How Do I Register With Bmi And Ascap

Professional musicians, songwriters, and composers can license their work and so that they get paid when other people or businesses use their music. Today we help you sympathise the 2 best licensing companies out there, ASCAP vs. BMI...

Performing rights organizations (PROs) exist to help musicians manage the licensing and rights to their work, and so they get the royalties they are entitled to.

Ii of the biggest in North America are the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and Circulate Music, Inc. (BMI).

If you're a musician and looking for a PRO to license your work, how do you know which 1 to choose? Let'south take a closer wait at ASCAP and BMI to find out how they're alike, how they're different, and which is the correct 1 for you.

What Exactly Does a PRO Exercise?

If you lot're writing or creating music with the hopes of making money, a PRO is something to consider. Any fourth dimension your music is played in public, you are entitled to royalties, however in that location is no way you can keep runway of this on your ain. That'due south where a PRO comes in.

A PRO represents catalogs of music, from hundreds of thousands of artists that businesses or other people can pay to use, whether information technology's played over the sound system in a cafe, retail shop or performed publicly on TV, radio, or stage.

What a PRO does not do is collect money for songs streamed on Spotify or other streaming services from online music distribution. Those services typically consequence their own payments. That being said, music played on television and radio reaches a much larger audience, which brings in a lot more royalties than one person listening on their smartphone.

If y'all're hoping to exist a commercial success, joining a PRO is a skillful first step.

What Are ASCAP & BMI?

Though there are others that are gaining ground, such as the Order of European Phase Authors and Composers (SESAC), ASCAP and BMI keep to exist the reigning champions.

History of ASCAP

ASCAP was one of the showtime PROs. It was started dorsum in 1914 as a non-profit that protected its members' copyrighted music from being performed in public. This eventually included radio, telly broadcasts, every bit well as live performances.

ASCAP is known for working with artists and composers from many genres, including famous names like Stevie Wonder and Leonard Bernstein. There are more than 735,000 artists in their catalog.

Businesses that want access to the catalog from ASCAP artists pay membership fees to access it. ASCAP then pays the coin to its artists as royalties. ASCAP is owned by its members and artists sit on the Lath of Directors. New board members are nominated every two years.

To join ASCAP, artists take to pay a one-time membership fee with no annual ante. Membership automatically renews unless it'due south canceled, and members get a lot of data about how payments are calculated and distributed.

History of BMI

BMI works similarly to ASCAP. It collects license fees from businesses that want to use its artists' recordings and distributes them as royalties.

Its catalog includes more than fifteen meg songs from more than 1 million artists across many genres. They work with a lot of big names, including Patti LaBelle, Rihanna, composer John Williams, and stand for Michael Jackson'south catalog.

BMI was founded in 1939 as an alternative to ASCAP. That year, ASCAP announced that radio stations would have to pay for a blanket license, which gave them a fixed percentage of the station'southward revenue, regardless of how many songs were played from ASCAPs itemize.

BMI was started as a more affordable alternative to ASCAP, instantly bringing competition and giving radio stations, and other businesses an alternative.

In 1941, most radio stations in the U.S. cutting ties with ASCAP and went to BMI. BMI also looked for artists that ASCAP overlooked and purchased catalogs from independent music publishers and artists whose ASCAP contracts were nearing expiration dates.

To attract new talent, BMI offered to compensate artists using a stock-still functioning fee, instead of using a tiered system similar ASCAP. Consequently, BMI drastically expanded their scope, representing artists from gospel, blues, jazz, county, folk, and rock and curlicue.

Currently, BMI works with boob tube, radio stations, podcasts, ringtones, bars, nightclubs, symphonies, digital jukeboxes, and live concerts.

Mutual Ground

Today, ASCAP and BMI have a lot in common. They both split royalties 50/50 between the songwriter and publishers, permit you to register your performances online, and pay 88 percent of the money to the artists.

So, how are they unlike? Allow's have a look.

The Differences Between ASCAP & BMI

Today, BMI represents more artists and songs than ASCAP, though ASCAP numbers remain extremely impressive. BMI has a million members and about 15 meg songs, while ASCAP has about 735,000 members and 11.5 one thousand thousand songs.

Payments from the ii are pretty like. They both take enough of time before paying artists for songs played. ASCAP takes close to 7 months afterward the quarter in which the song was played to distribute funds. BMI takes most six months.

