MODULE 03 / 09
PRO, Publisher & MLC Registration
“Royalties don't find you. Registration is how the money learns your name.”
The global royalty system is a set of databases. If your song and your ownership aren't in the right databases with the right metadata, your money is collected anyway — and paid to someone else or absorbed into the “black box.” This module is the hands-on setup: choosing and joining a PRO, creating your publisher entity, registering with The MLC, and getting your codes and metadata airtight.
What you'll be able to do
- Map every composition royalty stream to the organization that collects it
- Choose between ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR with real criteria — and affiliate correctly
- Set up your own publishing entity so you collect the publisher's share
- Register works with The MLC and claim historical unmatched royalties
- Use ISWC, ISRC, IPI, and consistent metadata to prevent lost income
The Collection Map: Who Pays What
No single organization collects composition royalties. Each royalty stream from Module 1's exclusive rights is gathered by a different entity — and each requires its own registration. Here is the full U.S. map for an independent songwriter who also releases their own recordings.
| Organization | Collects | You must | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRO (ASCAP/BMI/SESAC/GMR) | Performance royalties (radio, streaming, TV, live, venues) | Affiliate as writer AND publisher; register every work | ASCAP $50 one-time; BMI free (writer); SESAC/GMR invite-only |
| The MLC | U.S. streaming & download mechanicals | Create member account; register works; keep splits current | Free |
| Distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore…) | Master-side streaming revenue (if you own masters) | Standard distribution setup | Varies |
| SoundExchange | Non-interactive digital performance on the MASTER (web/satellite radio) | Register as artist and/or rights owner | Free |
| Publisher / sync agent (optional) | Sync fees, foreign mechanicals (Module 5) | Deal-dependent | % of collections |
Choosing Your PRO: ASCAP vs. BMI vs. SESAC vs. GMR
A Performing Rights Organization licenses the public-performance right of your songs in bulk (blanket licenses to radio stations, venues, streaming services, TV networks), then distributes the fees as performance royalties. In the U.S. you can only belong to one at a time as a writer. ASCAP and BMI are open to everyone and cover ~90% of the market; SESAC and GMR are invitation-only boutiques.
| ASCAP | BMI | SESAC | GMR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | Member-owned nonprofit | For-profit (sold 2024) | For-profit, invite-only | For-profit, invite-only |
| Writer signup fee | $50 one-time | Free | N/A (invited) | N/A (invited) |
| Payment speed | Quarterly, ~6–7 months after quarter | Quarterly, ~6–7 months after quarter | Quarterly, often faster | Negotiated |
| Contract term | 1 year, auto-renews | 2 years (writers) | 3 years typical | Negotiated |
| Best for | Writers who value member governance | Zero-cost start; largest catalog | Curated roster, personal service | Superstar catalogs |
- Payout differences between ASCAP and BMI are real but unpredictable per-writer — both use different weighting formulas, and neither consistently pays more for every genre. Don't agonize; pick one and register everything.
- Co-writers do NOT need the same PRO. Each writer collects their share through their own society; the split sheet's PRO fields (Module 2) handle it.
- You can switch PROs at contract end, but works administration during transitions is painful — better to choose deliberately once.
- Outside the U.S.? Join your home society instead (SOCAN, PRS, APRA…) — Module 5 covers how they interconnect.
Becoming Your Own Publisher
Module 1 showed the writer's share and publisher's share are separate 50% halves. Your writer affiliation only collects the writer's half. To collect the publisher's half you must also affiliate as a publisher — essentially creating a pu…
Full lesson in the Pro curriculum
The MLC: Streaming Mechanicals & the Black Box
The Mechanical Licensing Collective, created by the 2018 Music Modernization Act, administers the blanket mechanical license for U.S. interactive streaming and downloads. Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and others pay the MLC monthly; the M…
Full lesson in the Pro curriculum
SoundExchange & the Master Side (Know the Boundary)
SoundExchange confuses everyone because it's a collection society that has nothing to do with your composition. It collects the digital performance royalty for sound recordings — generated when masters play on non-interactive services: S…
Full lesson in the Pro curriculum
Codes & Metadata: ISWC, ISRC, IPI and Airtight Data
Every dollar in this system moves by database matching. Four codes identify you and your work everywhere; inconsistent metadata is the root cause of most lost royalties. Lock these down and use them identically on every platform, registr…
Full lesson in the Pro curriculum
Unlock all 6 lessons in this module
Pro unlocks every lesson in all 9 modules — the worked royalty math, the registration walk-throughs, and the contract playbooks — plus unlimited split sheets and songs in your dashboard.