BMI
is the largest PRO in the US, with free registration but fewer benefits than the others. It pays out slightly quicker than ASCAP at 5,5 months after the end of each quarter.
How much are ASCAP and BMI fees?
As a ballpark, in 2018, ASCAP’s
minimum annual fee is $380 for restaurants and bars and $246 for retail
. BMI is in the same range. And then you have SESAC.
How much does BMI pay per play?
If a local commercial radio feature performance is of a classical work, each performance will be paid at the minimum rate of
32 cents per minute total
for all participants.
Should I join BMI as a songwriter or publisher?
When should I join BMI? Joining BMI is an important early step in an aspiring songwriter, composer and/or artist’s career. If you
have written at least one musical composition
, either by yourself or with others, and the composition is currently being performed or is likely to be performed soon, you should join BMI.
Can you have ASCAP and BMI at the same time?
You can use the same business entity
(e.g. LLC) when registering as a publisher with ASCAP and BMI, but your affiliation name should be slightly different with each society.
Do I need both ASCAP and BMI licenses?
As BMI points out, holding a blanket license with one PRO does not give you permission to play music that exists within another PRO.
If you played a song with an ASCAP streaming license and another song licensed with BMI, you’d have to pay both ASCAP licensing fees and BMI licensing fees
.
How much does a BMI performance license cost?
How much does a BMI music license cost? The average BMI music license for a business costs
between $400 and $250 per year
, a number that can go up to $2000 depending on the size of the business and the number of locations.
Do I need Songtrust if I have BMI?
If you’re already registered with BMI (or any other performance rights organization),
you are free to choose to have Songtrust manage parts of your music catalog
and leave the rest to be done directly with your performance rights organization.
How do I get paid with BMI?
BMI royalties are performing right royalties, which are earned
when a musical work is performed publicly
. Public performance occurs when a song is sung or played, recorded or live, on radio and television, as well as through other media such as the Internet, live concerts and programmed music services.
How long is a BMI contract?
The initial term of BMI’s current standard publisher affiliation agreement is
five (5) years with
automatic renewals after that period unless the agreement is canceled in accordance with the specific conditions of your agreement.
Does BMI copyright your music?
Your composition is copyrighted automatically when the work is “created,” which the law defines as being “fixed” in a copy or a recording for the first time. The registration of your copyright is recommended, but not required.
BMI does not copyright works for you
.
Can I be my own music publisher?
Self-publishing means that you’re not only registered as a writer but also set up a body to serve as your publisher. When self-publishing your music, you hold all the rights, IP, publisher’s credit, and songwriter’s credit. You get all the royalties and full control of the compositional copyright.
Does Spotify pay BMI?
On songs you write and release. Spotify, Apple Music, Google, Amazon, etc etc pay these mechanical royalties directly to publishers (via collections agencies). …
Streaming services do NOT pay mechanical royalties to ASCAP
, BMI, SESAC, SOCAN or any other PRO.
What is better than BMI?
Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR)
WHtR is more accurate than BMI because it takes central fat into consideration. Central fat is important because it collects around the organs in your midsection and has been closely linked to conditions such as heart disease.
What is the purpose of ASCAP and BMI?
BMI and ASCAP are performance rights organizations (PROs) that
serve to protect the interests of songwriters
. Anyone who plays songs publicly is required to pay royalties to the songwriter if that songwriter has indicated they desire payment and they are a member.
What happens if I dont pay ASCAP?
Although the PROs are quiet when it comes to their rate structure,
they are vocal when venues do not pay their fees
. In April 2016, ASCAP sued 10 bars that did not comply. These infractions might not seem like much, but consider each case. ASCAP fined a Cincinnati-bar $90,000 for not paying an annual $5,000 fee.
