LOMO: What to Know Before Signing with Songtrust

LOMO: What to Know Before Signing with Songtrust starts with understanding what LOMO means. LOMO stands for "life of musical work" or "life of copyright." It refers to publishing agreements that transfer rights for the entire duration of copyright protection, typically 70 years after the songwriter's death in most territories. Songtrust, Downtown Music's publishing administration service, offers LOMO terms for certain catalog acquisitions. Unlike their standard administration service with term limits, LOMO deals represent a permanent transfer of collection and administration rights. Songwriters considering these agreements need to evaluate the terms carefully, because once you sign a LOMO deal, reversing it is difficult or impossible.

What is a LOMO deal and how does Songtrust use it

A LOMO deal transfers publishing administration rights for the full term of copyright. In the US, that means 70 years after the death of the last surviving author. In the EU, UK, and most other territories, the same 70-year post-mortem term applies. For works created before 1978, US copyright law has different rules, but the principle remains: LOMO means the publisher controls your works until copyright expires.

Songtrust uses LOMO terms selectively. Their standard service operates on renewable term agreements, typically one to three years. You can cancel and move your catalog elsewhere when the term ends. LOMO deals are different. Songtrust offers them primarily for catalog acquisitions where they purchase a percentage of your publishing or take on administration in exchange for an advance. The LOMO structure gives Songtrust certainty that they will recoup their investment and continue earning from the catalog long-term.

The distinction matters because most songwriters assume Songtrust operates like other admin services with term limits. If you sign up through their standard onboarding, you get a term-limited agreement. If you negotiate a catalog deal, accept an advance, or participate in certain acquisition programs, you may be offered LOMO terms instead. The contract language will specify "life of copyright" or "in perpetuity" if it is a LOMO deal.

LOMO deals are not unique to Songtrust. Traditional publishers have used life-of-copyright terms for decades. The difference is that legacy publishers typically offer higher advances, more active promotion, and co-publishing splits that give you a share of the publisher's revenue. Songtrust LOMO deals are administration agreements with permanent terms, which is a less common structure in the modern publishing market.

LOMO: What to Know Before Signing with Songtrust—duration and reversion

Duration is the first critical factor. LOMO means Songtrust administers your works until copyright expires. You cannot terminate early unless the contract includes a reversion clause, which most LOMO deals do not. If you are 30 years old and sign a LOMO deal today, Songtrust will control those works for 70 years after your death, potentially 120 years or more. Your heirs inherit the agreement.

Reversion clauses are rare in LOMO agreements but worth negotiating. A reversion clause lets you reclaim rights if certain conditions are met, such as Songtrust failing to register your works with CMOs within a specified timeframe, or failing to collect royalties for a consecutive period. Without a reversion clause, you have no exit. Even if Songtrust stops actively administering your catalog, the agreement remains in force.

Ownership changes create risk in LOMO deals. If Songtrust is sold, merged, or acquired, your agreement transfers to the new owner. Downtown Music has been involved in multiple acquisitions and corporate restructuring over the past decade. AVL Digital Group acquired Downtown's recorded music assets in 2024. While Songtrust remained part of Downtown, the broader corporate instability illustrates the risk. A LOMO agreement signed with Songtrust today could end up controlled by a private equity firm, a major publisher, or a company that does not exist yet.

Territorial scope and commission rates

Territorial scope defines where Songtrust can collect on your behalf. Most LOMO deals are worldwide, meaning Songtrust registers your works with every CMO globally and collects from all territories. Some agreements carve out specific regions. If you already have a sub-publisher in Japan or a separate admin deal in Europe, make sure the Songtrust LOMO agreement excludes those territories. Overlapping claims create registration conflicts that freeze royalty payments until resolved.

Commission rates in LOMO deals vary. Songtrust's standard service takes 15% of collected royalties. LOMO deals may have different rates depending on whether an advance was paid, what percentage of publishing Songtrust acquired, and whether the deal includes co-publishing or just administration. Read the commission structure carefully. Some LOMO agreements have tiered rates that increase after recoupment or apply different percentages to performance versus mechanical royalties.

How Songtrust LOMO terms compare to standard publishing deals

Traditional publishing deals come in three main forms: full publishing, co-publishing, and administration. Full publishing means you assign 100% of your copyright to the publisher. They own the composition. Co-publishing means you retain 50% of the copyright and 100% of the writer's share, while the publisher takes 50% of copyright and keeps their publisher's share of royalties. Administration means you retain 100% of copyright and the publisher only collects royalties, taking a percentage as their fee.

Songtrust LOMO deals are administration agreements, not copyright transfers. You keep ownership of your compositions. Songtrust gets the exclusive right to administer, register, and collect royalties for the life of copyright. This is better than a full publishing deal where you lose ownership, but worse than a term-limited admin deal where you can leave after three years.

Standard publishing deals with major publishers typically run for contract periods of three to five years, with options for the publisher to extend. After the term expires, rights revert to you unless the publisher exercises their extension option. Advances in traditional deals range from five figures for new writers to seven or eight figures for established catalogs. Songtrust LOMO advances are smaller, typically in the low five figures, because they are taking administration rights only, not copyright ownership.

Admin-only deals with term limits are the most common alternative to LOMO agreements. Kobalt, Sentric, Songtrust's own standard service, and UniteSync all offer administration with renewable terms. You can leave when the contract ends. Commission rates range from 10% to 20%. The trade-off is that these services do not pay advances, because they cannot guarantee long-term recoupment if you leave after one term.