ASCAP has a minimum payment of $1 for a direct deposit or $100 for a newspaper cheque. BMI has a $ii direct eolith minimum and a $250 minimum for a paper check, though they exercise send you lot a cheque for what you're owed at the end of the agenda year, if it's more than $25.

ASCAP offers a standard one-year contract that renews automatically while BMI's contract is for 2 years. Note that y'all cannot register the aforementioned songs with ane PRO while under contract with some other. BMI is free, while ASCAP charges a one-time fee of $50.

	ASCAP	BMI
Members	735,000	1 one thousand thousand
Songs	11.v one thousand thousand	15 million
Payment Time	7 months	6 months
Minimum Payment	$1 / $100	$2 / $250
Contract Length	1 year	two years
Membership Dues	$l one-fourth dimension	Free

Above is a convenient summary of the information presented in this department. We dig deeper into the perks and experiences below.

Are There Whatsoever Perks to Joining ASCAP or BMI?

Both ASCAP and BMI offer perks to their members to sweeten the deal.

Artists that join ASCAP proceeds access to the "I Create Music Expo" in LA and various award shows. They offer workshops to showcase their artists, as well as a membership to the The states Brotherhood Federal Credit Union and a discounted membership to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

ASCAP artists also get discounts on life, wellness, musical instrument, and dental insurance, as well every bit music-related services and products, hotels, and even car rentals.

BMI offers a lot of similar perks, including admission to songwriting workshops, award shows, as well as discounts on music products and services, multiple conferences and a Songwriters Hall of Fame membership.

The BMI Stage at the 2017 Hangout Music Festival

Artists also go the opportunity to perform on the BMI phase, at some of the biggest music festivals in the land.

As far every bit famous artists get, you're in proficient visitor no matter which you choose. ASCAP is home to big names like Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, and Ariana Grande while BMI represents Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and Kendrick Lamar.

Which is Amend: ASCAP or BMI?

It'due south hard to say which, in a fight between ASCAP vs BMI, is best. Information technology depends on what you're looking for!

The argument can be made that ASCAP is better because they provide their artists with a little more information. For example, they let you meet your cue sheets (which tell you who played your songs, then y'all know what to look when it comes fourth dimension for your payout).

Y'all can too export your data, including graphs and charts that runway your royalties and provide insights on what songs generated the most royalties. ASCAP also offers its artists more opportunities to perform live.

On the other hand, the argument can also be made that BMI is better. Some artists claim that BMI collects more than comprehensive data, leading to bigger paychecks. Information technology is as well important to annotation that BMI tin can be more useful to newer artists, especially if they are their own publishers.

Something that a lot of artists want to know is which PRO pays better and, unfortunately, that's a tough question to answer. Rest assured that both ASCAP and BMI are legitimate non-profits that pay artists according to the terms of their agreement.

But how much each creative person makes varies drastically. The best affair to exercise is talk to young man musicians who are members of either ASCAP or BMI and see what their experiences are. Then decide for yourself. It volition be very comparable for two artists with the same number of vocal plays.

Of course, much of this depends on your own willingness to go out there with your music marketing plan and increment your fanbase, especially before yous're signed to a major label. They'll expect you to take done that, also. Major labels don't want to nurture artists much any more than. They desire to sign the already successful and amplify that.

That's ASCAP vs. BMI in Summary

ASCAP and BMI are both legitimate PROs that help artists collect the royalties they're due and work in the aforementioned style. These two nonprofits started as competitors and, in many means, are withal competing today.

In addition to tracking how many times artists' songs are played and issuing royalty payments, both ASCAP and BMI offering a lot of perks that are super helpful to independent and working musicians.

Truth be told, in that location aren't that many differences betwixt the 2.

BMI is free to bring together, represents more than artists, and has a bigger content catalog.

ASCAP has a one-fourth dimension $50 fee but offers artists more chances to play at live events.

Both represent a lot of big names so you're in good company no matter which one you choose.

If yous want to brand sure you're getting all the money you deserve from your music, joining a PRO is fundamental. Inquire around and see what other artists recommend between ASCAP vs. BMI earlier choosing the one that's right for you.

Jared H.

Jared H. LedgerNote Author Headshot Jared has surpassed his 20th twelvemonth in the music manufacture. He acts every bit possessor, editor, atomic number 82 author, and spider web designer of LedgerNote, as well as co-writer on all manufactures. He has released four contained albums and merchandise to global sales. He has also mixed, mastered, & recorded for endless independent artists. Learn more about Jared & The LN Team here.