatchi, Revolution Films (for director Michael Winterbottom) and MTV Europe on ‘The Real World London’. Sony/ATV is the leading music publisher with a catalogue of more than 3 million copyrights, ranging from songs by iconic names including The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Michal Jackson, Carole King, Queen and The Rolling Stones to contemporary superstars such as Taylor Swift, Pharrell Williams, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Pink, Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran. Today I work as a leading music supervisor and publishing consultant.
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I’m very much looking forward to meeting you all. It will be an honour to support you on your journey into music publishing and to share my passion for this important sector of the industry.
"
James Cooper is a music supervisor, consultant and former Head of Synch & Creative Licensing at
Hear from one of our recent Music Publishing, Sync & Licensing students | Mark @ Palm Bay Music
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We found the Music Publishing, Sync & Licensing Course invaluable in filling in the gaps in our knowledge, despite being involved in the industry for years! We have such a greater understanding of both the early history, current practices and the new digitally focused future of Music Publishing. It has really helped us feel more comfortable and confident in the decision making within our company and has assisted in sculpting our business model.
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Read the full review here
Topics Covered | Syllabus
Module One
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What is music publishing?
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What are the functions and roles of a music publisher?
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A brief history of music publishing in the UK, USA and Europe
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Market leaders in publishing music
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Music publishing business models (pop, classical, production, indie/major, international etc.)
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Artist and writer contracts
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Types of agreement
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Terms, retention periods, infringements, advances, recoupment and pipeline income
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Collection societies across the world - PROs
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Rights, reciprocal agreements, international partnerships, reporting, collections and distributions
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Membership of overseas collection societies
Module Three
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Synchronisation and brands
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Agents and music supervisors
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Music supervision - licensing platforms, agents, roles, rights and remuneration
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Licensing in online and offline media - movies, tv, radio, games, advertising, branding and corporate productions and student films
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Process of licensing - terms period and territory
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Registration notification, licensing models etc.
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Commercial, commissioned, library and public domain music
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Blanket agreements
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Commissioning and production
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Responsibilities and timeframes
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Terms of licensing agreements
Module Two
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The creative process
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The writer/composer relationship with the publisher
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How a publisher develops an artist-writer
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Development deals
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Cowriters - global and local
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Samples, mash-ups and covers
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Co-publishing and sub-publishing
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The signing decision
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A&R signings
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Investment and ROI
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A&R, marketing and promotion of the roster
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Working with record labels
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Working with artist/writer managers
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Publisher owned masters
Module Four
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Music publishing today
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Major publishers
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Independent publishers
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Direct membership to collection agencies - a new model
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The administration process in music publishing
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Registration, notification and duplication
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Royalty tracking and distribution technology
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Revenue and data flow for publishing music
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Transparency and efficiency in music publishing
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Revenue streams in the age of streaming
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International partnerships
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The future of music publishing and how to find work in the business
FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions
Enrol | Secure Your Place Today
(Inc. VAT)
Enrol online via our secure booking system powered by Paypal.
Once you've enrolled we will send you a receipt and confirmation of your place. You'll also be sent a link and password to your virtual classroom prior to the course. Payment plan options are available - email us here to discuss.
Full Fee: £449
