Every time a song is performed publicly — radio, streaming, a bar, a gym, a TV show — the songwriter and publisher are owed a public performance royalty. That is separate from the recording royalty, separate from mechanicals, and separate from sync fees. Performing rights organizations are the only practical way to collect it.
In the U.S. there are three that matter for most writers. You can only affiliate with one at a time as a writer, though co-writers on different PROs is completely normal — each registers their own share.
ASCAP: member-owned and open
Founded in 1914, ASCAP is the oldest U.S. PRO and the only nonprofit, member-governed one. Its board is elected by songwriters and publishers, and it publishes its distribution rules openly. It has broad reach in pop, film and TV, jazz, classical, and Latin repertoire. Joining as a writer carries a modest one-time fee, and payouts run quarterly with roughly a two-quarter lag.
BMI: the largest, and now for-profit
BMI is the biggest PRO by affiliate count, with well over a million writers and publishers, and it dominates country and hip-hop. It is free to join as a writer and typically the fastest to onboard. It became a for-profit company in 2024 following its sale to New Mountain Capital, a change the songwriter community has debated loudly — worth understanding before you sign, not after.
SESAC: invitation only
SESAC is the smallest of the three and cannot be joined by application — it approaches writers whose catalogs it believes it can monetize. Because it is not bound by the consent decrees governing ASCAP and BMI, it negotiates licenses directly and has a reputation for strong per-performance payouts, alongside less public transparency about how distribution is calculated. If you are a new writer, it is simply not on the table yet.
How to actually decide
- Writing country or hip-hop, or want the fastest onboarding at no cost? BMI is the common default.
- Want a member-governed nonprofit with published distribution rules? ASCAP.
- Working across film, TV, and Latin repertoire? Both ASCAP and BMI have deep catalogs there; check which one your frequent collaborators use.
- Already have chart placements, meaningful sync history, or a catalog with proven earnings? A SESAC conversation may find you.
Whichever you pick, affiliation is only half the job. Register every work, keep splits accurate, and pair PRO registration with The MLC for U.S. streaming mechanicals. An unregistered work earns nothing regardless of which logo is on your account.
