Performance Rights Organizations (PROs)
Collecting performance royalties for the SONG — as both writer AND publisher.
What it is
A PRO collects public-performance royalties for your composition: streaming, radio, TV, live venues, restaurants, anywhere your song is publicly performed. In the U.S. the PROs are ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR.
When you need it
Before or right at release. Register yourself as a writer, set up the publisher side, then register each song.
ASCAP and BMI are OPEN registration — anyone can join directly. ASCAP: free for writers; a one-time $50 publisher application fee, waived if you join as writer AND publisher together (ascap.com). BMI: free for songwriters; a one-time publisher affiliation fee of $175 (individual), $250 (corporation/LLC), or $500 (partnership) (bmi.com). SESAC and GMR are invitation-only (see below). Fees change — verify current with each PRO.
Note: Confirmed from ascap.com and bmi.com's own FAQ (as of Jul 2026): ASCAP writer-free / $50 publisher (waived if joined together); BMI songwriter-free / publisher $175 individual, $250 corp/LLC, $500 partnership. Both PROs change fees over time, so the badge stays verify-current.
Where artists lose money
Performance royalties are split into a WRITER'S share and a PUBLISHER'S share. Most independent artists only ever register as a writer and never set up the publisher side — leaving the publisher's share (commonly ~50% of the performance royalty) on the table.
Writer side AND publisher side
When you register a song, the performance royalty it earns is divided into two shares: the writer's share and the publisher's share.
If you have no publishing entity, you're typically only collecting the writer's share. To capture the publisher's share you register a publishing entity (your own) with the SAME PRO and list it as the publisher on your songs.
You cannot mix PROs for the same writer — pick one PRO and register both your writer account and your publisher entity there.
Performance royalty = writer's share + publisher's share, commonly 50/50. Register both sides to collect both.
Note: 50/50 is the standard structure; confirm current mechanics with the PRO.
How to pick a PRO
ASCAP and BMI are the two largest U.S. PROs and are open to independent songwriters and publishers to join directly.
SESAC and GMR are invitation/affiliation-based rather than open sign-up — you generally don't just join them the way you join ASCAP or BMI. Verify current membership policies.
You can only be with one PRO as a writer at a time, so choose deliberately. Compare join fees, payment timing, and any writer/publisher requirements directly on their sites.
Open registration: anyone can join directly as a writer and/or publisher. No invitation needed. (This is the opposite of SESAC/GMR below.)
Invitation-only — you generally can't self-register. SESAC states it is 'an invitation-only company' and does not accept unsolicited submissions (sesac.com); GMR describes 'a select, invitation-only client base' (globalmusicrights.com). Confirm current policy.
Split sheets come first
Before you register a co-written song, everyone must agree on the writer splits. Do this with a signed split sheet BEFORE release using the Split-Sheet Generator.
Registering a song with the wrong splits, or before agreement, is how disputes and frozen royalties start.
Official links
- ASCAPwww.ascap.com
- BMIwww.bmi.com
- SESACwww.sesac.com
- GMR (Global Music Rights)globalmusicrights.com