Is music publishing worth it in 2025? The data says yes, now more than ever, you should be claiming royalties your music is already earning.
According to 2024 research from the National Music Publishers Association, music publishing revenue growth accelerated 13 percent to a staggering $7 billion this past year — nearly quintupling the growth in revenue of recorded music. After 10 years of double-digit revenue growth, music publishing sits just 60% behind recording in annual revenue — up from a 220% gap in 2014.
What’s accounting for this growth? Across the industry, musicians are using new mechanisms to collect unpaid royalties.
One way CD Baby can help is CDB Boost, our royalties collection tool.
What is CDB Boost?
Whether you’re a new indie singer-songwriter or a rising band, CDB Boost ensures you’re getting the payoff your music deserves, by claiming the royalties and licensing opportunities you’re already earning, but not yet claiming.
CDB Boost is a simple add-on to any CD Baby release that helps you tap into three powerful sources of music income that often go uncollected:
- Mechanical Royalties from streaming in the U.S. (via The MLC)
- Digital Performance Royalties from non-interactive radio platforms like Pandora and SiriusXM (via SoundExchange)
- Sync Licensing Opportunities that could land your music in film, TV, ads, or games
If you’re only relying on Spotify or Apple Music to pay you, you’re probably leaving money on the table. CDB Boost helps you claim every royalty you’re owed and opens new doors for getting your music heard.
Breaking It Down: What Are These Royalties, Anyway?
Let’s take a quick look at the three types of royalties mentioned above that CDB Boost helps you collect—and why they matter.
Mechanical Royalties (via The MLC)
When someone streams your music on a platform like Spotify or Apple Music in the U.S., you’re owed mechanical royalties—specifically from the reproduction of your composition. These royalties are collected by a government-sanctioned nonprofit called The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC).
CDB Boost registers your music with The MLC on your behalf so you can collect what you’re owed.
Digital Performance Royalties (via SoundExchange)
Ever hear your song on Pandora, SiriusXM, or internet radio? These platforms are considered non-interactive digital broadcasters, and every time your recording is played, it generates digital performance royalties.
SoundExchange collects these royalties, but just like The MLC, they need to know who to pay. CDB Boost makes sure both the artist and label receive their share of these royalties.
Sync Licensing
Sync (short for “synchronization”) is the licensing of your music for use in visual media: TV shows, movies, commercials, video games, trailers, and more. It’s one of the most exciting and lucrative ways to expose your music to new audiences.
CDB Boost adds your music to our sync licensing catalog, where it becomes searchable and pitchable by music supervisors looking for the perfect track to soundtrack their next project.
Bonus: If your song gets placed, you not only receive a sync fee upfront, but you may also earn performance royalties when the show or ad airs.
Who Should Use CDB Boost?
CDB Boost is an excellent tool, but how much you get out of it will depend on where you are in your career:
- You’re consistently getting streams, but payouts feel underwhelming
- You’ve got a growing catalog and want to maximize every revenue stream
- You dream of having your music synced in film, TV, or games
- You don’t have the time (or interest) to handle the admin side of royalty collection
If you’re making music seriously, you should be collecting royalties seriously too.
How to Get Started
It’s easy:
- Log into your CD Baby account
- Choose a release
- Click “Add Boost” and follow the prompts
That’s it. We’ll take care of the licensing, registration, and royalty tracking—so you can get back to making music.
Final Thoughts: Your Music Is Working. Now Make It Work For You.
Streaming is just the start. CD Baby Boost helps turn your art into income and opens the door to new exposure opportunities through sync licensing. Don’t leave money on the table—or let your music sit idle.
Add CDB Boost to your releases today and start getting the full value out of every play.