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Royalty Registration & Collection

How to Collect Your BMI Royalties

US performing-rights organization (PRO) collecting public-performance royalties for songwriters and publishers.

PROPerformance
Visit BMI →

BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) is one of the major US performing-rights organizations (PROs). It collects public-performance royalties on behalf of songwriters and publishers whenever their compositions are performed publicly — across streaming, radio, television, live venues, and businesses. Like every PRO, BMI splits each performance royalty into a writer's share and a publisher's share, and pays each side directly.

Songwriters affiliate with a single PRO, and publishers register with BMI to collect the publisher's share. If you're affiliated with BMI, Notes registers your compositions and publisher data so the performance royalties BMI collects are matched to you and reconciled alongside the rest of your catalog — with no percentage taken.

At a glance

BMI at a glance

Based in
United States
Pays
Quarterly
Territories
United States

How Notes works with this platform

What we do on BMI

  • Register. If you're affiliated with BMI, Notes registers your compositions and publisher data so the performance royalties BMI collects are matched to you.
  • Register. ISRCs, ISWCs, IPI numbers, and split data are submitted to BMI so payouts match the correct musician.
  • Collect. Public-performance royalties BMI collects for songwriters and publishers are reconciled with the rest of your catalog — no percentage taken.

What you earn here

Royalties BMI generates

BMI
Distribution Broadcast Publishing Performance
  • Distribution
  • Broadcast
  • Publishing
  • Performance

BMI collects these royalties on behalf of rightsholders. Notes registers you so the money it administers actually reaches you — in full, with no percentage taken.

How royalties reach you

The money flow through BMI

  1. Your music playsOn Spotify, Apple Music, and other services.
  2. BMI collectsBMI is the performing rights organization that gathers the royalties those plays generate in United States.
  3. You get paidNotes registers you with BMI so the money it collects actually reaches you — in full, with no percentage taken.

Collect everywhere

One song. Collected worldwide. Paid to you.

Your music earns through two layers. The first is distribution — the recording's streaming and download royalties, paid directly by the platforms everywhere they play it: one delivery, collected worldwide, no society involved. The second is society collections, and that's what this map shows — every territory has its own societies gathering what's earned there: performance and mechanical on the composition, plus neighbouring rights on the recording. The highlighted territories are where Notes is registered and collecting now; Notes reconciles both layers and pays it to you, with no percentage taken — and more light up as we sign them.
AndorraUnited Arab EmiratesAlbaniaArmeniaAngolaArgentinaAustriaAustraliaAzerbaijanBosnia and HerzegovinaBarbadosBelgiumBurkina FasoBulgariaBeninBoliviaBrazilBotswanaBelarusCanadaRepublic of the CongoSwitzerlandCôte d'IvoireChileChinaColombiaCosta RicaCubaCabo VerdeCzechiaGermanyDenmarkDominican RepublicAlgeriaEcuadorEstoniaSpainFinlandFranceUnited KingdomGhanaGuineaGreeceGuatemalaHong KongHondurasCroatiaHungaryIndonesiaIrelandIsraelIndiaIcelandItalyJamaicaJapanKenyaSouth KoreaKazakhstanSaint LuciaLesothoLithuaniaLuxembourgLatviaMoroccoMoldovaMontenegroMadagascarNorth MacedoniaMaliMacauMauritiusMalawiMexicoMalaysiaMozambiqueNamibiaNigeriaNetherlandsNorwayNepalNew ZealandPanamaPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalParaguayRomaniaSerbiaRussiaSwedenSingaporeSloveniaSlovakiaSenegalSurinameEl SalvadorThailandTürkiyeTrinidad and TobagoTaiwanTanzaniaUkraineUgandaUnited StatesUruguayVenezuelaVietnamKosovoSouth AfricaZimbabwe
  • Collecting now
  • On the map

What a song earns

  • PerformanceComposition · PROs
  • MechanicalComposition · MROs
  • Neighbouring rightsRecording · societies like SoundExchange
  • Master recordingsPaid directly by DSPs everywhere a song streams — distribution, not a society

The map shades the society-collected layer — the part that differs by territory. Master recordings are paid worldwide through distribution, so they sit outside the map.

Distribution + collectionsMaster worldwide, societies in every territory
Notes reconcilesOne place, no percentage taken
Paid to youThe musician, in full

Collection Sources

Questions musicians ask

Common questions about BMI

Who can affiliate with BMI?
Both songwriters/composers and music publishers can affiliate with BMI. Writers join to collect the writer's share of public-performance royalties; publishers join to collect the publisher's share. A songwriter affiliates with one PRO at a time.
How do I affiliate with BMI?
You apply directly through BMI, then register each composition with your splits, IPI/CAE number, and co-writers so performances can be matched to you. Notes submits your compositions, publisher data, IPI numbers, and splits so the performance royalties BMI collects are matched to you and paid in full.
What's the difference between ASCAP and BMI?
ASCAP and BMI are the two largest US performing rights organizations. Both license the public performance of compositions and collect performance royalties for songwriters and publishers, and a songwriter affiliates with one PRO at a time. They differ in corporate structure, governance, and payment schedules — review each organization's current terms to see which fits your catalog.
Does BMI collect royalties earned outside the US?
BMI collects US public-performance royalties and, through reciprocal agreements with performing-rights organizations abroad, the performance royalties your compositions earn internationally. Notes keeps your registrations aligned so none of it goes unclaimed.
Does Notes take a percentage?
No. Notes is a flat subscription — the royalties BMI collects on your behalf are paid to you in full.
What royalty types does BMI collect?
BMI collects Performance royalties.
What territories does BMI cover?
BMI is available in United States.
How often does BMI pay royalties?
BMI distributes royalties quarterly.
Where is BMI based?
BMI is based in United States.

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