ASCAP vs BMI | Which PRO Is Right For You?
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- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
- in ASCAP vs BMI I discuss what a Performance Rights Organization (PRO) is and which major United States organization you should consider.
Performing Rights Organizations are a must to be apart of, but you need to understand that they aren't going to launch your career. They are a piece of the royalty puzzle.
During my ASCAP vs BMI battle I discuss the two main differences which are...
1. Up front costs
2. Royalty Distribution
There is a third major player in the PRO world, and that is SESAC. SESAC however is an exclusive society. You have to apply, get invited, or be recommended by another member to get in.
Currently on their website they are not taking any unsolicited applications.
In this ASCAP vs BMI video I also touch on the history of PRO's, Publishing Admin, and non-interactive digital royalties.
For my break down of publishing admin companies like CD Baby and Tunecore please check out my resource ... • TuneCore Vs CD Baby | ...
Another good resource on a similar topic is my video Music Directories | Are Resources Like The Indie Bible Worth It? Check it out here ... • Music Directories | Ar...
I hope that this video helps you along your journey to getting paid!
editors note ASCAP will collect non-interactive streaming royalties as well for copyright holders. SoundExchange collects for Master Recording Owners and Performers. For full explanation please visit johnson.audio/...
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One of the best message on this subject on UA-cam.... other people are bias to the PRO they work for or used to work for or affiliated with...that's for being objective.
Brad, thanks for this. This is a VERY nebulous and confusing topic. I'd like to add something. I'm a BMI writer and Publisher and an ASCAP publisher. My first royalty check was for $12.00 and I was psyched. Now I earn thousands of dollars every quarter. If you are a SERIOUS musician, don't let a $150 be a factor. If you are a Hit songwriter or A list film composer ASCAP is the way. If you're a composer for film and TV and have a majority of your work playing on cable stations. BMI is superior by far. They pay almost twice as much and they pay on everything. ASCAP does a sampling of the music broadcast each quarter. If the shows you have music in are in the sample you get paid. As Brad said, both have programs to help the career of artists. Best if you're in NY, LA or Nashville. Brad, keep it up Brother!!!
Thanks Brad! Very good, and nicely balanced take on things, IMHO! Looking forward to watching more of your videos! Also about to follow you on social media. Take care! 😃
Thank you for this! I’ve been trying to decide for a while now and you’re the only person who seems to have their facts straight haha! Makes my decision a lot easier
Concise, and you hit all the facts. thanks for the info!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. I am glad to hear that you learned something from the video.
Blessings & thanks for taking 7:20 mins of your precious time to break things down God bless sir 💙❤️💕
Thank you! This was very very informative. I appreciate the time you took to make this video...Subscribed! =)
Thanks Kim! I'm glad that the information was helpful for you and I appreciate the sub!
Brilliant straight to the point, Clear, easy to understand
Thanks man, very helpful.
You have BMI all wrong buddy. To clarify, the Purpose of a Publisher account with a PRO to is to link your LLC Publishing company or you as a Self-Publisher with your PRO in order to receive the Publisher share of Peformance royalties. You still need to pay $150 with BMI just like $50 with ASCAP to affiliate yourself or $250 your LLC. BMI does NOT pay you both Publisher/Writer under the writer's account. Hope this makes sense.
Yeah, I thought that was off when he said it. I've been watching a BUNCH of videos just to make sure I'm making the right decisions as I create music and he was definitely the person to say this. Thanks for clarifying!
Could you explain how BMI pay royalties? How to transfer money. How that process is done ?
start from here 2:12
This is the video ❤️❤️ I'm still have a few questions
1. those 100 in ascap is per song? Or as many as I want.
2. I have tune core, it's not necessary to do this? Do they do that work for me? Or I still need to register my songs with ascap
Thanks a lot
Great video! Answered all my questions! 👍🏼
How about if you register as a songwriter at BMI (free) and then register as publisher with ASCAP ($50)? Or does BMI pay out both songwriter and publisher shares if you are simply registered as songwriter. Sorry that was complex...
my question exactly, did you ever get an answer elsewhere?
Bmi pays both for songwriters if you aren't publishing your own work and have no publishing conflicts like collaborative arrangements or third party label interests
You don’t need to be registered as a publisher to collect publisher shares, signing up as a writer will cover both
What is the best PRO for a nightclub owner? Also, is all music covered under a PRO? What about copyrighted music? What if a PRO doesn’t have a song I want to use, how can I play that song in the club without legal action?
If you're starting a nightclub I'd highly recommend just hiring a legal assistant, as you'll need legal advice to cover a lot more bases than just the PRO
Tyvm. Have a nice day.
Thanks so much Brad. I have chosen BMI. I wish to be the sole publisher of my original works, as well as performer songwriter. I also wish to use my songs for my own Indie movies someday soon. I stop by again to ask more questions on the business side of music. Now I am going to watch your video on mechanical rights of the Publishing Administration "CDBABY vs TUNECORE" Do you have a video on "SOUND EXCHANGE"?
Hi
Do you need to pay BMI.
Thank you for taking the time of doing this video, I really appreciate it, I have a question, I am a composer, let say someone approach to me and ask me permission to perform a piece in a venue, one that I have registered in the PRO, what is the process that the person has to do in order to perform that piece? in other words, what do I have to tell them? thank you
Thank you Rey for taking the time to watch and comment, I am glad that this video helped you with figuring out the confusing world of music business.
Now when it comes to your question, it is a little out of my wheelhouse. However, I do know that for live performances you can turn in a live sheet to your PRO. This will inform them that your music has been performed live in a club and they will pay the songwriter/publisher accordingly.
You may have to make an agreement with the artist/band to give you a list of their performance dates (date, club, songs played) and then send in a sheet yourself to your PRO.
