Babyface Explains Why Publishing Money Pushes Singers Into Songwriting

Babyface says the push for singers to write their own records isn’t only about artistic independence.

Sometimes, the person behind the microphone wants the money going to somebody else’s pen.

During the November 10 episode of Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, he explained how publishing income could leave a songwriter better off than an artist who never became a major touring draw.

“Being the writer and being the publisher was no question, you know, where you would make most of the money,” Babyface said.

That frustration encouraged some performers to take over the writing, he explained. The results varied because a strong singing voice didn’t automatically mean strong songwriting.

Palmer raised the concern that artists increasingly feel they must do every job. Babyface resisted turning that concern into a rule about who should stay out of songwriting.

He remembered being discouraged about his own singing. Rather than closing doors on other artists, he acknowledged that a record he doubted could still become a hit.

The distinction matters because a finished track can involve two separate copyrights. One protects the composition, including its lyrics; the other protects a particular recording. Owning one does not automatically mean you own the other.

Those rights can belong to different people and be licensed separately.

A vocalist’s performance and a songwriter’s work may reach listeners together, but the law does not treat them as one interchangeable contribution.

Publishing also reaches beyond the first recorded version of a song. A new performer can record the same composition while creating a different sound recording. That separation helps explain why singing a hit and owning its writing are different business positions.

Babyface has worked on both sides of that divide for decades.

His solo catalog includes Tender Lover, The Day and For The Cool In You, alongside collaborations that keep him connected to younger performers.

He recently appeared alongside Jack Harlow in a new-music preview after Harlow shifted toward R&B.

His Girls Night Out collaborations also include Kehlani, Queen Naija and Ella Mai.

Babyface shared the 2024 Grammy for Best R&B Song as one of the writers of SZA’s “Snooze”.