BMI

The other big US PRO. For-profit since 2022 (acquired by New Mountain Capital). Tends to skew slightly toward radio + television; ASCAP toward streaming, but both license everywhere. You can only join one — ASCAP or BMI, not both.

What BMI collects

A performing rights organization collects performance royalties — money generated when a composition is played publicly, whether that's radio, television, a live venue, or a stream.

BMI operates in United States and collects public performance. It was founded in 1939 and reports roughly 1,400,000 members.

Joining BMI

Joining cost: Free for writers; $250 for publishers. Royalties are distributed quarterly. An IPI number is required — that's the global identifier that ties a writer to their works, and without one your registrations can't be matched to payments.

Register directly at BMI.

Where Davincii fits

Davincii handles registration with BMI as part of standard onboarding — you don't file here yourself. We register your compositions, keep the data matched, and collect what BMI pays out.