If the artist is putting your song in as a cover in the middle of their all original set, then see if they are sending in a performance sheet to their PRO and make sure your song is being added. If they are part of a different PRO then see if you can get a copy of it to send to yours.
I didn't want to leave your question hanging so I am attempting to answer it the best I can as of right now. Again I don't have any personal experience with this particular question, so I am going by what I know with turning in live sheets. I am asking out to get you a definite answer, so when I have that I will come back and edit this answer.
Thanks again for watching and question!
Thanks ! I will try to get more info, and get back to you to share. Happy new year
Yeah please let us know if you find anything out! I will update this comment thread as well when I figure out the details. Thanks again for watching and taking the time to comment.
Thanks. Hard decision. They're making us pick one or the other. I been debating all week, on which should we go with. Up until now I was under the impression That we could go with both PROs at the sametime. Telling my friends my aggregator can get you into all 3 PROs at the sametime. Guess ill flip a coin and if it land on heads we will go with ASCAP and if it lands on tails we will go with BMI. Ha ha cant seem to differentiate between the two.
At the end of the day both are going to do the similar things, I would say just choose one and move on with making music!
Thanks. Good idea.
Hi! Please explain in 2 words: what different between BMI and DistroKid? Thanks
Distrokid is a service that sends songs out to be published on steaming platforms and online stores. BMI is a rights organization that handles legal issues of royalties and publishing rights for artists.
To put it simply, distrokid is a distributor, BMI is a sort of workers' union.
Thank You.
You're welcome!
WOW good info, I’ve sadly put money into both, do the fees expire? Do you have to pay again? Yearly, Quarterly? I did hear you say one time fee but im just making sure 😩🥺😫
One time fee
this is very helpful. thank you so much
So would I need to own my on publishing company or just sign up as a writer for BMI
i know BMI has a two year contract. Can't find anything on whether ASCAP has one or not. Anyone know?
also, is there any benefit to registering as a publisher long term? like i see that ascap you have to to get your royalties but BMI you dont so... why would anyone do that unless there was a specific benefit to being a publisher so like what does that mean exactly
ASCAP you pay once and it will last you a lifetime. If you are a solo musician and self-releasing you shouldn't have to worry so much about publishing. Things get a bit more tricky when multiple writers are involved and trying to figure out publishing rights for each song.
I looked at both sites and think I am going with BMI. I own a publishing company already. Do you know how to protect yourself in other country (internationally) ? You may or may not know this. I am currently with Reverbnation and wondered if they function the same as OneRPM or CD Baby? I have been studying a lot and wondered if I should stick with Reverbnation if they do the same thing.
From my understanding Reverbnation is more of a music promotion site that also will give you digital distribution. You would want to get an Admin Publisher to help you collect streaming royalties/downloads/sync. This would be your CD Baby, Distrokid, TuneCore, ect.
As long as you have registered your songs for a US Copyright and have an admin publishing company that works internationally you should be protected. Also look at the different Admin publishing companies before signing up to see what they all offer (they aren't all created equal).
Also when you say you own your own publishing already is that registered through a PRO? To collect publisher royalty it will have to be registered with one and BMI is more expensive then ASCAP if you register as a publisher.
Hope that helps!
So what I am getting out of this is - copyright the material and go through let's say, CD Baby, and you're pretty well covered?
I would recommend copyrighting your material, registering your work through your PRO, and then registering it through SongTrust which then collects PR royalties and mechanical royalties internationally. Also, don’t forget to register with SoundExchange
@@GwalargaryTV Would you recommend signing up to Distrokid as well? or would that interfere with SongTrust and their duties?
Thanks man
Hey, you said they have health insurance at both, but I don’t see it listed at BMI’s website?
Can these two companies apply to British songwriters?
@Mike O'Lynn Thank you Mike, much appreciated. Regards-John.
The UK sister equivalent PRO is called PRS FOR MUSIC Collection Society
BMI does it look after musicians and rappers in America only ? if is so where can we register we musicians from europe
thanks brad that s very helpful
VERY INFORMATIVE...THANK YOU
I have tried to register with BMI three times now and have received no communication back. Is that normal? This has been going on every month since March (or maybe it's just a sign to pony up and pay ASCAP).
That's what makes me want to sign with ASCAP as well. I had to call ASCAP at least 15 times until finally I was able to talk to a human being... that lack of communication makes me wonder if they give a shit or not...
Just to say thanks for your video. You help a lot with ur explanation. I sub on ur channale if there is maybe more interesting info about something else. Thanks again! Great upload!
Is there any way to set up a company like CD Baby or Tunecore so you can manage all aspects yourself?
You could always try and start your business that does what CDBaby and TuneCore do...but understand that would be a huge undertaking that will take lots of gumption, connections, and time. I would recommend if you are trying to write and release music to just let the established players do their thing.
Brad Johnson Creative Thanks for your feedback.
@@DarianClarkMusic there are a hundred other distributors besides those two by the way, I'd personally reccomend Repost Network, tho they're invite only so you'd have to probably apply and appeal the denial email
This helped sooooo much!!! Thank you!
Very insightful
So in order to get all your royalties possible a person would need a PRO like ASCAP and a distributer like TuneCore, then have a Sound Exchange also...?
D 2nd that’s my understanding.
How often do they charge you, or do you just pay one time ?
Good information thank you.
I focus more on who the company's ran by🤔
Hi I just want to be a song writer which you recommend?
Thank you
You're welcome!
Thanks bro
Thank you!
lol thank you so much
I’m looking for songwriters To collaborate With do Recommend any companies or persons. Thank video helped.
Are you a producer?
Can this work if your from Philippines
Idk about ASCAP but i remember BMI has a section in the registration form for minor islabds, so I'd be surprised if the philipines isn't covered somewhere
Thanks bro