What Is My Music Publishing Company Worth?

Music publishing companies and independent labels are among the highest-valued entertainment businesses due to their royalty-generating catalogs. In an era of growing streaming revenue and increasing demand for sync licensing in film, TV, and advertising, well-managed music catalogs have become highly sought-after assets.

Typical Valuation Ranges

Music publishing companies typically sell for 4x to 7x SDE, with pure catalog acquisitions sometimes valued on a multiple of net publisher share (NPS) revenue. Strong catalogs with growing streaming revenue trade at premium multiples.

Factors that push toward the higher end:

• Large catalog with hundreds or thousands of copyrights
• Growing streaming revenue year-over-year
• Active sync licensing placement (film, TV, commercials, games)
• Diversified songwriter roster
• Revenue above $1M NPS
• Evergreen songs with consistent performance
• Ownership of both publishing and master rights
• International revenue streams

Factors that push toward the lower end:

• Small catalog concentrated in a few songwriters
• Declining streaming and performance royalties
• Limited sync licensing activity
• Catalog heavy in genres with lower streaming demand
• Co-publishing deals reducing ownership share
• Administration-only deals (no ownership)
• Key songwriter contracts expiring soon

Key Value Drivers

Catalog composition is everything. Buyers analyze each copyright's revenue history, growth trajectory, and remaining copyright term. Evergreen songs that generate consistent royalties year after year are the most valuable assets.

Streaming revenue growth — catalogs showing consistent streaming growth signal relevance and longevity. Declining streams suggest the catalog may be past its peak earning potential.

Sync licensing revenue from film, TV, commercial, and video game placements provides diversified income and can meaningfully boost a catalog's earnings. Active sync programs demonstrate a well-worked catalog.

Copyright ownership — owning the publishing rights (and ideally masters too) provides the maximum revenue share and control. Administration-only deals are less valuable because they can be moved to another publisher.

How to Increase Your Value

1. Work your sync pipeline. Active pitching to music supervisors for film, TV, and advertising placements grows revenue and demonstrates catalog potential.
2. Grow your catalog. Sign new songwriters, acquire catalogs, or co-write to add copyrights with growth potential.
3. Extend songwriter agreements. Lock in key songwriter relationships with long-term deals before going to market.
4. Optimize metadata and registration. Ensure every song is properly registered with PROs, mechanical rights organizations, and DSPs to capture all royalties owed.
5. Build international revenue. Sub-publishing deals or direct international registration can unlock underperforming territories.

Browse the valuation multiples guide for industry data, or schedule a free call for a confidential valuation.