Foreign Royalties

BMI has reciprocal agreements with performing rights organizations (PROs) throughout the world, which allow those PROs to license your works and collect fees on your behalf when your music is performed outside of the United States. The foreign PROs calculate payments to BMI composers, songwriters and publishers in accordance with their own distribution rules and remit royalty payments to BMI for those songwriters, composers and publishers listed in an international index as being affiliated with BMI or whose works have been reported by BMI to these PROs. Foreign royalties are distributed quarterly by BMI after the deduction of an administrative handling fee, which, as of October, 2007, is 3.6%, but which is subject to change at any time.

When a royalty payment from a foreign PRO is designated for a specific BMI songwriter, composer or publisher, BMI pays that affiliate directly if BMI's records confirm entitlement to that payment. There are, however, instances where, instead of an affiliate's name, only a song title, film title or TV show name is provided by the foreign PRO in conjunction with a lump sum royalty payment to BMI. In those instances, we must do more extensive research to determine the entitled parties and their percentage splits and make an allocation in accordance with the data contained in BMI's records. Sometimes, this causes a minor delay in distributing the royalties.

Although BMI has an extensive foreign royalty tracking system, we always welcome information from you regarding foreign translations of song titles, film and TV show titles, and details regarding foreign sub-publishing agreements. You should send this information to BMI International Administration in New York, and the information will be noted in our database for tracking purposes.