Killphonic Rights Signs Rough Trade, Symphonic and Half Tone for Publishing Admin

Independent publishing and administration company Killphonic Rights has signed Rough Trade Publishing, Symphonic Distribution and Mad Decent’s publishing arm, Half Tone, for worldwide publishing administration.

Why it matters:

• Killphonic has built a global network of direct collection relationships engineered to eliminate the need for traditional sub-publishers across individual territories.

• The model is designed to reduce intermediaries between rightsholders and their revenue, while increasing transparency and accelerating payments.

• The deal strengthens Killphonic’s position as an independent alternative for publishers seeking global infrastructure outside major corporate ownership.

• The expansion comes amid significant consolidation in publishing, including Primary Wave’s acquisition of Kobalt’s publishing administration business, and Downtown Music Holdings becoming part of Universal Music Group’s ecosystem.

What they said:

• Caleb Shreve, CEO of Killphonic: “For decades, international publishing administration has relied on networks of sub-publishers in individual territories, with each additional layer creating another handoff between the songwriter and their royalties. We've built Killphonic around direct collections so our partners don't need that traditional network of sub-publishers. We can collect as close to the source as possible, giving publishers and songwriters greater transparency into where their money is coming from and getting it to them more efficiently.”