The Songview display on each society’s website will provide the most comprehensive data in one place. It will show all reconciled works, plus the remaining BMI repertoire if you’re on the BMI site and the remaining ASCAP repertoire if you’re on the ASCAP site.

Background music and cues for film and television, which have a different registration process, are not currently included in Songview. Additionally, certain works that lack key detail needed for reconciliation, such as unique work or participant identifiers (ISWCs, IPIs, etc), are not included. These will be incorporated in later phases.

Songview is a system that will constantly evolve and update and we are in the process of reviewing additional requirements needed to add these works. We will release new features and enhancements that will bring value to the market in the future.

Yes. A work that is 100% controlled by ASCAP or 100% controlled by BMI will display a Songview checkmark if both ASCAP and BMI are in agreement regarding the ownership of the work. In BMI’s case, all 100% BMI works are considered reconciled though some might not show a green checkmark while we continue to process our full repertoire through the Songview platform.

Yes, if both ASCAP and BMI have agreed on the information regarding the writers and original publishers on a work (whether they are ASCAP, BMI or with another PRO), as well as the shares of the work belonging to each of the writers and publishers, the work will have the Songview checkmark. However, ASCAP and BMI are not able to confirm ownership shares for writers or publishers affiliated with PROs other than ASCAP or BMI.

No. All parties that have interests in a work are still paid by the PRO that licenses their interests in that work.

Both ASCAP and BMI are committed to reconciling the ownership data for as many works as possible and are continuing to work toward that goal.

The two most common reasons why a song may not immediately reconcile include:

• The total share percentage made available by ASCAP and BMI to Songview does not add up to 100% (or is not within the industry share tolerance of + or - .06%). This can happen either when copyright owners have not provided the required writer/publisher and share information to ASCAP or BMI, or when information that has been provided is in conflict.
• Songview is unable to reconcile a work because it is missing certain identifiers, such as IPIs and ISWCs, that help the societies match works across their respective databases.

Ensuring the utmost integrity of our data has always been our highest priority, regardless of platform. That data is obtained from rights holders, who, as royalty recipients, have every incentive to provide reliable data. Both ASCAP and BMI employ multiple procedures to verify that song data is accurate and up to date. The Songview reconciliation process is another way to ensure accuracy.

Copyright ownership by its nature is dynamic and changes on a daily basis, and new music is being created every day. Together, ASCAP and BMI receive tens of thousands of new copyright registrations every day. Due to differences in processing routines and other factors, it could take a few days for the Songview status to sync with and update ASCAP’s and BMI’s websites.

If a work that has the Songview checkmark is revised because of a change in ownership information in either ASCAP’s or BMI’s copyright system, then the checkmark will be removed while the updates go through the Songview reconciliation process again. When and if the revised ownership information for the work is agreed upon in both ASCAP’s and BMI’s systems, then the Songview checkmark will be restored.

ASCAP and BMI each display contact information only for their own respective publisher members/affiliates.

While the presentation of the data may look different on each PROs website, the information about writers, publishers and aggregated share splits controlled by ASCAP and BMI on reconciled works is the same. While there may be a difference in what’s displayed in terms of performers and alternate titles, this is because we are constantly receiving new data and incorporating it on a daily basis. Each PRO has made the decision to present the data in a way that is consistent with our individual repertory displays.

An authoritative view of data is an important foundation for a properly functioning music licensing system. BMI has high confidence in the accuracy of the data we provide, which is obtained from rights holders who, as royalty recipients, have every incentive to provide reliable data. While BMI cannot give a blanket guarantee regarding the accuracy of our data, this should not be of any concern to those who rely on our license or the information contained in our database because of the following provisions:

Businesses that take out a BMI license can be assured that they are licensed for any interest included in our repertoire, whether that interest is listed in our database or not. Taking out a BMI license allows a business to rely on the rights afforded in our license agreement, should any issue arise regarding their use of works in which BMI has an interest.

Any business that chooses not to take a BMI license and refrains from performing BMI music can not be sued by BMI for infringement. Additionally, BMI will not sue an individual or business for infringement for the performance of music in which BMI has an interest, if, when that music is performed, it was not listed in our database.