What's the best way to contact a music publisher?

“Using an established music clearance and licensing company can speed the process of obtaining a favorable license.

If you want to clear an existing recording, contact the record company that owns the master or recording. To locate the company that owns the master, look on the CD jewel case for the record company name.

Not to dissuade you from using an existing recording, but frankly, if you use your little brother’s garage band to re-record your music, it’s going to be cheaper and simpler. You’ll still have to obtain synch licensing but will only have to deal with the music’s publisher. You should consider the cost of booking studio time and contracting musicians. If you use an existing recording, you’ll have to deal with both the publisher and the record company.

* How long is the music I wish to clear? Two minutes? Forty seconds?
* What is the duration of time I want to use the music? This is called the term.
* What is the territory I want to cover? The U.S., the U.S. and Canada, worldwide? Consider that the more extensive the coverage, the more costly it will be.
* What’s my budget?
* What kind of songs am I using—popular or currently unknown?
* What type of work is this—commercial or educational?
* Where is the song used—on the opening or closing credits or regular scene?
Luckily, the copyright owners and publishers are almost always the same entity, which makes the process saner. Some examples of music publishers are BMG, Warner, and EMI. If you’re lucky, all the songs you want to clear will be represented by the same company (i.e., ASCAP). Some companies are both publishers and administrators, for example, Warner Brothers. You must go to all publishers involved, unless one of them represents all of them.”

That information and more can be found at New England Film

There is not q best way. There is only one way. Look for someone in the BDS department or any Music Industry and ask for the publisher of the song you need. Most of the time there is a bible like book full of publishers and you need to sit down and search. Otherwise you will need to call the song author and ask him straight.