Is Your Creative Graveyard Failing?
Is Your Creative Graveyard Filling Up? Is Your Creative Graveyard Filling Up?Yeah. Mine too. I’ve got 139 unfinished music projects
Whether you’re a bedroom beatmaker, a full-time composer, or somewhere in between, registering your songs with a performance rights organization (PRO) like BMI is one of the most important steps in protecting and profiting from your music. If you want to get paid when your work is performed publicly — on radio, in film, at live venues, or streamed online — BMI is how you collect those royalties. But how do you actually register a song? And why does it matter before your track goes viral?
Let’s break it down.
BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) is one of the three major U.S. PROs (along with ASCAP and SESAC). Its job is simple: track public performances of music and pay the rightful creators.
When your music is played on TV, radio, online platforms, or performed live in clubs, restaurants, or stadiums, BMI collects fees from those establishments and distributes royalties to songwriters and publishers — that means you.
You don’t get paid unless your song is registered. Period.
Imagine your song gets placed in a Netflix series, spun on SiriusXM, or performed by a cover band in a dive bar. If you haven’t registered it, BMI doesn’t know it exists. That means no tracking and no royalty check.
Other reasons to register:
Proof of authorship in legal or copyright disputes
Eligibility for placements in sync libraries or licensing platforms
Access to income from international PRO affiliates
Professional visibility in the publishing world
To register a song on BMI, you must:
✅ Be a registered BMI songwriter (free to join)
✅ (Optional but recommended) Be a registered BMI publisher — if you want to collect the publisher’s share
✅ Have basic song information on hand, including:
Song title
Writer(s) name(s) and percentage splits
Publisher(s) name(s), if applicable
Performing artist (if different)
If it’s instrumental or has lyrics
Duration (optional, but helpful)
ISRC or UPC (if released digitally)
Head to www.bmi.com and sign into your Writer account. (If you’re also your own publisher, log into your Publisher account afterward to register it again under your publishing entity.)
From your dashboard, look for the “Works Registration” section or a button that says “Register a Work.” This opens up the song submission form.
Title: Make sure it matches how it appears on streaming services or in libraries.
Alternate Titles: Add any known alternate spellings, subtitles, or working titles.
Duration: Enter the song length if you know it.
Instrumentation: Choose whether the song contains lyrics or is instrumental.
List yourself and any co-writers.
Input each writer’s CAE/IPI number (found in your BMI profile).
Set the percentage splits (total must = 100%).
If you’re the sole writer, it’s 100% to you.
If you have a publishing entity (even one you created), add it here with its own CAE/IPI number.
Assign publishing percentage splits — again, the total must equal 100%.
If you’re self-published, list both you as the writer and your publishing entity.
Review your inputs.
Click “Submit.”
You’ll get a confirmation notice and the song will appear as “Pending” until fully processed by BMI, which can take a few days to a few weeks.
Once registered, BMI begins monitoring for performances of your work — on radio, TV, streaming, and in live venues. If your song gets played in a licensed environment, you get paid. Royalties are typically distributed quarterly.
Register BEFORE release so you’re covered from Day 1
Use consistent naming across platforms (Spotify, YouTube, etc.)
Keep a spreadsheet of your registrations to avoid duplicate titles or errors
Register your song with other platforms too — like SoundExchange (for digital royalties), the MLC (for mechanicals), and your distributor (for ISRC assignment)
Don’t wait until your track hits a million streams or ends up in a documentary to think about royalties. Registering your music is your music business. It’s not just red tape — it’s how creators build a sustainable career.
At Revision Sound, we’ve worked on hundreds of songs and shows, and we always tell clients: The more you treat your catalog like a business, the more your art can thrive.
If you’re not sure how to set up your publishing entity, track down your CAE number, or manage multiple PRO accounts — we can help.
Drop us a line. Let’s make your sound work for you.
Is Your Creative Graveyard Filling Up? Is Your Creative Graveyard Filling Up?Yeah. Mine too. I’ve got 139 unfinished music projects
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