Guide to Affiliating with a PRO or CMO

In 2025, ASCAP distributed $1.759 billion to its songwriter and publisher members. BMI distributes over $1.5 billion annually. SoundExchange has paid out $12 billion cumulatively since 2003. But only the creators who registered correctly see any of it.

$1.76B

distributed by ASCAP alone in 2025

Joining a PRO is the first step most songwriters learn about. But as Ari Herstand bluntly puts it, "registering with ASCAP or BMI is NOT enough to get paid" — PROs only collect one type of royalty, and most streaming income comes from a different type entirely.

What PROs and CMOs Actually Do

A PRO (Performance Rights Organization) collects performance royalties on behalf of songwriters and publishers. Every time a song is publicly performed — radio, streaming, live venue, TV — the entity responsible owes a royalty. PROs license these uses, track performances, and distribute the money.

In the US, the major PROs are:

• ASCAP — ~650,000 members, ~12 million songs
• BMI — ~800,000 members, ~13 million titles
• SESAC — invitation-only, smaller but selective
• GMR — boutique, invitation-only, major hitmakers

A CMO (Collective Management Organization) serves a similar function outside the US. The key difference: most CMOs collect both performance and mechanical royalties within their territory, while US PROs only collect performance royalties.

Major international CMOs include PRS for Music (UK), SOCAN (Canada), APRA AMCOS (Australia), GEMA (Germany), and SACEM (France).

US PROs have reciprocal agreements with these international CMOs, so you generally don't need to join a foreign CMO if you're already affiliated with a US PRO — doing so can actually create conflicts and delay payments.

How to Choose a PRO

The realistic choice is between ASCAP and BMI. SESAC and GMR are invitation-only.

	ASCAP	BMI
Writer fee	$50 one-time	Free
Publisher fee	$50 one-time	~$150 one-time
Contract term	1 year	2 years
Payment schedule	Quarterly	Quarterly (Feb, May, Aug, Nov)
Payment lag	6–9 months after performance	6–12 months after performance
Structure	Non-profit, member-owned	For-profit since 2024
Total distributed (2025)	$1.759 billion	$1.5B+ (estimated)

Neither PRO consistently pays more than the other. If cost matters, BMI is free for writers. If you value flexibility to switch, ASCAP's one-year contract makes that easier. For most independent songwriters, the choice does not materially affect your income. Pick one and focus on the registrations that actually move the needle.

How to Register

ASCAP

1. Go to ascap.com/membership and click "Join ASCAP"
2. Choose Writer or Publisher (if self-published, do both)
3. Provide legal name, date of birth, SSN (or ITIN/EIN for publishers)
4. Pay $50 one-time fee (per membership type)
5. Receive your IPI number within approximately one week
6. Start registering works through the ASCAP portal

BMI

1. Go to bmi.com/join and click "Join BMI"
2. Select Songwriter (free) or Publisher (~$150)
3. Provide legal name, SSN/EIN, and contact details
4. For publishers, submit three potential company names — BMI assigns the first available one
5. Receive your IPI number within approximately one week
6. Register works through the BMI portal

Your IPI Number

An IPI (Interested Party Information) number is a unique 9–11 digit identifier assigned to every songwriter and publisher globally. It's the thread that connects you to your royalties across every PRO and CMO in the world — when GEMA in Germany collects a performance royalty for your song, your IPI number is how they route the money to you.

You get your IPI automatically when you affiliate with a PRO. Find it by logging into your account or searching the ASCAP ACE database or BMI Repertoire.

Every split sheet, work registration, and distribution setup requires your IPI number and your co-writers'. Incorrect or missing IPI numbers are one of the most common reasons royalties go uncollected.

Writer vs. Publisher: Register as Both

When you create a song, performance royalties split into two shares:

• Writer's share (50%) — paid directly to you through your PRO. Cannot be signed away.
• Publisher's share (50%) — paid to whoever administers publishing for that song.

If you don't have a publishing deal and haven't set up your own publishing entity, the publisher's share sits uncollected. You're leaving half the performance royalties on the table.

The fix: register a publishing entity with your PRO. Both ASCAP and BMI let you create a publishing company under your account (unique business name required, publisher registration fee applies). Then register each song listing yourself as writer and your publishing entity as publisher.

PROs Only Collect Part of the Picture

Your PRO collects performance royalties. But streaming generates multiple royalty types:

Performance Royalties — Collected by your PRO (ASCAP/BMI). The "public performance" component of a stream. Handled automatically once you've registered the work.

Mechanical Royalties — When a streaming service reproduces your composition (every stream), a mechanical royalty is owed. Your PRO does not collect these. Register separately with the MLC (free). If you use a publishing administrator (Songtrust, CD Baby Pro, TuneCore Publishing), they may register with the MLC on your behalf — confirm with them.

Digital Performance Royalties — SoundExchange collects from non-interactive digital services (Pandora, SiriusXM, internet radio). These are royalties for the sound recording, not the composition. SoundExchange paid out $1.05 billion in 2024. Registration is free.

Sync Licensing — Film, TV, ads, and games require separate sync and master use licenses, negotiated directly or through a sync agent. Neither PROs nor the MLC handle this.

The Full Registration Checklist

1. PRO (ASCAP or BMI) — performance royalties for the composition
2. PRO publisher entity — publisher's share of performance royalties
3. The MLC — mechanical royalties from streaming/downloads
4. SoundExchange — digital performance royalties for the sound recording

Each is a separate registration. Missing any one means leaving money uncollected.

Common Mistakes That Cost You Royalties

• Registering works late. You will not receive retroactive royalties for performances before registration. Register before or immediately after release.
• Incorrect co-writer info. Every co-writer needs their correct legal name, IPI number, and PRO affiliation. Inconsistent data — splits that don't total 100%, misspelled names — causes societies to withhold royalties until resolved. (Note: BMI counts writer and publisher shares separately, so shares total 200% during registration.)
• Joining multiple PROs as a writer. You can only affiliate with one PRO at a time. Registering the same song at both puts royalties in escrow until the conflict resolves.
• Skipping the publisher entity. Without one, 50% of your performance royalties have nowhere to go.
• Title mismatches. The title in your PRO registration must match what platforms report. "Don't Look Back" vs "Dont Look Back" (no apostrophe) can prevent performance data from matching.

Keep Your Metadata Clean

Everything in the royalty chain depends on accurate metadata — IPI numbers, ownership percentages, song titles, ISRC codes. Every data point must be consistent across your PRO registration, distributor, MLC registration, and SoundExchange registration.

The best time to get this right is during the session — capture IPI numbers, agree on splits, and document everything in a split sheet before anyone leaves. The worst time is six months later when you're trying to register 15 songs from memory.

What to Do Right Now

1. Join ASCAP or BMI as a writer. BMI is free; ASCAP has shorter contracts.
2. Set up a publisher entity at the same PRO. Don't skip this.
3. Register with the MLC. Free. Mechanical royalties from streaming.
4. Register with SoundExchange. Free. Digital performance royalties.
5. Register every released work with your PRO. Include all co-writers with IPI numbers and agreed splits.
6. Consider a publishing administrator (Songtrust, CD Baby Pro, TuneCore Publishing) for international mechanical collection at scale.

Each registration takes 15–30 minutes. The hard part isn't the registration — it's knowing all of them exist and that you need every one to collect what you're owed.