What is an Admin Deal?

An admin deal, short for administration deal, is a type of music publishing agreement in which a publishing administrator manages the administrative tasks related to a songwriter’s compositions without taking ownership of the copyright.

In an admin deal, the administrator typically handles responsibilities such as registering songs with performing rights organizations, issuing licenses, collecting royalties from around the world, and distributing those royalties to the songwriter or publisher. These services help ensure that all revenue generated by the music is properly tracked and collected.

Unlike traditional publishing or co-publishing deals, the songwriter or original publisher usually retains full ownership of the compositions. The administrator is paid a percentage of the income generated from the songs in exchange for providing these administrative and royalty collection services.