Join a Performing Rights Organization as both a Writer and a Publisher to collect 100% of your performance royalties — and unlock your Publisher IPI number, the key required for every mechanical registration in Week 12.
PROs are like toll road operators. Every car (music user) pays a toll. PROs collect all the tolls — then pay you based on how many cars drove on YOUR specific road (your song). They collect from radio, streaming, TV, restaurants, hotels, live venues, sports arenas, airlines, retail stores, and hundreds more. PRO income can be up to 60% of your publishing revenue.
Every royalty your PRO collects is split 50/50: the writer's share goes to your WRITER account (registered under your personal name); the publisher's share goes to your PUBLISHER account (registered under your LLC). If you are self-published, BOTH accounts are yours = you collect 100%. This is why self-publishing = more money — and why this course had you build your own publisher entity instead of handing that share to a third-party administrator.
| Difference | ASCAP | BMI |
|---|---|---|
| Payout schedule | Splits domestic & international into separate checks (slower to receive all) | Pays domestic & international together each quarter (money arrives quicker) |
| Royalty advances | Only for top earners | Open advance program for members |
| Fees (writer) | $50 | FREE |
| Fees (publisher) | $50 | $150-250 |
SESAC is invite-only. You can only join ONE PRO at a time — and you typically can't switch for ~2 years. You can't be a writer at one PRO and a publisher for yourself at another.
This is the KEY to all of Week 12. Use the PUBLISHER IPI — NOT the writer IPI. Save it in your Master Business Document immediately.
Register songs BEFORE they are released. Unregistered plays = lost money forever — PROs do not backfill most unpaid royalties. For each song you need: exact title (matching your distributor listing exactly), duration, writer percentages (totaling 100%), publisher percentages (totaling 100%), and release date.
Check off each item as you complete it.