BMI

BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) is a for-profit performing rights organization based in Nashville, Tennessee, that licenses the public performance rights of over 1.2 million songwriters, composers, and publishers. It collects fees from radio stations, streaming services, TV networks, venues, and businesses, then distributes those fees as royalties to its affiliates on a quarterly basis.

How BMI Works

BMI issues blanket licenses to businesses that play music publicly. These include radio stations, television networks, streaming platforms, restaurants, retail stores, concert venues, and bars. A blanket license gives the licensee access to BMI's entire catalog of over 22 million musical works for a single fee.

BMI distributes royalties quarterly, in January, April, July, and October. Payments typically lag 6 to 9 months behind the actual performances. BMI tracks usage data from radio logs, TV cue sheets, streaming reports, and live performance set lists submitted through its BMI Live program.

Songwriter membership is free. Publisher registration costs a one-time fee of approximately $150. There are no annual dues. BMI operates under a federal antitrust consent decree, which means its rates are subject to review by a US rate court if negotiations with licensees fail.

In August 2025, BMI reached a landmark settlement with the Radio Music License Committee (RMLC) covering the 2022 to 2029 period. Radio stations will pay 2.14% of gross revenue for 2022 and 2023, 2.26% for 2024, 2.19% for 2025, and 2.20% for 2026 through 2029. This represents the largest rate increase in BMI's history, up from the previous rate of approximately 1.7%. The settlement is applied retroactively, with stations making up the difference through monthly payments starting in October 2025.

BMI collects approximately $1.6 billion in royalties annually. The organization has historically strong ties to country, gospel, R&B, and hip-hop music communities, though its catalog covers all genres.

Real-World Example

A songwriter registers with BMI for free and uploads 10 songs through BMI's Songfile system. One of those songs gets played on a commercial radio station 500 times in a quarter. The station pays BMI a blanket license fee calculated as 2.20% of its gross revenue (under the 2026 to 2029 rate). BMI logs those 500 performances through its monitoring system. The songwriter receives a proportional share of the quarterly royalty pool, paid the following quarter (6 to 9 months after the actual airplay).

If the songwriter also performs those songs at a licensed venue, they can submit set lists through BMI Live to collect additional live performance royalties. A songwriter with 50 logged performances at a venue in a given quarter receives a payment based on the venue's license fee and the number of works performed.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you write songs that are performed publicly (on radio, TV, streaming, or in live venues), BMI collects royalties you would otherwise never receive. Membership is free for songwriters, which removes the upfront cost barrier that ASCAP's $50 fee creates.

Register every composition with BMI as soon as it is commercially released. Unregistered works earn zero royalties, even if they receive thousands of plays. You must also register a publishing entity (for $150) if you want to collect the publisher's share of performance royalties, not just the writer's share.

You can only belong to one US PRO at a time. If your music leans toward country, R&B, hip-hop, or gospel, BMI's monitoring systems have historically tracked those genres well. Compare BMI and ASCAP based on your genre, budget, and payment schedule preferences, then pick one and register immediately.

Notable BMI Members and Award Winners

BMI's roster spans every major genre, with particular strength in country, R&B, hip-hop, gospel, and pop. The organization honors its top affiliates each year through a series of award ceremonies held in Nashville, Los Angeles, New York, and other music cities.

Recent award winners and honorees include:

• Paul Anka received the BMI Icon Award at the 2026 BMI Pop Awards on May 12, 2026, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. Anka has earned 24 BMI Awards over a career spanning seven decades and is the only artist to chart a song on Billboard for seven consecutive decades. His catalog of over 900 songs includes "My Way" (the English lyric for Frank Sinatra), "Diana," "Lonely Boy," "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," and "(You're) Having My Baby."
• Sheryl Crow was named the 2026 BMI Troubadour Award honoree in August 2026. Crow has been a BMI affiliate since 1991 and has earned 12 BMI Awards, eight BMI Million-Air awards, and the 1997 BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year title. She has sold more than 50 million albums globally and holds the record for the most number one singles on the Billboard Triple A chart by any female artist.
• Kierra Sheard received the BMI Impact Award at the 2026 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards on July 21, 2026, in Nashville. She tied for gospel songwriter of the year with her brother J Drew Sheard II and Kerry Douglas, each credited on three of the most performed gospel songs of the prior year.
• Luny Tunes (Francisco and Victor Cabrera) accepted the BMI President's Award at the 2026 BMI Latin Awards as the pioneering reggaeton production duo behind hits for Daddy Yankee, Wisin and Yandel, and many others.
• Lee Thomas Miller was named BMI's 2026 Songwriter Ambassador in Residence for the Nashville Creative office. Miller has 13 BMI Awards, seven number one hits, and co-wrote Jamey Johnson's "In Color," which won CMA and ACM Song of the Year.

Past BMI Icon recipients include Barry Manilow, the Bee Gees, Brian Wilson, Carlos Santana, Carole King, Crosby Stills and Nash, David Foster, Dolly Parton, the Jacksons, John Fogerty, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard, and Nile Rodgers. Taylor Swift became the youngest BMI Country Songwriter of the Year in 2010 at age 20.

Fee and Royalty Structure

BMI's fee structure is straightforward for songwriters and publishers:

• Songwriter affiliation: Free. No application fee and no annual dues.
• Publisher registration (individual / sole proprietor): $175 one-time fee.
• Publisher registration (corporation or LLC): $250 one-time fee.
• Publisher registration (partnership): $500 one-time fee.

All publisher fees are non-refundable and cannot be deducted from future royalties. BMI distributes royalties quarterly, with payments issued in February, May, August, and November. Payments typically lag 6 to 9 months behind the actual performances.

BMI operates as a for-profit company following its February 2024 acquisition by a New Mountain Capital-led investor group. The organization states a target of paying out approximately 85 cents of every dollar collected to its affiliated writers and publishers. BMI still operates under a federal antitrust consent decree, which means any licensing rate dispute can be resolved by a US rate court rather than through private litigation.

BMI vs ASCAP vs SESAC: How They Compare

The three largest US performing rights organizations differ in ownership, cost, and access. Here is how they stack up as of mid-2026:

When to choose BMI: You want free songwriter membership with no upfront cost, your music leans toward country, R&B, hip-hop, or gospel, and you are comfortable with a 2-year affiliation term and quarterly payments.

When to choose ASCAP: You prefer a member-owned nonprofit structure, want a shorter 1-year contract, and value a rolling monthly payout cycle. ASCAP also waives its $50 publisher fee if you register as a writer and publisher at the same time.

When SESAC applies: SESAC is invitation-only and negotiates individualized deals with the catalogs it signs. If you have placements, sync revenue, or a manager who can open that door, SESAC can offer advances and more personalized service. Most independent songwriters will not have this option.

A fourth US PRO, Global Music Rights (GMR), is also invitation-only with private terms. Most businesses that play music publicly need licenses from all four organizations for full catalog coverage.

Watch and Learn

These videos cover BMI award ceremonies, song registration walkthroughs, and how performance royalties actually flow from platforms to songwriters.

Related Resources

• Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) - What a PRO is and how it functions
• Performance Royalties - How performance royalties are generated and collected
• Blanket License - The licensing model used by BMI and other PROs
• Mechanical Royalties - Understanding the difference between performance and mechanical royalties
• PRO Comparison Guide - Detailed comparison of ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC
• How to Register Music with a PRO - Step-by-step registration guide
• BMI Official Website - Visit BMI to learn about membership and licensing
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital performance earnings