Performing Rights Organizations

PRO’s represent music composers and publishers by licensing and collecting royalties from businesses that publicly perform, i.e., broadcast or play, the composers’ and publishers’ music. ASCAP, BMI and SESAC collect information about what music is being performed so they can pay composers and publishers some of the money that was paid to them by the businesses that performed their music. A composer can only be a member of one PRO at a time, but music publishers can have affiliates of two or all three PROs.

In short, the relationship is like this:

PRO licenses a business
↓
the business plays music and the business pays PRO
↓
PRO pays the composer/publisher for the music that was played by the business

The TV Music License Committee negotiates with three of the largest Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) in the U.S. – ASCAP, BMI & SESAC. There are also new Performing Rights Organizations forming and the TVMLC will continue to monitor them closely.

To view available licenses, updates and contact information for each PRO, please click on a logo below.