In conversation with Karoline Zobens-East: on publishing, composers and the Baltic choral world

After a long career at Warner Chappell, Karoline Zobens-East now works closely with composers at Musica Baltica, balancing global rights expertise with a boutique publisher’s closeness to the music itself.

‘Music rights are music rights,’ she says. ‘The core principles of music publishing remain the same, regardless of the repertoire you’re working with.’

From global to boutique

Describing her shift from Warner Chappell to Musica Baltica, Zobens-East says this sharpened her relationship with the music itself. While much of her professional career unfolded in popular music, choral singing has always been part of her life. ‘I grew up in a choral family and sang in choirs for many years,’ she says. ‘So the choral world isn’t entirely foreign to me. There’s a familiarity I’ve carried into this role.’

What has changed most strikingly is scale. At Warner Chappell, her work operated globally by default. ‘Almost everything was international: complex licensing structures, worldwide registrations and significant royalty flows moving across territories,’ she recalls. ‘My team worked across multiple regions and with a wide network of partners.’

Musica Baltica operates very differently. With a core publishing team of five, the work is far more hands-on. ‘Sometimes it feels like I’ve gone back to basics,’ she says, ‘but in a way that’s grounding and refreshingly practical. Decisions can be made quickly, and issues are usually resolved fairly smoothly.’

What carries across

Despite the shift in scale, some principles are non-negotiable. ‘The composer must be at the centre of everything you do,’ Zobens-East says. ‘Without them, we simply don’t have a business. Every decision should be guided by what’s best for the composer, and sometimes that even means choosing not to publish something.’

Strong administration remains equally critical. ‘Clean data and accurate registrations underpin everything. Smaller publishers can sometimes overlook that, but good data is essential regardless of size.’

The advantages of a boutique publisher, she notes, lie in flexibility. ‘We can make decisions incredibly quickly, without layers of approval. That allows us to respond to composer needs and pursue projects that feel creatively right.’

What publishing means now

Zobens-East is unconvinced by claims that sheet-music publishing is in decline. ‘I don’t think our role is disappearing at all. It’s expanding,’ she says. ‘We’re no longer just custodians of printed scores. We’re becoming creative partners, data managers and digital distributors.’

Composers now expect their music to be discoverable instantly and globally, often in multiple formats. ‘That means investing in metadata, efficient digital delivery and adaptable workflows, while still maintaining high editorial and engraving standards.’

For her, the fundamentals remain constant. ‘We’re the custodians of the copyrights entrusted to us. Our responsibility is to adapt so composers are never left behind.’

Rather than fragmentation, she sees diversification. ‘Self-publishers, digital platforms and traditional publishers all share the same goal: getting music into the hands of performers. The most successful models will be those that collaborate across these approaches.’

Copyright, income and reality

Digital change has sharpened long-standing tensions around income. ‘Streaming is very much a love–hate relationship,’ she admits. ‘It’s a powerful discovery tool, but the royalties that reach composers are often tiny.’

Large publishers may have leverage with platforms, she notes, but smaller ones generally do not. ‘We largely have to accept the rates on offer.’

Digital score downloads, however, are a growing focus. ‘Printing is one of our largest expenses. Offering digital editions reduces those costs and makes production more sustainable in the long term.’

Working with choirs and performers

Questions around copying and licensing remain common at choir level. Zobens-East is clear where she stands. ‘If you want to perform a piece of music, it should be from a legally obtained score. Otherwise, the only person who really loses out is the composer.’

At the same time, Musica Baltica’s size allows flexibility. ‘We understand budget pressures, and we’re always open to discussion and tailored arrangements that allow choirs to stay within budget while still supporting creators.’

Online performance adds further complexity. ‘Many people don’t realise that uploading a performance to YouTube may require a licence. Copyright can be complicated, and it isn’t always well understood.’

Language, repertoire and discovery

Composer selection at Musica Baltica is now more strategic than in the past. ‘Historically, the publisher operated almost like a music information centre for Latvian composers,’ she explains. ‘That model just isn’t sustainable anymore.’

Discovery often happens organically through Latvia’s close-knit musical community. ‘We’re frequently introduced to emerging composers through our existing roster, which works incredibly well.’

Language has proved less of a barrier than expected. ‘When I first started, I assumed everything would need to be translated,’ she says. ‘In reality, many choirs actively seek out the original Latvian texts.’

She points to Laura Jēkabsone’s ‘Pērkontēvs’ as a striking example. ‘Although the English version is hugely successful, many choirs specifically request the Latvian original and perform it beautifully.’

The choral world in Latvia

Latvia’s choral tradition underpins much of Musica Baltica’s work. ‘Choral music here is part of the social fabric,’ Zobens-East says. ‘From children’s choirs to professional ensembles and the Song and Dance Festival tradition, there’s a constant dialogue between composers and performers.’

Government support for composers is substantial, but international promotion often falls to publishers. ‘No one wants a piece to be performed just once. There’s room for more long-term planning.’

Making music, looking ahead

Alongside her publishing role, Zobens-East remains an active musician. She performs with Austrumkalns, a Latvian pop-folk group, and with The Great Malarkey, a genre-blurring band touring across Europe. ‘I need that creative outlet,’ she says. ‘Otherwise life would just be contracts and royalties.’

Looking ahead, success for Musica Baltica is clear. ‘If our composers feel supported, and more Baltic music is being heard and performed around the world, then we’ll know we’re on the right path.’