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About Broadcast Music, Inc.

BMI collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed.

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Close Broadcast Music, Inc., a global leader in rights management, collects license fees from businesses that use music, which it distributes as royalties to songwriters, composers & music publishers.
 

Technology Leaders

BMI is the acknowledged leader in developing and implementing cutting-edge tools for use in the performing rights arena.

Staying on the forefront of advanced technology allows us to offer an unparalleled level of service to both our affiliates and licensees.  On September 14, 2011, InformationWeek placed BMI in the top 15% of their prestigious 500 list of the nation’s Most Innovative Business Technology Organizations. BMI is distinguished as one of only two media organizations in the list’s top 100. 

BMI’s data management gives us quick access to our more than 7.5 million musical works, more than 500,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers, more than 2.6 million cue sheets, and more than 650,000 businesses licensed by BMI. No other licensing organization can boast of such an extensive and accessible body of information.

BMI’s Technology Timeline

2011 Information Week Names BMI as Tech Leader

  • BMI makes the top 15% of InformationWeek’s Most Innovative Business Technology Organizations list.
  • BMI launches BMI Live, allowing performing songwriters to submit their set lists and get paid for gigs — even in small venues.
  • The BMI Mobile App lands on iOS devices, providing on-the-go access to BMI’s business tools for songwriters, composers, copyright owners and users of music.

2010 BMI Goes Mobile

  • BMI becomes the first performing rights organization to offer a mobile-optimized website. A rich, full-featured mobile version of our award-winning website, it offers information and transactional services for songwriters, composers, copyright owners and businesses using music on the latest smartphones and tablet computers.

2009 Online Services 2.0 Debuts

  • BMI’s Online Services 2.0 includes an improved user-based environment, enhanced security, and updated applications.

2008 90% of New Works Registered Electronically

  • Online Services for Major Publishers introduced, allowing them to register new works and manage existing catalogs more efficiently.
  • More than 90% of all musical works are registered electronically.

2007 Licensing Account Management Available Online

  • BMI launches the 10th major revision of BMI.com. We’ve come a long way since we launched the industry’s first website in 1994.
  • BMI unveils online licensing, renewals and account management for General Licensing customers.

2006 BMI.com Is Music Industry’s Most-Viewed Website

  • Aggressively responding to its field’s challenging transition from analog to digital technology, BMI’s licensed digital media properties soars to more than 4,100–heavily contributing to an increase in royalty distributions to BMI songwriters, composers, and publishers.
  • BMI.com receives more than 5 million page views per month, making it the most-visited website in the music industry.

2005 See It Hear First™ Podcasts Are iTunes First

  • BMI launches See It Hear First™ podcasts, the first music industry podcast to be featured in the iTunes directory.
  • BMI acquires state-of-the-art digital recognition technology for tracking music on the radio, television and digital media, including the Internet.

2004 BMI Launches Songwriter101.com

  • BMI launches Songwriter101.com, the first website dedicated to helping the next generation of songwriters learn the ins and outs of the business side of the creative process.

2001 BMI Offers Online Affiliation Service

  • BMI.com receives one million page views per month. In an international competition for best music websites, it wins the prestigious MidemNet Award for “Best Organisation.” Judges describe BMI.com as “one of the most lively music-related web sites.”
  • Adhering to its commitment to proactively develop new revenue streams for its composers and publishers from emerging technologies, BMI signs the industry’s first ringtones licensing agreement.
  • BMI launches an online affiliation service, allowing songwriters to register to join in minutes, avoiding the inherent delays of filling out and submitting paper forms.
  • BMI debuts online catalog and royalty statement review, giving affiliates the option of accessing their repertoire and royalty information at the click of a mouse.

2000 Online Song Registration Program Set

  • BMI launches online song registration program for songwriters and composers.
  • BMI’s Digital Licensing Center® offers end-to-end online licensing and licensing fee-payment system for webcasters.
  • BMI’s Electronic Music Reporting (EMR) system allows stations to use existing computer programs to create music-use reports that are uploaded to BMI over a secure Internet connection.
  • BMI, along with European partners SACEM (France), GEMA (Germany), SIAE (Italy) and SGAE (Spain), launches FastTrack, an international technical alliance dedicated to improving the speed, accuracy and efficiency of data for distribution of international royalties. FastTrack currently comprises 12 performing right societies in 11 different countries, representing the vast majority of the global musical repertoire.

1995 Searchable Online Song Database Debuts

  • BMI posts entire song database (more than 7.5 million data items, updated weekly) in a searchable format on BMI.com.

1994 BMI Bows First Music Industry Website

  • BMI.com, the first music industry website, launches. It is among the first 1,000 dotcom registrations and launched more than a year before Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser.

1992 Online Publisher Song-Registration Program

  • BMI debuts the industry’s first online publisher song-registration program.

1972 BMI Takes Tech Leadership via Univac Mainframe

  • Recognizing the importance of the commercial data management revolution for its field, BMI first earns its reputation as the industry’s computer technology trailblazer by installing a UNIVAC mainframe computer. With song registration transferred to its mainframe database, the company now offers BMI songwriters and publishers the previously unimaginable ability to call and get instant response to catalog inquiries. Employing technological innovations to reduce costs while improving service continues to be a BMI hallmark.