Top executives at 10 of the biggest independent publishers in the business weigh in on the challenges and opportunities facing the sector right now.
From left: Al “Butter” McLean, Jim Selby, Jeannette Perez, Ralph Peer II and Natasha Nastaskin.
Illustration by Lyanne Natividad
Few sectors of the music business have come to the forefront with more force than music publishing in recent years, as catalogs have begun to change hands, artists have become more open to selling their works and new players have entered the field looking to capitalize on the steady returns that top-shelf songs can provide for investors of all types.
But while the major publishers remain some of the biggest players, with expansive catalogs and plenty of power, the independent music publishing world has also been thriving, with plenty of capital and the type of ingenuity and creative thinking that many have come to expect from the independent community.
Still, there are plenty of challenges, not just for indies in particular, but for publishers of all sizes — from fragmented metadata, to the threat of AI, to the upheaval at the U.S. Copyright Office, to the Copyright Royalty Board battle that continues to simmer, all of which will shape the future of this flourishing business. And that business does continue to succeed — new global market opportunities, technology-based solutions, cross-genre and cross-territory collaborations and more all leave room for songwriters, publishers and producers to continue to expand their horizons and find new ways to push the limits of creativity.
At this pivotal moment — and as part of Billboard’s Indie Power Players package for the first time — we asked 11 top executives at 10 of the biggest independent publishers to address the most urgent challenges and the biggest opportunities facing their sector of the business right now.
-
Alex Heddle, senior vp of publishing, Big Machine
Image Credit: Alex Ferrari What are the biggest opportunities in the independent publishing world right now?
The opportunity for indies is where it’s always been: providing more time, focus and service to songwriters. The impact that indies with expertise and relationships can have on a writer’s career is unbeatable due to the high level of personal attention that they can provide.
-
Marian Wolf, senior vp of music publishing, North America, BMG
Image Credit: Courtesy of BMG What is the most urgent issue facing the independent music publishing community right now?
The top priority is protecting and maximizing the value of songwriters’ rights. That means taking a proactive, multipronged approach: optimizing current revenue, embracing new tech and business models and fiercely advocating for fair treatment. The key areas of focus include AI, royalty reform and stronger copyright legislation.
-
Jim Selby, chief publishing executive, Concord Music Publishing
Image Credit: Holly Tutor What is the most urgent issue facing the independent music publishing community right now?
The imbalance in streaming royalties for songwriters. Songwriters are the foundation of our industry and deserve fair compensation and their rightful share of the pie. Concord is committed to advocating for structural changes for songwriters that will better match their true value — changes that are, at this point, long overdue. We’ll continue advocating for that as long as necessary.
-
Vinny Kumar, senior vp/global head of business, EMPIRE Publishing
Image Credit: Courtesy of EMPIRE What are the biggest opportunities in the independent publishing world right now?
Capitalizing on new and rapidly growing global markets. With the expanded reach of digital platforms, we can now connect with creators in territories that were once hard to access, bridging cultures and stories in the process. Independent publishers can move quickly, build authentic local partnerships and help writers capture value in these fast-growing music ecosystems.
-
Al “Butter” McLean, executive vp of global creative, EMPIRE Publishing
Image Credit: Connor Clayton What is the most urgent issue facing the independent music publishing community right now?
Ensuring proper rights management and collections. Since the independent business isn’t based on market share, it’s important to maintain a personal touch and diligent business practices in the metadata while providing transparent services for our clients’ copyrights.
-
Jeanette Perez, president/chief commercial officer, Kobalt
Image Credit: Aya Mac What is the most urgent issue facing the independent music publishing community right now?
As the largest independent publisher committed to creative development, we’re seeing firsthand how fragmented metadata, lack of transparency and the undervaluing of songwriting in revenue models are squeezing the very creators who power this ecosystem. Particularly with the potential threat that AI poses to the songwriter community, we need systemic change — stronger global rights infrastructure, better data interoperability and a collective push for songwriter equity.
-
Ralph Peer II, executive chair, peermusic
Image Credit: Melody Rae What are the biggest opportunities in the independent publishing world right now?
As a global independent, we are able to combine the benefits of being an independent — nimble, close relationships with our writers, a strong working team — with the global opportunities that exist today such as cross-genre and cross-territory writing opportunities. Today, there are more and more opportunities to develop independent artists outside of the major-label distribution channels, and we’re in a unique position to support writers who are doing this successfully on a global basis.
-
Tyler Bacon, president/CEO, Position Music
Image Credit: Grant Mohrman What are the biggest opportunities in the independent publishing world right now?
Talent has direct access to building a large audience. The industry is less gatekept than ever and feels like a huge playground. There is so little stopping us. Do the work! Go get it! Support songwriters and create opportunities!
-
Natalia Nastaskin, chief content officer, Primary Wave
Image Credit: Gorn Photo What are the biggest opportunities in the independent publishing world right now?
An opportunity would be an AI-powered centralized system of metadata-tagged compositions enabling easy search and rights-holder identification, establishing rights clearances parameters and pricing predictability. A recommendation system should also be imple- mented to cover scenarios where a prestige composition may be unavailable but other fitting songs from the rights holders’ catalog could be recommended instead. A centralized database not only helps to scale the business, it also enhances workflow.
-
Rell Lafargue, president/COO, Reservoir
Image Credit: Becky Yee What are the biggest opportunities in the independent publishing world right now?
AI provides a lot of efficiencies in the actual administration of our business, managing massive amounts of data with ease. There are also areas of the creative process that AI may help facilitate, giving creators the ability to explore new sounds or more time to focus on their vision on a song. What’s more, if — and only if — we can effectively protect creators’ works from being utilized in generative AI training models without permission and/or compensation, there could be a massive licensing frontier for the industry.
-
Jon Singer, chairman, Spirit Music Group
Image Credit: Courtesy of Spirit Music Group What is the most urgent issue facing the independent music publishing community right now?
The biggest matter in front of us is the upcoming [Copyright Royalty Board] fight, which will determine U.S. mechanical royalty rates for publishers in the future. Songwriter royalties should not be determined by an antiquated, 100-year-old system. We want to ensure that a song’s value is appropriately recognized and work to pursue fair compensation for songwriters.
This story appears in the June 7, 2025, issue of Billboard.
