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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 music rights management, collects license fees from businesses that use music, which it distributes as royalties to songwriters, composers & music publishers.
 
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Live Concert Royalties

detail Royalty policies are complicated. Choose between two versions of this page.

Pop Concerts

BMI uses an independent source of live pop concert information to identify and create a database of the top 300 concert tours and/or concert events/festivals each quarter. Set lists are solicited from headliners and opening acts performing at those events. A royalty payment is then calculated for each BMI-licensed work performed at each event. This calculation is based upon the license fees collected from each licensed tour or event. Works performed as part of a medley by either a headliner or opening act will be paid at a rate equal to one half of the full rate. Since the number of BMI-licensed works changes from one quarter to the next, as do the license fees collected by BMI from concert promoters and venues, the royalty rate for your works performed in live pop concerts will also change each quarter.

Classical Concerts

BMI pays royalties for original classical works performed at live classical concerts in the U.S. that are presented by entities licensed by BMI under classical and symphonic licenses. Payment is based upon a census of all eligible concert programs received from these licensees. The rates are determined annually based upon the fees received from classical licensing and the total number of BMI works performed.

BMI Live

In our continuing efforts to ensure that songwriters performing in live music venues receive royalties at every stage of their careers, BMI has launched BMI Live, a program enabling those songwriters to register their concerts and set lists online to be considered for payment.  To qualify, songwriters need to register their live musical performances on BMI.com/live. BMI will pay royalties to both writers and publishers via direct deposit.  The distribution from BMI Live will be made quarterly; updates on the program are available on the BMI Live page.