Starting My Own Independent Publishing Company: A Journey into Music Publishing

So, let’s create a publishing company! By “publishing company,” I mean a legal entity under which I can publish my own works. We’re keeping it relatively simple—for me, this is an exciting step into the world of self-publishing. Since I’ve always been interested in self-publishing, I thought, why not start my own company solely for that purpose?

Setting up a publishing company is entirely new to me, and you can count on me to make plenty of mistakes along the way. I’m not just documenting this journey for myself but also to provide others with a framework of ideas for setting up their own company. However, please don’t take this as legal or professional guidance—trust me, that would be a bad idea.

Full disclosure: I played around with this idea a little in the past—enough to register a trade name and throw together a poorly designed, rarely visited one-page website that I promptly neglected for years.

Getting Started: Steps to Start a Publishing Company

First, I had to figure out what would be required to enter the world as a music publisher. Naturally, my first thought was to ask my good friend ChatGPT. Yes, I’m fully aware that ChatGPT is AI-powered software and not a real person, but I like to think of Chat as my personal online collaborator. Now, I also know that Chat can make mistakes—omitting some things, adding others—and that its accuracy isn’t guaranteed (it even says so in its own documentation). But since I’ve successfully used Chat for research in the past, I had no problem proceeding this way.

So, my first question was, “How do I set up my own independent music publishing company?” Chat came up with a list of eight steps. However, I wanted something more detailed than was initially provided. Chat and I passed the list back and forth, refining it with questions and adjustments, watching it grow from a simple checklist into something more like a detailed guide.

Finally, I was satisfied that our list was both straightforward and comprehensive enough to serve as a guide for setting up my publishing company. I knew it might not cover absolutely everything, but it would at least cover the most important elements. So, after some final tweaks, here it is:

1. Business Formation & Legal Setup

• Setting up the business structure (corporation, sole proprietorship, LLC, etc.)
• Registering a company name
• Obtaining business licenses and permits (to legally operate and open accounts)
• Registering a domain name (to secure website and brand consistency)
• Setting up a business bank account (for financial separation and professional transactions)
• Setting up a business address (if needed) (virtual address, P.O. Box, registered agent)

2. Business Strategy & Branding

• Drafting a business plan (publishing focus, revenue model, target audience, growth strategy)
• Creating a company brand guide and procedures manual (mission, vision, corporate structure, workflow, branding)
• Designing a logo and branding (visual identity, fonts, colors, brand recognition)
• Registering a trademark (if necessary) (to protect your publishing company’s name/logo)

3. Website & Communication

• Developing a website for the publishing company (home base for sales, branding, and resources)
• Setting up communication channels (business email, phone line, virtual office, VoIP service)

4. Copyright & Legal Protections

• Affiliating with a Performing Rights Organization (e.g., ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN)
• Setting up how to manage reproduction rights (mechanical, digital, print licensing)
• Managing copyright for my works (filing for copyright, licensing options)
• Securing ISBNs and other publishing identifiers (ISBN for books, ISMN for sheet music)
• Setting up legal agreements and contracts (for publishing other authors, licensing, and royalties)

5. Business Operations & Distribution

• Choosing and setting up business software (accounting, project management, cloud storage)
• Building an email list and CRM system (customer relationship management, newsletters)
• Establishing distribution and sales channels (print-on-demand, digital downloads, direct sales)
• Setting up an inventory/order fulfillment system (if applicable) (for physical product sales)

6. Marketing & Growth

• Developing a marketing and promotion strategy (social media, email lists, networking)
• Creating marketing materials (flyers, ads, social media content, press kits)
• Building industry connections & networking (joining associations, attending conferences)

7. Financial Management & Business Tracking

• Setting up financial tracking systems (QuickBooks, Wave, or manual spreadsheets)
• Handling financial management (tracking sales, royalties, taxes, accounting software)
• Reviewing & adjusting business strategy regularly (staying adaptable, refining operations)

8. Grand Opening: The Business is Live!

• Opening the doors – Launching your business!
• Announce your launch on social media and to your network.
• Make sure your website and sales channels are fully functional.
• Start your first promotions or advertising campaign.
• If selling physical products, confirm your fulfillment and shipping process.
• If working with clients or artists, finalize contracts and agreements.
• Monitor your first sales and interactions to ensure everything runs smoothly.

---

While this list is a great starting point, I’m sure along the way we’ll discover steps in the process that need to be defined a little more. Over the coming days, weeks, and months, I’ll be working through this list as I move towards setting up Up-Tempo Publishing.

If you’re interested in self-publishing or just curious about the process I’m following, come along for the journey.

Until next time, I’m just a music teacher having fun. Catch ya on the next one!