Monetize › Rights & royalties admin
BMI
One of the two big U.S. performing rights organizations, representing more than 1.5 million songwriters, composers and publishers. BMI licenses compositions to streaming platforms, broadcasters, venues and businesses, then distributes public-performance royalties to affiliated rights holders.
- Best for
- Free US performance royalty collection for songwriters. Songwriters, composers, producers and self-publishing artists in the U.S. who want free PRO affiliation and the ability to collect both performance shares without paying to establish a separate publisher account.
- Skip if
- You have already joined ASCAP. You only own master recordings, do not contribute to songwriting, already belong to another U.S. PRO, such as ASCAP, or want one platform to collect mechanical, master and neighboring-rights royalties as well.
- First move
- Register free as a writer today. Join as a songwriter, enter tax and direct-deposit information, and register every song with accurate ownership splits. Leave the publisher section blank on fully self-published works so BMI can return the unassigned publisher share to you.
- Watch out
- BMI only collects composition performance royalties—not mechanical royalties, distributor income or SoundExchange royalties. Live performances must be submitted through BMI Live within its reporting window, while incorrect splits, duplicate registrations and missing cue sheets can delay payment. International royalties may take one to two years.
- Reach
- Industry-wide
- When
- Useful from day one.
- Based in
- United States