Performing Rights Organisation · United States

How to register with BMI.

Register with BMI — the free US performing rights organization — to collect performance royalties every time your compositions are streamed, broadcast, or performed publicly in the US.

⏱ 20–30 minutesPerformance royalties

Join BMI as a Writer (Free)

Apply online at bmi.com/join. Writer membership is completely free with no audition or approval process.

You will need:

Your legal name and date of birth

Mailing address

Tax information (W-9 for US residents; W-8BEN for non-residents)

Bank account details for direct deposit

Note: In 2024, BMI transitioned from a non-profit to a for-profit model, now owned by private equity. Royalty payment structures have not changed, but governance shifted from the broadcast industry to private investors.

You cannot be a member of both BMI and ASCAP — choose one.

Join BMI →

Why this matters

BMI's open-door, no-fee structure makes it the most accessible PRO for emerging artists. BMI typically processes royalty payments approximately **one month faster** than ASCAP.

Common mistake

Also joining ASCAP. You must choose one. Attempting to join both will result in one membership being rejected.

Set Up a Publishing Entity (if independent)

Publisher registration fees (one-time):

Individual Publisher: $175

Corporation or LLC: $250 (requires business documentation)

Partnership: $500

Choose a unique publisher name. Most artists use "[Your Name] Music" or "[Your Name] Songs."

BMI's unique framing: BMI reports writer at 100% and publisher at 100% separately — not 50/50. Both amounts are yours if you're independent. This is just how BMI expresses the split.

Why this matters

Without a publishing entity, the publisher share of every royalty BMI collects for your works goes uncollected. For an independent artist, this is leaving money on the table every single quarter.

Common mistake

Being confused by BMI's "100%/100%" language. BMI pays the writer their 100% writer share and the publisher their 100% publisher share separately — it's not doubling your money, it's just how they denominate the two halves.

Register Your Works

Log into BMI.com and register your compositions via Title Registration. For each work:

Song title (must match distributor metadata exactly)

Your writer percentage (100% if sole writer)

Co-writer details and IPI numbers

ISRC codes for each recording

An ISWC will be auto-assigned once your submission is processed.

BMI Title Registration

Why this matters

BMI matches plays to registered titles to calculate royalties. Unregistered works generate money that sits unmatched in a general distribution pool.

Common mistake

Not registering co-writer IPI numbers. Without them, BMI cannot route the co-writer's share correctly — your share calculation may also be incorrect.

Register with The MLC (Critical Follow-Up)

BMI collects performance royalties only. It does NOT collect mechanical royalties from streaming.

Why this matters

The MLC was created specifically to close the mechanical royalty gap for independent US songwriters. Streaming generates two separate royalties — performance (BMI collects) and mechanical (The MLC collects). You need both.

Common mistake

Assuming BMI handles streaming royalties end-to-end. It handles the performance side. The MLC handles the mechanical side. Both are required.

After you register

BMI does NOT collect mechanical royalties. Register with The MLC (free) to collect your streaming mechanical royalties from Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon — this is the most commonly missed royalty for US indie artists.

Rekon tracks whether you're actually registered with BMI — and 36 others.

Connect your platforms once and Rekon flags every registration gap automatically, with the exact fix for each.

Rekon is independent of BMI. It is not affiliated with, authorised by, or sponsored by it.