What rights you transfer under a Songtrust LOMO agreement

Collection rights are the core of any administration deal. Songtrust gets the exclusive right to collect performance royalties, mechanical royalties, and micro-sync royalties from CMOs, MROs, DSPs, and other sources worldwide. You cannot collect directly from PRS, ASCAP, or GEMA while the Songtrust agreement is active. All payments flow through Songtrust, who deduct their commission and pay you the balance.

Registration rights mean Songtrust registers your works with every relevant CMO and MRO. They file CWR registrations, claim works in DDEX feeds, and submit metadata to ICE, MINT, and other rights hubs. Once registered, those claims remain in the CMO databases even if you later terminate the agreement. De-registering works is a manual process that requires Songtrust to file removal requests with each CMO, which they may not prioritize if you are no longer a client.

Licensing authority varies by agreement. Some Songtrust LOMO deals grant them the right to issue sync licenses, mechanical licenses, and other direct licenses on your behalf. Others limit Songtrust to collection only, requiring them to get your approval before licensing. Read the licensing clause carefully. If Songtrust can license your works without approval, they could place your song in a project you would have rejected, and you have no recourse.

When a LOMO deal makes sense for your catalog

Older catalog with limited earning potential is the most defensible use case for LOMO terms. If you have 50 songs from the 1990s that generate $500 per year total, and Songtrust offers you a $5,000 advance to take over administration permanently, the math may work. You get cash now for royalties you would have collected slowly over a decade. Songtrust gets a long-term asset that may appreciate if one of those songs gets placed in a film or covered by a major artist.

Works you want permanently administered without ongoing management make sense for LOMO deals if you are retiring from music, moving into a different career, or simply tired of dealing with royalty collection. A LOMO deal with a reputable administrator means your works stay registered and your royalties keep flowing without you having to monitor statements, file claims, or update metadata. Your heirs inherit the income stream without needing to understand music publishing.

In both scenarios, the key is that you are making a conscious decision to exit active management of those works. LOMO deals are not suitable for active catalogs you plan to grow, works that are increasing in value, or songs you may want to move to a different administrator in the future.

Red flags in LOMO agreements

No reversion clause means you have zero exit options. If Songtrust breaches the agreement, stops collecting royalties, or gets acquired by a company you do not want to work with, you are stuck. Reversion clauses are rare in LOMO deals, but their absence is a red flag. At minimum, negotiate for reversion if Songtrust fails to register your works within 12 months or fails to collect royalties for 24 consecutive months.

Broad definitions of "musical work" can pull in more than you intended to assign. If the agreement defines musical work to include derivative works, arrangements, translations, or adaptations, Songtrust may claim rights to new versions you create later. The definition should be limited to the specific compositions listed in the schedule of works attached to the agreement.

Assignment of future works is unacceptable in any publishing agreement unless you are signing a staff writing deal with a salary. If the Songtrust LOMO agreement includes language granting them rights to works you create during the term or after signing, do not sign. You should only assign existing works that you specifically identify.

Alternatives to LOMO deals with Songtrust

Songtrust's standard service operates on term-limited agreements. You sign up, connect your PRO and MRO accounts, and Songtrust registers your works. The agreement renews annually unless you cancel. Commission is 15% of collected royalties. No advance, no LOMO terms, no permanent assignment. This is the service most Songtrust users have. If you are being offered a LOMO deal, it is because you are negotiating something beyond the standard service.

Competing services with term-limited agreements include Kobalt, Sentric, CD Baby Pro, and TuneCore Publishing. Kobalt takes 15% and offers more robust reporting than Songtrust. Sentric takes 10% but is UK-focused with weaker coverage in the US and Asia. CD Baby Pro and TuneCore Publishing are distribution-bundled services that work well if you are already using those platforms for recording distribution.

UniteSync offers administration with no LOMO requirements and no commission-based pricing. Instead of taking a percentage of royalties, UniteSync charges a flat annual fee per work or per catalog tier. You keep 100% of collected royalties. The agreement is term-limited and you can cancel anytime. For catalogs generating over $2,000 per year, the flat-fee model is cheaper than commission-based services.

Self-administration is the alternative if you want full control. Register directly with your PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, PRS, GEMA, etc.), sign up with an MRO like MLC or MCPS, and handle your own claiming and royalty tracking. This works if you have a small catalog, release music infrequently, and do not mind the administrative overhead.

Questions to ask before signing any LOMO agreement

What are the reversion conditions? Under what circumstances can you reclaim your rights? If Songtrust fails to perform, can you terminate? If they are sold, do you have an exit option? Get specific answers in writing.

How are works de-registered if you leave? Does Songtrust file removal requests with every CMO, or do they leave the registrations in place and simply stop collecting? If registrations remain, you will have conflicts when you try to register with a new administrator. Get a written commitment that Songtrust will de-register your works within 90 days of termination.

What is the dispute resolution process? If you disagree with how Songtrust handled a royalty claim, licensing decision, or registration issue, how is it resolved? Arbitration clauses are common in publishing agreements. Make sure the arbitration location and governing law are acceptable.

LOMO deals are permanent decisions that affect your catalog for decades. Most songwriters are better served by term-limited administration agreements that preserve flexibility. If you are considering LOMO: What to Know Before Signing with Songtrust or any other publisher, have an attorney review the contract before signing. The money you spend on legal review is minor compared to the long-term value of your publishing rights.