If you write songs and release music in the US, here is the short answer: join ASCAP or BMI. Both are free for songwriters in 2026. The other two American performing rights organizations, SESAC and GMR, will not even take your application — both are invitation-only.
The real differences sit one layer down. ASCAP is a member-owned nonprofit that returned roughly 90 cents of every dollar it collected in 2025. BMI became a for-profit company after a private equity sale closed in February 2024, and it now aims to pay out 85% of what it collects. This guide covers what a PRO actually collects, what each one costs, when the money arrives, and why none of it comes through your distributor.
What a PRO actually collects
PRO stands for performing rights organization. A PRO collects performance royalties: money owed to songwriters and music publishers whenever a composition is performed in public. “Performed” is a broad word here. It covers radio and TV airplay, streaming, live concerts, and background music in bars, restaurants, gyms, and stores. Businesses pay blanket license fees to the PROs, and the PROs divide that pool among the writers and publishers whose songs were used.
One detail decides who gets paid. Every song carries two separate copyrights. The composition — melody, harmony, lyrics — belongs to the songwriters and their publishers. The master recording belongs to the recording artist and the label. PROs pay the composition side only. If you sang on a hit record but wrote none of it, a PRO owes you nothing.
The money a PRO does not touch
Three other royalty streams exist, and a PRO handles none of them:
- Distribution royalties. This is recording-side income from streams and downloads, paid by your distributor. DistroKid’s own help pages confirm it does not register songs with ASCAP, BMI, or any PRO — that part is on you. Our breakdown of how much Spotify pays per stream covers the recording side in detail.
- Mechanical royalties. These cover the right to reproduce a composition onto recordings. In the US, streaming and download mechanicals are collected by The MLC, a nonprofit created under the 2018 Music Modernization Act. It has run the blanket mechanical license since January 2021, and it is free to join.
- Sync fees. These are one-off payments for placing music in film, TV, ads, and games. No collecting society exists for sync; every deal is negotiated directly. Our sync licensing guide explains how those deals work.
Here is the part that trips people up: a single stream on Spotify or Apple Music generates both a performance royalty (your PRO collects it) and a mechanical royalty (The MLC collects it), on top of the recording royalty your distributor pays. Three pipes, one play. The same logic applies on every platform in our streaming services comparison.
ASCAP vs BMI vs SESAC: quick comparison
| ASCAP | BMI | SESAC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open to anyone? | Yes | Yes | No — invitation only |
| Songwriter cost | Free ($50 fee suspended since Feb 2023) | Free | No open applications |
| Publisher fee | $50 one-time; waived if you join as writer + publisher together | $175 individual / $250 corp or LLC / $500 partnership | Not published |
| Ownership | Member-owned nonprofit | For-profit (New Mountain Capital, since Feb 2024) | Privately held, for-profit |
| Payout schedule | Rolling monthly cycle | Quarterly: Feb, May, Aug, Nov | Roughly quarterly; monthly radio option (not officially published) |
| Share paid to members | ~90 cents per dollar (2025) | Stated target: 85% | Not published |
ASCAP in 2026: free, member-owned, monthly cycle
Joining ASCAP as a writer currently costs nothing. The $50 writer application fee has been suspended since February 13, 2023. ASCAP describes the suspension as temporary, so the fee could return one day — but as of mid-2026 you pay zero. Joining as a publisher only costs a one-time, non-refundable $50, and even that is waived if you sign up as a writer and publisher at the same time. That combined signup is the smart move if you self-publish.
ASCAP remains a member-owned nonprofit, and its latest numbers are the strongest in its history. In its February 2026 press release, ASCAP reported record 2025 revenue of $1.945 billion, up 6% over 2024, with $1.759 billion made available for royalty distributions. That works out to roughly 90 cents of every dollar going back to members, with about 10% kept for overhead. ASCAP also added more than 80,000 new members in 2025, passing 1.1 million in total.
On the practical side, ASCAP pays on a rolling monthly cycle (more on that below), and with direct deposit it pays out any royalty amount of $1 or more. Paper checks require a $100 balance, so set up direct deposit on day one.
BMI in 2026: free for writers, but now for-profit
Songwriter affiliation with BMI is free. BMI’s current FAQ confirms there are no fees or annual dues of any kind for songwriters and composers. One caveat: BMI quietly charged new songwriters a $75 registration fee for a stretch in late 2023 before removing it, so it never hurts to double-check the signup page. Right now, free means free.
The publisher side costs more than ASCAP. BMI charges a one-time, non-refundable fee of $175 for an individual publisher, $250 for a corporation or LLC, and $500 for a partnership.
The bigger story is ownership. Private equity firm New Mountain Capital agreed to buy BMI in November 2023 and completed the deal in February 2024, converting BMI into a for-profit company, with Google’s CapitalG taking a minority stake. BMI paid $100 million of the sale proceeds out to affiliates in March 2024. Under the new model, CEO Mike O’Neill has said the goal is to distribute 85% of licensing revenue and retain about 15% — up from a historical overhead of around 10% — as reported by Music Business Worldwide.
BMI no longer publishes full annual reports. Its last fully public year, the fiscal year ended June 2022, showed $1.57 billion collected and $1.471 billion distributed. The scale has not shrunk, though: BMI’s May 2026 distribution letter announced a single-quarter payout above $500 million — a first for any PRO, by BMI’s own account — including retroactive radio payments covering 2022 through 2024.
SESAC and GMR: the invitation-only PROs
SESAC, founded in February 1931 by Paul Heinecke, works on a completely different model. It represents just over 15,000 affiliated writers and publishers and licenses more than 1.5 million songs — tiny next to ASCAP’s million-plus members, and that is the point. A small roster with heavy hitters like Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, RUSH, Adele, Jack Harlow, and Ariana Grande gives SESAC leverage and lets it be selective.
You cannot simply apply. SESAC calls itself “an invitation-only company” in its official FAQ and suggests having a lawyer, manager, or agent make contact on your behalf. There is no open application form.
Global Music Rights (GMR) is even more exclusive. Founded in 2013 by music executive Irving Azoff, it positions itself as the first new US PRO in nearly 75 years and keeps a small, hand-picked client list. Same rule: they call you, not the other way around.
For a working songwriter starting out, the practical takeaway is simple. Your decision is ASCAP versus BMI. If your catalog later builds serious airplay, your representatives can open the SESAC or GMR conversation for you.
How and when the money shows up
Performance royalties move slowly. Broadcasters, venues, and streaming services report usage, the PRO matches those reports to registered works, and the money lands months later. Here is what each schedule looks like.
ASCAP’s schedule
ASCAP runs a rolling monthly cycle across royalty types. Domestic writer distributions typically land in January, April, July, and October; international distributions in February, May, August, and November; and domestic publisher distributions in March, June, September, and December. Dates are estimates and can shift. The lag matters too: publishers are paid roughly two quarters after a performance happens, and writers roughly three. A song streamed in April pays its writer early the following year.
BMI’s schedule
BMI distributes quarterly, in February, May, August, and November, with performances generally paid six to nine months after they occur. BMI’s own royalty policy sets a $2 minimum for direct deposit, while paper checks require a $250 balance in the February, May, and November distributions (lowered to $25 in August) — so, once again, just use direct deposit.
SESAC’s schedule
SESAC does not publish a full payment calendar. Industry sources describe quarterly payouts arriving roughly 90 days after each performance quarter ends, with an opt-in for monthly radio royalty payments. If you ever get the invitation, the exact terms will be in your agreement.
One more split to understand: performance royalties divide into a writer’s share and a publisher’s share, typically 50/50 in the US. If you self-publish and only register as a writer, the publisher half sits unclaimed. Register as both — ASCAP even waives the publisher fee when you do it in one signup. Over time, those steady PRO statements become real financial assets; they are exactly the paperwork lenders examine for music catalog loans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my distributor already collect PRO royalties?
No. Distributors pay recording-side royalties only. DistroKid states plainly that it does not register music with ASCAP, BMI, or any PRO. If you write your own material and never affiliate with a PRO, your composition performance royalties simply go uncollected — the money exists, but nobody routes it to you.
Do I need The MLC too?
If you write and self-publish, yes. Your PRO collects performance royalties; The MLC collects US streaming mechanicals. Both are free to join, so a self-released songwriter should hold both memberships. The alternative is hiring a publishing administrator, which handles registrations everywhere in exchange for a cut.
Which pays more, ASCAP or BMI?
There is no public head-to-head comparison per song. Both operate at enormous scale: ASCAP collected $1.945 billion in 2025, while BMI’s last public annual (fiscal 2022) showed $1.57 billion, and its May 2026 quarter alone topped $500 million. ASCAP returned about 90 cents per dollar in 2025; BMI’s stated target is 85%. Your personal earnings depend far more on where your songs get played than on the logo on your statement. If streaming drives your plays, understanding how Spotify’s algorithm works will move your income more than switching PROs.
I perform or produce but don’t write. Should I join a PRO?
Only composition owners receive PRO royalties. If you co-wrote anything — a melody, a lyric, a credited part of the track — join a PRO and register your split. If you only perform on the recording, no PRO money is owed to you; your income flows through the master side instead. If the publishing world still feels murky, a structured music business course can shortcut a lot of expensive confusion.
The bottom line
If you are a US songwriter without a PRO in 2026, fix that this week. ASCAP and BMI both cost nothing to join as a writer, and every public performance of your songs earns money that someone else keeps until you claim it.
Pick ASCAP if the member-owned nonprofit structure, the roughly 90-cents-per-dollar payout rate, and the monthly rolling cycle with a $1 direct deposit minimum appeal to you. Pick BMI if you prefer its quarterly rhythm and are comfortable with the new for-profit model and its 85% target — its record $500 million quarter shows the machine still delivers. SESAC and GMR are not choices; they are invitations, and they come later in a career, if at all.
Then finish the job: join The MLC for free, keep your distributor for the recording side, and register every song everywhere. Publishing income keeps growing as licensing expands into new formats — our music trends guide tracks where that growth is headed.
Riya has spent six years writing about music. At OST Vibes she covers soundtracks for film, series and games — who scored what, what is actually on each official release, and where to listen to it. Her focus is English-language pop and screen music. Spot a mistake in a tracklist or a credit? Email [email protected] and it will be corrected.