Earning performance royalties in the USA
Most countries only have one performing right organisation (PRO).
However, in the USA, there are multiple PROs.
APRA AMCOS has agreements with all major US PROs, including the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music Inc (BMI) and the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC). However, unpublished APRA members are designated to ASCAP by default.
This means that in the USA, performance royalties are collected on our members’ behalf thorough ASCAP, and then passed on to us to distribute.
If you are unpublished, it’s your choice as to maintain the ASCAP designation, or choose a different one. So do some research on each US-based PRO: ASCAP, BMI SESAC.
If you choose to have your works designated through a PRO other than ASCAP, for example, BMI or SESAC, you should notify us before, or as soon as, your music is available in the USA. Changing your designated PRO later will take some time to process.
Performance royalties are for when your music is:
- performed live;
- broadcast; or
- otherwise publicly performed, for instance as recorded music in retail stores or bars
If you are unpublished and want to discuss your US designation options, please contact us.
What if I am published?
Firstly, it’s important to notify APRA AMCOS when you sign any kind of publishing deal to ensure we can correctly manage your rights.
If you have a publishing deal that covers the territory of the USA (which includes sub-publishing agreements), it’s likely that your US publisher will have a preferred PRO. This means your publisher will register your works through one PRO and your works will be paid from that PRO.
If your publishing deal does not include the USA, you will be considered by APRA AMCOS as an ‘unpublished writer’ in that territory and automatically designated to ASCAP. If you would like to discuss your options for designation in the US, please contact us.
Why this matters
In the USA, performance and reproduction royalties are handled by separate organisations. The designated PRO only affects your performance royalties.
Visit International Royalties Explained to find out about options for reproduction royalties.
