US Music Royalties Explained: The Essential Registration Guide
By Written by Peter McVeigh
The whole system on one page, what to join, in what order, and what each step costs.
To collect everything your music can earn in the US, you need your song and your recording set up in the right places. Most of it is free. The order below avoids doubling back.
I wrote this from Belfast, where I collect my own US royalties through ASCAP via PRS. Over the years, trips to Nashville have taken me to both ASCAP and BMI, including a visit with 12 of my students in 2024.
I checked the details in this guide on 4 November 2026. Fees and rules change, so check each organization's own page before you rely on them.
Your registration order
Step: Where: Why: Cost
1: ASCAP or BMI: Song performance, plus your IPI: ASCAP free. BMI free
2: Publisher side: The publisher share: ASCAP free when joined together. BMI from $175
3: The MLC: Digital mechanicals if you self-administer: Free
4: SoundExchange: Non-interactive recording royalties: Free
5: Distributor: On-demand recording income: Varies
6: US Copyright Office: A public copyright record: From $45 online
What it could cost
Route: Joining costs
ASCAP writer and publisher, The MLC, SoundExchange: $0
BMI publisher as an individual, The MLC, SoundExchange: $175, plus confirm any writer fee at signup
Add your own ISRC prefix: $95 one time
Add a single-author copyright application: $45 per eligible application
Distributor pricing is separate, and fees can change.
If you're signed
A publisher or administrator may already handle publisher registrations and The MLC. A label usually handles the distributor side and registers as the recording's rights owner. You can still need your own PRO writer account and SoundExchange artist account. Ask them to confirm in writing who's doing what.
If you live outside the US
Don't join an American PRO just because you get US streams. Your own society may already collect there, and BMI says you can't be with another PRO worldwide. SoundExchange accepts non-US registrants, but check whether a society already holds your mandate.
Do I need to register my copyright?
This is separate from a PRO. ASCAP is clear that it doesn't register music for copyright protection. The Copyright Office lists $45 for a single-author, one-work online application, and $65 for its standard online application. Have a look at its circulars or speak to a lawyer about what suits your catalog.
Session players and backing vocalists
Non-featured performers don't register as featured artists for your track. SoundExchange points them to AFM and SAG-AFTRA, and the AFM & SAG-AFTRA Fund pays non-featured royalties. A SAG-AFTRA article directs people to raroyalties.org, but it's from 2013, so check the current site.
How long until you see money?
Longer than you'd like. BMI warns that first-quarter US performances may take eight to nine months to pay. SoundExchange pays most royalties within 45 days of receipt. So register now, and don't plan your rent around it.
A one-track test
Take one released song. Tick off each of these:
Registered with your PRO as writer and publisher.
Registered and matched at The MLC, unless someone administers it for you.
Claimed at SoundExchange.
Has one ISRC and one UPC.
Has a written split.
Is on your master list.
Whatever's missing is your next job.
Read next
How to Join ASCAP or BMI, How to Register with SoundExchange, How to Join The MLC, and How a Stream Becomes Money.
Sources
US Copyright Office, Fees: https://www.copyright.gov/about/fees.html
ASCAP, Membership help: https://www.ascap.com/help/my-ascap-membership
SoundExchange, FAQ: https://www.soundexchange.com/frequently-asked-questions/
SAG-AFTRA, IP Fund: https://sagaftra.org/afm-sag-aftra-ip-fund-there-money-waiting-you
BMI, Writer kit: https://cdn.bmi.com/forms/affiliation/bmi_writer_kit.pdf
The MLC, Get started: https://www.themlc.com/get-started
Disclaimer
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice.