Guides
Music publishing in United States
How music publishing actually works in the United States: who claims which rights, what the national copyright system does, and what it takes for a publisher to set up and collect.
Who claims which rights
Performance: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or GMR (a writer affiliates with exactly one; a publisher usually maintains entities at several to match its writers). Streaming mechanicals: The MLC. Physical/download mechanicals: licensed directly or via agents such as HFA. Sync: always licensed directly by the publisher.
Copyright registration in the United States
The US is the big exception to registration-doesn't-matter: filing with the US Copyright Office is voluntary, but statutory damages ($750–$30,000+ per work) and attorney's fees are only available if you registered before the infringement or within three months of publication. Serious catalogs register.
Setting up to claim publishing rights
The US is one of the easiest territories to enter directly. ASCAP and BMI accept publisher members from anywhere; because a writer can belong to only one PRO, publishers typically form one publishing entity per PRO (the classic 'ASCAP company / BMI company' pair) so every writer's share has a home. SESAC and GMR are invitation-only. Register with The MLC (free) to collect streaming mechanicals — unclaimed shares eventually redistribute. No US company or office is required, though a US bank account simplifies payment.
The societies
ASCAP · BMI · SESAC · GMR · The MLC — each linked page covers the society’s history and how registrations reach it.
Two free checks for your CWR file. Is the file correct? Every record, share and control total against the spec, each problem on its exact line. Do its writers match their registrations? Every writer cross-checked against public registration data, including works registered under another spelling or IPI. Nothing stored: check a file at cwrcheck.com.