Modern Works Music Publishing

Modern Works Music Publishing was created around the simple premise that composers and music catalog owners need a diligent administrator to cultivate, license, and collect royalties for their musical works throughout the world. Large publishers tend to favor those compositions in which they have an ownership interest, and writers signed to large companies often feel lost in the shuffle. But we are a boutique, and we strive to counteract that phenomenon. Modern Works Music Publishing was founded in 2004 to administer the works of John Legend and his co-writers, in what was their first publishing administration deal. Since then, the roster has evolved to encompass every musical genre, especially those that tend to be underserved by larger music publishing companies, such as jazz, classical, and world music. Highlights of our catalog include Bootsy Collins’ “Flashlight” and “I’d Rather Be with You,” Julie Gold’s “From a Distance” (made famous by Bette Midler and Nanci Griffith), Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit” (co-written by Michael Beinhorn), Jonathan Edwards’ protest classic “Sunshine,” Janis Ian's "Jesse" and "Society's Child," Skee-Lo’s Top 10 rap “I Wish,” and the incredible Second Floor Music jazz portfolio, which contains standards such as “Bemsha Swing” by Thelonious Monk & Denzil Best, Bobby Timmons’ “Moanin’,” Clifford Brown’s “Joy Spring,” and countless other gems. With offices in New York, Nashville, and Tucson— and a worldwide network of hand-picked sub-publishers— Modern Works does business with all the major licensees of music, including record companies, advertising agencies, film and television companies, interactive gaming companies, and online music purveyors. Songs in the Modern Works catalog are used thousands of times each year in these categories.