Music rights are one of the most talked-about yet least understood parts of the Nigerian music industry.
Many musicians hear terms like copyright, publishing, masters, and royalties, but few truly understand how these rights affect ownership and income.
As a result, artists often focus on visibility and streams while ignoring the legal foundation that determines who actually earns from the music.
This gap in understanding is why disputes, unpaid royalties, and lost opportunities are common among Nigerian musicians.
To make sense of music income in Nigeria, artists must first understand what music rights are, how copyright works locally, and how different rights connect to different revenue streams.
Once this foundation is clear, every other money conversation becomes easier to navigate.
Most upcoming Nigerian artists believe royalties are something that only comes after fame.
From observing the Nigerian music industry closely, this belief is one of the biggest reasons artists stay confused about money for years.
Royalties are not locked behind stardom. They are locked behind structure, clarity, and visibility.
This same misunderstanding shows up across many income conversations already broken down in
how musicians make money in Nigeria,
where royalties are often assumed to be automatic instead of usage-based.
The real issue is not exclusion. It is that most Nigerian artists do not understand how publishing works,
confuse it with distribution, and expect income before their music is actually being used anywhere.
This confusion is especially common among upcoming artists who are still learning how money flows in the Nigerian music industry.
Many assume that once a song is uploaded online, royalties will somehow appear over time. Unfortunately, that is not how the system works.
How Do Artists Collect Royalties?
Artists collect royalties by registering their songs with the correct music publishing and royalty collection systems,
then ensuring the music is actively used — through streaming, radio play, performances, or media usage.
Royalties are calculated from usage. Without usage, there is nothing to collect.
This same reality explains why many artists earn streaming revenue but never see deeper royalty income,
as explained in why streams don’t always mean money for Nigerian artists.
Registration only creates a record. Usage creates money.
This is why two artists can release songs at the same time, register properly, and still earn completely different amounts.
One song moves. The other does not. Royalties follow movement.
What Music Publishing Means in Nigeria (Simple Explanation)
Music publishing has nothing to do with uploading your song to Spotify, Audiomack, Boomplay, or Apple Music.
Those platforms are part of distribution, not publishing.
Music publishing is about ownership of the song itself — the lyrics and composition — not the audio file.
If you wrote the lyrics or melody, you own a portion of the publishing rights.
In Nigeria, publishing royalties are triggered when a song is streamed, played on radio or TV,
performed publicly, used in adverts, skits, films, or monetized online.
This distinction becomes clearer when placed beside how digital platforms pay artists, already explained in
how Nigerian artists get paid from streaming platforms.
Streaming income and publishing royalties are connected, but they are not the same thing.
Distribution moves the sound recording. Publishing follows the song wherever it goes.
When artists understand this difference clearly, confusion around royalties begins to disappear.
Why Most Nigerian Artists Don’t Collect Publishing Royalties
From what I consistently see, the problem is not lack of talent or lack of registration.
The biggest issue is poor promotion.
The usual pattern looks like this: an artist releases a song, the song gets few streams, no radio play,
no public performances, and no online traction. When a song is not being used anywhere,
publishing bodies have nothing to track.
Publishing does not create money by itself. Usage creates royalties.
This same pattern explains why artists struggle across other income areas like streaming,
as explained in music career mistakes that keep Nigerian artists broke.
Many artists assume the system is unfair, when in reality the music has simply not traveled far enough to generate usage.
Publishing royalties are calculated quietly in the background, not announced loudly.
The Promotion–Royalties Connection Artists Ignore
Royalties follow attention.
If your song is not being streamed, shared, performed, or discussed, publishing registration alone will not help.
In Nigeria especially, promotion activates royalties. Radio stations, DJs, content creators,
event organizers, and online platforms create usage. Without visibility, royalties remain theoretical.
This explains why some artists registered everywhere still earn nothing, while others with fewer registrations earn consistently.
Visibility is the difference.
Promotion is not just marketing hype. It is the engine that turns music into usage, and usage into money.
Publishing vs Distribution (Where Artists Get It Wrong)
This confusion is widespread in the Nigerian music industry.
Distribution uploads your song and pays streaming revenue. Publishing protects songwriting and tracks usage.
Uploading a song does not register it for publishing royalties.
This misunderstanding also explains why artists earn small amounts from platforms like Spotify or Audiomack but never see deeper income,
as explained in music streaming royalties explained for Nigerian artists.
Once artists separate these two systems mentally, income planning becomes much clearer.
How Nigerian Artists Can Start Collecting Publishing Royalties
For upcoming Nigerian artists, the process should be simple and realistic.
First, you must know if you are a songwriter. If you wrote lyrics or melody, you qualify.
Next, your songs must be properly registered with a publishing administrator that covers Nigeria and international usage.
Then comes the most ignored step: promotion.
Promotion is what creates streams, performances, and public usage. Without it, publishing remains inactive.
This is why artists who understand how to build multiple income channels tend to survive longer,
as explained in how Nigerian musicians build multiple income streams.
Publishing royalties grow slowly, but they grow steadily when music continues to be used over time.
The Truth Upcoming Artists Need to Accept
Publishing royalties are not fast money.
They are long-term, usage-based, and visibility-dependent.
If your music is not moving, royalties will not move either.
The realistic path is to promote first, structure second, and allow royalties to follow naturally.
This mindset shift alone saves artists years of confusion and disappointment.
Final Thought
Music publishing in Nigeria is not broken. It is misunderstood.
Artists don’t fail at royalties because they are excluded.
They fail because they confuse publishing with distribution and expect payment without usage.
Once these gaps are closed, publishing royalties stop feeling mysterious and start making sense —
as just one part of the larger system already mapped out in
how musicians make money in Nigeria.
