Publishing
How Do I Register My Songs with a PRO?
Song registration with a PRO is done through your PRO's online member portal after you have joined. Each song must be registered individually with title, co-writer splits, and publisher information.
After joining your PRO (ASCAP or BMI), you register songs through their online member portal. You'll need the following information for each song: the official title, the ISRC (if available), each co-writer's legal name, their PRO affiliation, publisher information, and the agreed-upon split percentages. All splits must total 100%.
For ASCAP members, song registration is done at ascap.com through the 'Title Registration' section of your member dashboard. For BMI members, the equivalent is the 'Repertoire' section of your BMI portal at bmi.com.
Timing matters. Register your songs before they are released, or as early in the release cycle as possible. PROs typically process performances on a quarterly cycle, and performances can only be credited to songs that are already registered in the system at the time the performance data is received.
If your song has co-writers affiliated with a different PRO — for example, you are with ASCAP and your co-writer is with BMI — each writer registers their own share with their own PRO. The PROs coordinate payment to each party through a reciprocal exchange agreement. You do not need to register the full song at both organizations.
We recommend registering every title before your release date.
Official Resources